Presented to the M膩noa Faculty Senate by the Committee on Academic Policy and Planning (CAPP) for a vote of the full Senate on March 24, 2021, a resolution supporting the proposal for an Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainability.听 Approved by the M膩noa Faculty Senate on March 24, 2021 with 54 votes (98.18%) in support; 1 vote (1.82%) opposed; and 0 abstentions.听
RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE PROPOSAL FOR AN UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN SUSTAINABILITY
WHEREAS, the Institute for Sustainability and Resilience was established at 麻豆传媒Manoa in 2018 to provide a campus-wide platform for cross-disciplinary instruction on environmental sustainability; and
WHEREAS, the Institute for Sustainability and Resilience, in partnership with eight other UHM colleges, has proposed a 15 credit Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainability; and听
WHEREAS, Executive Policy EP 4.202, signed in 2015, states, 鈥淭he University will encourage, facilitate and support curriculum development that advances the principles of sustainability and enables cross-campus collaborations that integrate teaching and research with solutions at the campus and community levels.鈥� and
WHEREAS, ensuring sustainable stewardship of our environment while simultaneously creating vibrant and resilient societies requires theory, practice, and integration across multiple fields; and
WHEREAS, meaningfully addressing environmental crises requires bridging multiple disciplines and perspectives while reassessing our collective and individual relationships with our world鈥檚 resources and the systems that have caused degradation; and
WHEREAS, the Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainability (SUST) will complement a student鈥檚 primary field of study by providing foundational knowledge of the interconnectivity of natural and human systems, and of evidence-based reasoning on the implications of sustainability problems and/or proposed solutions, and will also engage students in systems thinking and problem solving for achieving sustainability; and
WHEREAS, the proposed certificate will provide cross-disciplinary training and will utilize the considerable expertise of faculty across nine University of Hawai驶i units; and,
WHEREAS, proposers have consulted with relevant units and the proposed certificate does not duplicate or replace existing UHM programs, or programs at other 麻豆传媒campuses; and
WHEREAS, the proposed certificate leverages existing advising resources in respective units, the existing Director position in ISR, as well as the SUST cross-listed course offerings across campus, and does not require new resources; therefore,
听BE IT RESOLVED, that the M膩noa Faculty Senate recommends approval of the proposal to establish an Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainability at the University of Hawai驶i at M膩noa.
Supporting Document:
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