Advancing Sustainability at Ohio State
In January 2023, the Office of Academic Affairs launched an initiative to develop a potential vision for advancing sustainability education, research and community engagement through Ohio State’s academic enterprise. Guided by the Academic Plan, this effort aims to build upon Ohio State's sustainability successes to address growing global and local sustainability challenges.
Sustainability is a key topic area in Ohio State’s Academic Plan that spans colleges, departments, centers and institutes. The communities where the university works, and partners it engages, seek out Ohio State’s expertise, support and educated students to meet rapidly evolving goals, sustainability targets and workforce needs.
Visioning process
The Office of Academic Affairs launched a faculty-led planning process to develop an integrated, transformational vision to advance sustainability across education, research and community engagement through an inclusive approach. This initiative was led by Elena Irwin, faculty fellow in the Office of Academic Affairs and faculty director of the Sustainability Institute. The work occurred over four phases:
There is growing demand for graduates with sustainability knowledge and skills. Therefore, this work began with envisioning what Ohio State can do to address education and workforce development needs.
Twenty-six faculty members from across the university comprised the interdisciplinary Sustainability Education Visioning Committee. They gathered data and input from Ohio State faculty and educators as well as external peers and partners throughout the spring 2023 semester. With that input, the committee developed an education and workforce development-focused visioning paper in June 2023.
Starting in fall semester 2023, the Research and Community Engagement Visioning Committees concurrently developed their respective visions with 32 faculty members and one staff member participating in the Sustainability Research Visioning Committee and 12 faculty and four staff participating in the Sustainability Community Engagement Visioning Committee. Each committee conducted its own investigations and outreach to develop the highly informed research visioning paper and community engagement visioning paper in August 2024.
Additionally, an external visiting committee consisting of peer institution faculty members, a private sector employer and a central Ohio community member have provided a series of recommendations after reviewing Ohio State’s sustainability efforts during an intensive two-day visit, meeting with more than 50 university faculty, instructors, staff and students. The external committee’s report can be viewed here. The report informed the work of all three sustainability visioning committees.
The visioning part of this initiative culminated in November 2024 when Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Karla Zadnik and Executive Vice President for Research, Innovation and Knowledge Peter Mohler jointly announced the release of the Integrated Vision and Proposed Actions for Sustainability Research, Education, Workforce Development, and Community Engagement.
Contact/Lead
Elena Irwin
Faculty Director, Sustainability Institute
Distinguished University Professor
sustainability@osu.edu
- Ryan Schmiesing, senior vice provost for external engagement
- Elena Irwin, distinguished university professor and faculty director of the Sustainability Institute
- Kate Bartter, executive director of the Sustainability Institute
- Trevor Brown, dean of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs and senior advisor to the provost
- Peter Mohler, executive vice president of the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge
- Randy Smith, vice provost for academic programs
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Julia Beckner |
Corporate career services consultant, Office of Innovation and Economic Development (ERIK) |
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Jeff Bielicki |
Associate Professor, Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering, College of Engineering and Public Affairs |
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Mike Bisesi |
Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and Academic Administration; Professor, Interim Chair, Environmental Health Sciences (EHS), Public Health |
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Claire Bollinger |
Clinical Instructor, School of Health and Rehabilitation Services, College of Medicine |
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Dave Cole |
Professor and Ohio Research Scholar, School of Earth Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences |
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Maria Conroy |
Assoc Professor, City and Regional Planning, School of Architecture, College of Engineering |
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Kip Curtis |
Associate Professor, History, College of Arts and Sciences, Mansfield Campus |
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Noah Dormady |
Associate Professor, Public Affairs |
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Jonathan Fresnedo Ramirez |
Assistant Professor, Horticulture and Crop Science, College of Food Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), Wooster campus |
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Mary Gardiner |
Professor, Entomology, College of Food Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) |
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Rob Greenbaum |
IProfessor and Assoc Dean of Curriculum, Public Affairs; Associate Vice Provost for Academic Programs, Office of Academic Administration |
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Tim Haab |
Chair and Professor, Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, College of Food Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) |
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Elena Irwin |
SI Faculty Director and Professor, Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, College of Food Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) |
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Berry Lyons |
Professor, Distinguished University Scholar, Earth Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences |
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Allison MacKay |
Chair and Professor, Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering (CEGE), COE |
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Becky Mansfield |
Professor, Geography, College of Arts and Sciences |
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Andrew Martin |
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, ASC, and Professor, Sociology |
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Bernadette Minton |
Professor and Chair, Department of Finance, Fisher College of Business |
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Maria Miriti |
Interim Associate Dean, Graduate School, and Professor, Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology |
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Lauren Pintor |
Associate Professor, School of Environment and Natural Resources, College of Food Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) |
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Rajiv Ramnath |
Professor of Practice, Computer Science, College of Engineering |
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Smitha Rao |
Assistant Professor, Social Work |
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Matt Saltzman |
Professor, School of Earth Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences |
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Tim San Pedro |
Associate Professor, Dept of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education and Human Ecology |
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Jeff Sharp |
Professor, School of Environment and Natural Resources, College of Food Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) |
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Anna Willow |
Professor, Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences |
- Elena Irwin, Distinguished University Professor and Faculty Director, Sustainability Institute
- Robin Bagley, Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
- Bart Elmore, Professor, Department of History
- David Cole, Professor, School of Earth Sciences
- Sean Downey, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology
- Rebecca Garabed, Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine
- Manuel Santana Palacios, Assistant Professor, Knowlton School of Architecture/City and Regional Planning, and Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering
- Abdollah Shafieezadeh, Professor, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering
- Chris Stewart, Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering
- Yael Vodovotz, Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology
- Jenifer Locke, Assistant Professor, Department of Material Science and Engineering
- Audrey Sawyer, Professor, School of Earth Sciences
- Jordan Clark, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering and Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
- Daniel Gingerich, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering and Department of Integrated Systems Engineering
- Jim Ippolito, Professor, School of Environment and Natural Resources
- Huyen Le, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography
- Jiyoung Lee, Professor, Environmental Health Science, College of Public Health and Department of Food Science and Technology
- Amy Youngs, Associate Professor, Department of Art
- Christian Blanco, Assistant Professor, Operations and Business Analytics, Fisher College of Business
- Stephanie Stockar, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
- Jung Hyun Kim, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
- Joel Paulson, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Rajiv Ramnath, Professor of Practice, Department of Computer Science and Engineering
- Maureen Langlois, Associate Director and Research Development Specialist, Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge
- Ajay Shah, Professor, Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
- Kymberly Gowdy, Associate Professor, College of Medicine
- Doug Jackson-Smith, Professor, School of Environment and Natural Resources
- Virginia Rich, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology
- Nicole Sintov, Associate Professor, School of Environment and Natural Resources
- Ian Howat, Professor, School of Earth Sciences
- Brian Roe, Professor, Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics
- Jeff Bielicki, Associate Professor, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering and John Glenn College of Public Affairs
- Jeremy Bruskotter, Professor, School of Environment and Natural Resources
- Shang Zhai, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and School of Earth Sciences
- Nicholas Breyfogle, Associate Professor, Director of the Goldberg Center, Department of History
- Jason Cervenec, Education and Outreach Director, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center
- Jill Clark, Associate Professor, John Glenn College of Public Affairs
- Amanda Davey, Associate Director, Global Water Institute
- Carolyn Gunther, Associate Professor, Director of Community Outreach and Engagement, College of Nursing
- Wendy Hesford, Professor, Ohio Eminent Scholar and Faculty Director of Global Arts + Humanities Discovery Theme, Department of English
- Gil Latz, Vice Provost, Global Strategies and International Affairs, Office of International Affairs
- Susan Melsop, Associate Professor, Interior Design Coordinator, Department of Design
- Jason Reece, Vice Provost for Urban Research and Community Engagement, Office of Academic Affairs
- Mary Rodriguez, Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership
- Eric Romich, Associate Professor and Extension Field Specialist, Energy Development, OSU Extension Community Development
- Greg Rose, Dean and Director,The Ohio State University at Marion
- Maurice Stevens, Associate Dean for Engagement, Faculty Director, STEAM Factory, Department of Comparative Studies
- Anne Trinh, Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives, Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Evaluation Studies
- Chris Winslow, Director, Sea Grant College Program
- Kim Winslow, Assistant Director, Knowledge Exchange
- Chris Boone, chair of visiting committee. professor and former dean, College of Global Futures, Arizona State University; former dean, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University
- Tim Carter, president, Second Nature
- Matthew Huber, professor of Earth Sciences and director for the Institute for a Sustainable Future, Purdue University
- Carolina Leonhardt, senior manager of environmental responsibility, Clif Bar
- Katherine (Kam) Mohler, vice president of research, Stanford University, and former transition dean for the Doerr School of Sustainability at Stanford
- William Murdock, executive director, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MOPRPC)
- Sacoby Wilson, professor of Environmental Health Sciences and director, Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health, University of Maryland