Today at 12:30pm: “Smart Green Cities” Public Lecture in RU’s Ganz Hall

Today, 26 Sept 2016, at Roosevelt’s Chicago Campus

Please join Roosevelt’s Center for New Deal Studies for the 23rd Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Lecture, Monday, Sept. 26 at 12:30 p.m. in Ganz Hall. Economist and urban sustainability scholar Woodrow Clark II, PhD, will give a talk entitled “The Green Industrial Revolution is Here Today as Smart Green Cities” (pdf). Dr. Clark’s talk will be based on his most recent book, with Grant Cooke, Smart Green Cities: Toward a Carbon Neutral World (Routledge, 2016). A light reception will follow the talk. Please RSVP to fdrlecture@roosevelt.edu or 312-341-3838.

Contact Dr. Margaret Rung, Director of the Center for New Deal Studies (mrung@roosevelt.edu), for more information.

RU Environmental Sustainability Student Position (Chicago Campus) Open for Applications

Environmental sustainability summer intern and SUST alum Tiffany Mucci (BPS ’16) with a harvest from the WB rooftop garden this summer (photo: R. Quesnell)

The RU Physical Resources Department is offering a paid student internship/work-study position for the 2016-17 academic year. This job is an outstanding professional development opportunity and involves working directly with the RU Physical Resources Team under the direction of Paul Matthews, Assistant VP for Campus Planning/Operations. The internship is based primarily at the Chicago Campus, Applications are being accepted ASAP (see details below) until the position is filled. Duties and responsibilities include:

• Assist in implementing the newly adopted Sustainability Strategic Plan, approved in Spring 2015
• Help maintain and update of the RU Green Campus website, Green Campus Blog, and associated social media pages to provide other information which may benefit and educate the RU community about environmental sustainability
• Help manage the Chicago Campus Rooftop Garden
• Assist in maintaining contact with associations and government sponsored agencies that support the Physical Resources Environmental Sustainability Initiatives, including: Association for the Advancement for Sustainability within Higher Education (AASHE), United States Green Building Council, Second Nature, World Wildlife Federation, EPA Green Power Partnership Program, and the Illinois Governor’s Campus Sustainability Compact
• Participate in DCEO Recycling Grant Reporting; Recycling Project for AUD, Field House, and Wabash (with 50% diversion goal); and university Compost Agreement, which provides materials for Schaumburg Garden Plots
• Help prepare PowerPoint presentations on select ES topics to present to the RU Community when necessary.
• Attend RU-based meetings that deal with the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership thru Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification Program for the Wabash Vertical Campus, Field House, and other major construction projects. Assist in tracking the LEED credits for certification and green building construction, and in achieving USGBC LEED Silver level for Field House.
• Work on Physical Resource plans or initiatives that center around green technologies, landscapes, hardscapes, alternate methods of transportation, and renewable energy sources.

To Indicate Interest and Get More Information: Contact Paul Matthews, Assistant VP of Operations/Planning, Department of Physical Resources, Roosevelt University, at 312-341-3600 (office) or pmatthews@roosevelt.edu (email). This position does not require work-study status, but also qualifies as a work-study position.

See the Career Resources page on RU’s website to apply.

2016 Fogelson Forum at RU on Sept 29: What Is a Sustainable City?

Next Thursday, Sept. 29th, at 5 p.m., leading experts will discuss the role real estate will play in leading sustainability initiatives for major cities during the Gerald Fogelson Forum on Real Estate at Roosevelt University, 425 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago.

Entitled “What is a Sustainable City and How Do We Develop and Educate to Get There?,” the program will begin with a presentation by Mark S. Stapp (pictured at right), the Fred E. Taylor professor of real estate, executive director of the Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) program and director of the Center for Real Estate Theory and Practice at Arizona State University (ASU).

Stapp will share the work underway at ASU since 2004 when Julie Ann Wrigley made a $50 million gift to establish the Global Institute of Sustainability. The university has become a worldwide leader in bringing sustainability practices to cities.  The MRED program has been particularly focused on the role real estate development can play in creating socially and environmentally sustainable places.

After the presentation, Stapp will be joined by a distinguished panel that will discuss the initiatives underway in Chicago and potential collaboration efforts with ASU to understand what truly sustainable places and cities will look like and what needs to be done to build them.

Participating experts are:

• Christopher Groesbeck, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, principal, VOA now Stantec;  adjunct professor of Urban Design and Architecture, IIT; and International Steering Committee, Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Groesbeck also was the lead architect for Roosevelt’s 32-story vertical campus in Chicago’s South Loop. Opened in 2012, the Wabash Building, which has classrooms, offices, student services and student housing, received Gold-level LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for the skyscraper’s many significant sustainable features.

• Bill Abolt, vice president-energy – AECOM. Previously Abolt was environment commissioner, director of the Office of Budget and Management, and chief of management, City of Chicago, responsible for developing the city’s “green city” strategy; and adjunct professor of Public Policy and Administration, Northwestern University.

• Aaron Koch, chief resilience officer, City of Chicago, Office of the Mayor, leading Chicago’s partnership with 100 Resilient Cities, funded by The Rockefeller Foundation.  Previously he served as deputy commissioner for Sustainability, Department of Water Management, City of Chicago and senior policy advisor, Office of Planning and Sustainability, New York City.

“The City of Chicago is a leader in innovative environmental initiatives and is recognized as one of the “greenest” cities in the U.S.,” said Jon B. DeVries, director of Roosevelt’s Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate. “We’re excited to learn from this combination of academic, industry and government leaders about the possibilities that can be created through partnerships and shared knowledge and expertise.”

“Sustainability is a priority on our campuses. Besides Gold-level LEED-certification and numerous other green campus awards, the University also has been recognized by the city of Chicago and its Retrofit Chicago program as a leader and model of energy efficiency at its historic Auditorium Building,” said DeVries.

The Gerald Fogelson Forum on Real Estate was founded in 1999 to provide industry professionals and students an opportunity to participate in discussions and presentations by leaders in all areas of commercial real estate development.

The forum begins with a 5 p.m. reception with refreshments and hors d’oeuvres. The panel discussion will follow from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. in the Wabash Building, Room 418. Cost is $25 per person for industry professionals and the public; the program is free to students and faculty.

For more information on the event and registration, please call 312-281-3269 or visit:  www.roosevelt.edu/realestate

Study Abroad in Costa Rica this Spring Break!

Manuel Antonio National Park, one of the sites SUST 390 will visit. Photo from Axxis10, Wikipedia

New to Roosevelt in Spring semester 2017 is a study abroad course focusing on ecotourism in Costa Rica. SUST/HOSM 390 provides students with an in-depth understanding of ecotourism in Costa Rica, one of the pioneering countries in the world of sustainable tourism. Ecotourism is an industry focused on providing travel experiences that support, rather than detract from, conservation efforts. Costa Rica possesses incredibly rich biodiversity (Sloths!), sensitive forest, and marine ecosystems; and national parks make up about 20% of the nation’s territory! Tourist dollars contribute to a significant portion of the national economy, and the industry is geared towards an ethos of ‘do no harm.’

Students will learn about the unique historical context which gave rise to Costa Rica’s conservation policies and will be able to articulate what ‘best practices’ in ecotourism are. Students will also gain an understanding of the socio-economic and political dynamics associated with implementing ecotourism – does ecotourism improve livelihoods for Costa Ricans as well as conserve precious resources and serve tourists? Ecotourism will be differentiated from traditional tourism and students will be asked to draw their own conclusions about ecotourism’s merits and disadvantages.

Course Requirements and Details

SUST 390 is cross-listed with HOSM 390 in the Hospitality and Tourism Management program in the College of Professional Studies, so the course fills both major and minor requirements for students in Sustainability Studies and HOSM. However, the course is open to all majors as a general elective. Students in business, history, economics, political science, sociology, and a host of other majors will find something of interest with SUST/HOSM 390. And besides, who doesn’t want to go to escape cold Chicago and spend Spring Break in Costa Rica!

Sloths – like really chill monkeys

This 3-credit course meets five times in Chicago in addition to the week spent in Costa Rica (March 3-10). Four of the meetings are before the trip and one is a post-trip wrap-up meeting. Pre- and post- trip meetings are for 2.5 hours each and will be on Tuesday afternoons from 2-4:30pm (dates: 1/31, 2/7, 2/14, 2/21, and 3/21). Course assignments include reading, writing papers, and doing some basic research while in Costa Rica. During our time in Costa Rica, our ‘classroom’ will be outdoors! The course will be taught in English.

Check out some of the places we will visit:

• Poás Volcano
• Arenal Volcano and Hot Springs
• Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve
• Café Britt Coffee Plantation
• And more!

Hot springs at Arenal Volcano

Costs

The estimated cost of the course is $3800, which includes airfare, accommodations, breakfast everyday, two dinners, health insurance, and all required activities. If we are able to enroll at least 15 students, the costs will come down to about $3400. Tuition at Roosevelt is a flat-rate, so if you are a full-time student taking between 12-18 credit hour then there is no additional tuition cost for SUST 390. The program costs will be paid over three installments rather than all at once. Interested students must be enrolled in the course and have paid an initial deposit of 1/3 of the program costs by November 15th!

Instructors

Graham Pickren (that’s me) is the primary instructor for the course. I’m an Assistant Professor of Sustainability Studies here at RU. We will also be joined by Carmen Kordick, Assistant Professor of History. Dr. Kordick is a native Costa Rican and a historian of the country, so she will be an invaluable resource for our travels!

For more information, please email me at gpickren[at symbol]roosevelt[dot]edu

Howdy!

Hey Everyone, I just wanted to take a second to introduce myself. My name is Moses Viveros and I am a fourth year Sustainability Studies Major at Roosevelt. I am also working as the Sustainability Program’s Student Associate and now I am also an assistant editor for the SUST at RU Blog!

I’m the one on the right.

Besides all things having to do with Sustainability, I also love baking, running, traveling, binge watching episodes of the Nanny, and looking at Youtube videos of Pugs.

I am excited to be working with the Sustainability Studies Program as we have a lot of awesome programs in the works to make RU just a little greener. If any of you have any ideas or just want to be a part of the action, don’t be shy and reach out to one of us here in the SUST Program. We would love to get as many people as possible on board to help Roosevelt carry out its’ commitment to sustainability.

Hope to see y’all on campus!

Smart Green Cities: Franklin and Eleanor Distinguished Lecture at RU on Sept. 26

Please join Roosevelt’s Center for New Deal Studies for the 23rd Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Lecture, Monday, Sept. 26 at 12:30 p.m. in Ganz Hall. Woodrow Clark II, who holds a Ph.D. and three MAs, one of which is in political science from Roosevelt University, will give a talk entitled “The Green Industrial Revolution is Here Today as Smart Green Cities” (pdf).

The author, co-author and editor of eleven books and over 70 peer-reviewed articles, Dr. Clark is an internationally recognized expert, public speaker and advisor on global, regional, national, and community sustainable solutions to climate change. A former Manager of Strategic Planning for Technology Transfer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) with the University of California, he served as one of many contributing scientists and experts for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He also chaired the first Research Team (1997) for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN FCC).

Dr. Clark’s talk will be based on his most recent book, with Grant Cooke, Smart Green Cities: Toward a Carbon Neutral World (Routledge, 2016). A light reception will follow the talk. Please RSVP to fdrlecture@roosevelt.edu or 312-341-3838.

Contact Dr. Margaret Rung, Director, Center for New Deal Studies (mrung@roosevelt.edu), for more information.

Day Three of #AmDreamConf at RU: Faculty Panels on Immigration, Citizenship, and the 2016 Election

Today is Day Three of Roosevelt’s American Dream Reconsidered Conference this week. This afternoon in Ganz Hall, on the 7th floor of the university’s historic Auditorium Building, RU faculty are featured in two panel discussions on the interrelated issues of immigration, national policy, citizenship, and electoral politics.

Immigration, Citizenship, & the American Dream (2-3:15pm)

Roosevelt professors who have immigrated to the United States from around the world discuss their stories and their relationship to the American Dream. The audience will be invited to take a sample naturalization civics test similar to those required for applicants for U.S. Citizenship.

Moderator: Lawrence Benito, CEO, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

James Choca, Professor of Psychology (Cuba); Kyong Mee Choi, Associate Professor of Music Composition (South Korea); Jin-Ah Kim, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education (South Korea); Svetozar Minkov, Associate Professor of Philosophy (Bulgaria); Bedrija Nicocevic, Assistant Professor of Clinical Sciences (Bosnia); Wilfredo Urbina Romero, Associate Professor of Mathematics (Venezuela); Cornelius Watson, Associate Professor of Biology (Jamaica).

The American Dream & Politics (4:15-5:45pm)

Professors from eight different academic departments bring their disciplinary perspectives to a lively discussion of the November 2016 election and then invite the audience to comment.

Moderator: David Faris, Department of Political Science

Discussants: Leon Bailey, Sociology; Mike Bryson, Humanities and Sustainability Studies; Paul Green, Policy Studies and Director, Institute for Politics; Marjorie Jolles, Women’s and Gender Studies; June Lapidus, Economics; Charles Madigan, Journalism; Vicky McKinley Biology; Margaret Rung, History and Director, Center for New Deal Studies

Editor’s Note: The Roosevelt community mourns the untimely passing of Professor Paul Green this past Saturday. Dr. Green was a widely respected and nationally known political commentator, author, and scholar. His trenchant humor and quick wit enlivened every conversation he was part of, and his presence will be sorely missed on the faculty panel this afternoon on the current presidential election.