Sustainability: A Solution to Student Retention?

1. Sustainability: A Solution to Student Retention? Kevin Adkins, Sustainability Officer LEED Associate Connie Frey Spurlock, Associate Professor of Sociology & Sustainability Fellow

2. The Sustainable University “Sustainability implies that the critical activities of a higher education institution are (at a minimum) ecologically sound, socially just, and economically viable, and that they will continue to be so for future generations. The institution would function as a sustainable community, embodying responsible consumption of food and energy, treating its diverse members with respect, and supporting these values in the surrounding community. A truly sustainable college or university would emphasize these concepts in its curriculum and research, preparing students to contribute as working citizens to an environmentally sound and socially just society.” -- Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (www.uslf.org)

3. Sustainability at SIUe • Sustainability Advisory Group (SAG) • Mississippi Project • Office of Sustainability • Student groups • Student Organization for Sustainability (SOS) • Focus the Nation • Natural Connections • 7 LEED Certified Buildings • Bike Share Program • Water Refill Stations

4. Retention & Graduation at SIUe • Retention/Graduation rate: 70/52 • Green schools: 83/63 • Peer schools: 73/46 • STARS schools: 83/66 • Challenges: • Transfers • Off-campus • Working • Family

5. Student Success Advisory Council • 2009 • 18 members • Faculty, students, administrators, athletics, advising, etc. • Goals: • Increase 1st and 2nd year student retention by 1%/year • Increase graduation rate to 55%

6. Council Recommendations • Create & hire University Retention Director • Financial Distress Warning • Develop alternative degree maps, initially for limited-access majors, & expanding to all majors • Create a collaborative referral system between • Develop a bachelor’s degree that meets the needs of students with broad interests or for students whose first choice degree option is not available because of limited capacity. • Promote existing programs to support sophomore engagement • Social, academic, & economic supports

7. Tinto (2012) • Expectations • Learning outcomes • Sustainability-literacy assessment • Teacher expectations (Tinto 2000) • Academic, social, & financial support • Assessment & feedback • Frequent • 1-minute papers

8. Tinto (2012) • Involvement/Engagement • Experiential learning, • Outdoor learning, • Living on campus, • Team projects • Interaction with other students (Tinto 1997) • Deep learning; problem based, project based learning (Crosling et al. 2009) • Transformative (Sterling 2001) • Authentic curriculum that is challenging and relevant to their lives and futures (Crosling et al. 2009)

9. The Present Study • Independent variables – Sustainable Practices • Sustainability Committee • Require LEED buildings • Sustainability Officer • AASHE member • STARS participation • Dependent variables • First year retention • 6 year graduation rate

10. The Samples • Group A Schools • Princeton’s Green Schools • Group B Schools • Peer institutions (Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System) • 10-20,000 students • Public Institutions • Flagship institutions removed • Group C Schools • STARS rated schools • Group D Schools • U.S. News & World Report, Regional Universities (Midwest)

11. Princeton’s Green Schools Criteria • Food expenditures • Encourage alternatives to single-passenger automobile use for students. • Formal sustainability committee with students • Buildings are required to be certified LEED Silver • Overall waste-diversion rate • Environmental studies major, minor or concentration • “Environmental literacy” requirement • Greenhouse gas emissions inventory & a climate action plan • Energy consumption derived from renewable sources • Dedicated full-time (or FTE) sustainability officer

12. U.S. News & World Report • #9 Top Public School, Regional Universities (Midwest) • Criteria • Undergraduate academic reputation; • Graduation and retention rates; • Faculty resources; • Student selectivity; • Financial resources; • Alumni giving; & • Graduation rate performance. • Curriculum? Sustainability?

13. Questions • What is the relationship between sustainability practices and retention rates? • What is the relationship between sustainability practices and graduation rates? • Do institutions with higher STARS ratings have higher retention rates than institutions with no rating or lower ratings? • Do institutions with higher STARS ratings have graduation rates than institutions with no rating or lower ratings? **Sustainable practices: Sustainability Committee, Require LEED buildings, Sustainability Officer, AASHE member, STARS participation

14. Preliminary Findings: Descriptive Data .

15. Overall averages compared to All Practices* Group * Sustainable practices: Sustainability Committee, Require LEED buildings, Sustainability Officer, AASHE member, STARS participation

16. STARS rating & Rates No statistical significance between groups in either case.

17. Unexpected Finding • Sequential ordering of Sustainable Practices • LEED buildings • Sustainability Committee • Sustainability Officer • AASHE member • STARS • What is the next… ???

18. Tentative Conclusions • Do retention and graduation rates even matter?

19. Education for a Sustainable Society “enables people to develop the knowledge, values, and skills to participate in decisions…, that will improve the quality of life now without damaging the planet for the future.” -- Debra Rowe

20. “Soft” Skills & Employers • Oral & written communication & problem solving skills over applied & industry-specific skills • Well-rounded over industry experience • Communication & critical thinking over STEM degrees -- Northeastern University

21. Top 10 Qualities (or Soft Skills) of Job Candidates • Ability to verbally communicate with persons inside & outside the organization. • Ability to work in a team structure. • Ability to make decisions & solve problems. • Ability to plan, organize & prioritize work. • Ability to obtain & process information. • Ability to analyze quantitative data. • Technical knowledge related to the job. • Proficiency with computer software programs. • Ability to create &/or edit written reports. • Ability to sell or influence others. -- National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) 

22. Learning Outcomes • Define sustainability. • Explain how sustainability relates to their lives & their values, & how their actions impact issues of sustainability. • Utilize their knowledge of sustainability to change their daily habits & consumer mentality. • Explain how systems are interrelated. • Learn change agent skills. • Learn how to apply concepts of sustainability to their campus & community by engaging in the challenges & solutions of sustainability on their campus. • Learn how to apply concepts of sustainability globally by engaging in the challenges & the solutions of sustainability in a world context. --ACPA's Presidential Task Force on Sustainability

23. Works Cited • 2013. Northeastern University. “Innovation Imperative: Enhancing Higher Education Outcomes.” • Crosling, Glenda, Margaret Heagney, & Liz Thomas. 2009. “Improving Student Retention in Higher Education: Improving Teaching & Learning.” Australian Universities Review. 51: 9-18. • Gardner, Kathleen& Kathleen G. Kerr. 2007. "ACPA's Presidential Task Force on Sustainability” at Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium Meeting, Washington, D.C., January 10, 2007. • National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)  • Sterling, Stephen. 2001. Sustainable Education: Re-Visioning Learning & Change. UK: Schumacher Society.

24. Works Cited cont. • Tinto, Vincent. 2012. Completing College: Rethinking Institutional Action. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. -----. 2000, “Reconstructing the first year of college.” In Student Support Services Model Retention Strategies for Two-year Colleges, Washington DC: Council for Opportunity in Education. -----. 1997. “Colleges as communities: Exploring the educational character of student persistence.” Journal of Higher Education, 68, 599-623.