Grant Will Provide for Environmental and Sustainability Education
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LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 28, 2007) − University of Kentucky political science
professor Ernest Yanarella's grant proposal to support environmental and sustainability
education in the undergraduate curriculum at the university has been funded by the Kentucky Education Cabinet. With the help of Carol
Hanley, education coordinator for the Tracy Farmer Center,
Yanarella’s proposal was successfully funded at the level of $111,000. The grant recently
took effect and runs through June 30, 2008.
"The grant proposal grew out of my interest in linking the present general education reform initiative to the mounting interest across campus among students, faculty, and administrators in taking environmental education and sustainability programs to a new level," Yanarella said. "As a recipient of the endowed professorship from the Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence focused on sustainability, the availability of these substantial funds from the Education Cabinet allowed me to imagine how my Chellgren wish list of undergraduate educational activities could be advanced and, hopefully, realized through such funding."
With the help of a team of three faculty and three graduate students, Yanarella hopes to see this support bring about a core course featuring local-global environmental and sustainability topics and themes in the new general education curriculum; a sustainability living-learning community targeting juniors; an environmental education module for future UK 101 offerings; updated and novel educational software in existing environmental courses; and a workshop for area high school teachers to assist them in incorporating environmental and sustainability issues and themes into their science, social sciences, and humanities courses.
"This is a tremendous testimonial to Dr. Yanarella's dedication to innovative education. The university is fortunate to have a leader like him who, after more than three decades, maintains such a high level of enthusiasm for its educational mission," said UK Provost Kumble Subbaswamy.
Carol Hanley, who assisted Yanarella in developing the grant, believes the Tracy Farmer Center will play a significant role in this initiative as well.
"A mission of Tracy Farmer Center for the Environment is to help faculty integrate research, education, and public service, and provide research support for faculty," Hanley said. "We were able to provide that assistance to Dr. Yanarella in order for him to get this grant, and we hope to provide similar assistance to other faculty in the future."
"With this grant, I am looking forward to developing bridges with and perhaps partnering with other Kentucky colleges and universities that have already developed environmental education programs to expand the influence of our education efforts in this area," Yanarella said.
"The grant proposal grew out of my interest in linking the present general education reform initiative to the mounting interest across campus among students, faculty, and administrators in taking environmental education and sustainability programs to a new level," Yanarella said. "As a recipient of the endowed professorship from the Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence focused on sustainability, the availability of these substantial funds from the Education Cabinet allowed me to imagine how my Chellgren wish list of undergraduate educational activities could be advanced and, hopefully, realized through such funding."
With the help of a team of three faculty and three graduate students, Yanarella hopes to see this support bring about a core course featuring local-global environmental and sustainability topics and themes in the new general education curriculum; a sustainability living-learning community targeting juniors; an environmental education module for future UK 101 offerings; updated and novel educational software in existing environmental courses; and a workshop for area high school teachers to assist them in incorporating environmental and sustainability issues and themes into their science, social sciences, and humanities courses.
"This is a tremendous testimonial to Dr. Yanarella's dedication to innovative education. The university is fortunate to have a leader like him who, after more than three decades, maintains such a high level of enthusiasm for its educational mission," said UK Provost Kumble Subbaswamy.
Carol Hanley, who assisted Yanarella in developing the grant, believes the Tracy Farmer Center will play a significant role in this initiative as well.
"A mission of Tracy Farmer Center for the Environment is to help faculty integrate research, education, and public service, and provide research support for faculty," Hanley said. "We were able to provide that assistance to Dr. Yanarella in order for him to get this grant, and we hope to provide similar assistance to other faculty in the future."
"With this grant, I am looking forward to developing bridges with and perhaps partnering with other Kentucky colleges and universities that have already developed environmental education programs to expand the influence of our education efforts in this area," Yanarella said.