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Context
Lon Kaufman, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost, and Mark Donovan, Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services, have empowered the campus community to begin a Sustainability Strategic Thinking (SST) process to define sustainability for UIC and how it connects with the long-term strategic goals of the campus. To this end, they have charged a campus-wide Sustainability Strategic Thinking Advisory Committee and Sustainability Strategic Thinking Streering Committee.
Historically UIC has addressed “sustainability” in terms of environmental issues such as energy consumption, recycling, trees, and transportation alternatives. However this is only one part of the larger concept of sustainability, which takes into consideration other components - for example economics, resources (human, natural, and built), or diversity and social equity - that contribute to the long-term success of a complex system.
Getting Started
The goal for the Sustainability Strategic Thinking process is to view the sustainability of UIC in areas beyond ecology and the environment. Together, we will:
- Consider what sustainability means in teaching, research, service, operations, and our impact on future communities.
- Examine our place within the urban environment and how that connects to our learning community.
- Ask questions such as:
- How can we have a long-term view that ensures the future of programs, research and student success?
- How can we build lasting relationships with community partners? How do we best preserve knowledge and information in the digital age?
- How do we help our students retain what they have learned?
- How do we prevent staff and faculty from “burning out?”
- How do we connect environmental concerns with social justice?
All of these are 'sustainability' issues in the larger view of the term.