Sustainability

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 is being led by Elena Irwin, faculty fellow in the Office of Academic Affairs and faculty director of the Sustainability Institute. The work will occur over four phases:

  1. January-June 2023: Education and Workforce Development

  2. August-November 2023: Research and Community Engagement

  3. Early 2024: Full White Paper Development with Recommendations

  4. January-July 2024: Development of Implementation Plans

There is growing demand for graduates with sustainability knowledge and skills. Therefore, this began with envisioning what Ohio State can do to address education and workforce development needs. We will continue working toward developing interdisciplinary sustainability curriculum, including programs to meet current, emerging and future workforce development needs. Ohio State will support a student experience creating future leaders who will drive the innovation and social changes necessary to meet our shared sustainability challenges.

Updates

Twenty-six faculty members from across the university comprise 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.

This process is being replicated during the autumn of 2023 with Ohio State’s sustainability research and community engagement experts, and will culminate with a final, comprehensive white paper in the early part of 2024 that integrates across education, research and engagement.

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.

Contact/Lead

Elena Irwin
OAA Faculty Fellow
Faculty Director, Sustainability Institute
Distinguished Professor of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences in Economics & Sustainability
sustainability@osu.edu

Julia Beckner

Corporate career services consultant, Office of Innovation and Economic Development (ERIK)

Jeff Bielicki

Associate Professor, Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering, College of Engineering and Public Affairs

Mike Bisesi

Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and Academic Administration; Professor, Interim Chair, Environmental Health Sciences (EHS), Public Health

Claire Bollinger

Clinical Instructor, School of Health and Rehabilitation Services, College of Medicine

Dave Cole

Professor and Ohio Research Scholar, School of Earth Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences

Maria Conroy

Assoc Professor, City and Regional Planning, School of Architecture, College of Engineering

Kip Curtis

Associate Professor, History, College of Arts and Sciences, Mansfield Campus

Noah Dormady

Associate Professor, Public Affairs

Jonathan Fresnedo Ramirez

Assistant Professor, Horticulture and Crop Science, College of Food Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), Wooster campus

Mary Gardiner

Professor, Entomology, College of Food Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES)

Rob Greenbaum

IProfessor and Assoc Dean of Curriculum, Public Affairs; Associate Vice Provost for Academic Programs, Office of Academic Administration

Tim Haab

Chair and Professor, Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, College of Food Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES)

Elena Irwin

SI Faculty Director and Professor, Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, College of Food Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES)

Berry Lyons

Professor, Distinguished University Scholar, Earth Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences

Allison MacKay

Chair and Professor, Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering (CEGE), COE

Becky Mansfield

Professor, Geography, College of Arts and Sciences

Andrew Martin

Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, ASC, and Professor, Sociology

Bernadette Minton

Professor and Chair, Department of Finance, Fisher College of Business

Maria Miriti

Interim Associate Dean, Graduate School, and Professor, Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology

Lauren Pintor

Associate Professor, School of Environment and Natural Resources, College of Food Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES)

Rajiv Ramnath

Professor of Practice, Computer Science, College of Engineering

Smitha Rao

Assistant Professor, Social Work

Matt Saltzman

Professor, School of Earth Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences

Tim San Pedro

Associate Professor, Dept of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education and Human Ecology

Jeff Sharp

Professor, School of Environment and Natural Resources, College of Food Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES)

Anna Willow

Professor, Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences

 

  • Ryan Schmiesing, senior vice provost for external engagement
  • Elena Irwin, OAA faculty fellow 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, interim executive vice president of the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge
  • Randy Smith, vice provost for academic programs
  • 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
  • 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, Associate 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
  • Marilia Chiavegato, Assistant Professor, Department of Horticulture and Crop Sciences and Department of Animal Sciences
  • Tom Darrah, Professor, School of Earth Sciences
  • Jung Hyun Kim, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  • Joel Paulson, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
  • Rajiv Ramnath, Professor, 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
  • Christo Sevov, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
  • 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
  • Harley Etienne, Associate Professor, City and Regional Planning Knowlton School of Architecture
  • 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