Clarkson University Selected to Pilot the Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability
Clarkson University has been identified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as one of 21 institutions to support the testing of a new classification to recognize U.S. higher education institutions' sustainability work. The selection process considered Clarkson’s long term commitment to “sustainability in all we do.”
Among the institutions selected from across the states and Puerto Rico, Clarkson is the only STEM focused university, the only university from the northeast U.S., and one of only a few small, private higher-ed institutions.
The pilot program aims to refine the criteria for the classification while working to guarantee that it is attainable to institutions of all types and sizes. The classification is expected to consider institutional efforts across curriculum, research, operations, community engagement, and workforce development, with an emphasis on preparing students for careers in sustainability fields.
Susan E. Powers, Spence Professor of Sustainable Environmental Systems and Director of Clarkson’s Institute for a Sustainable Environment (ISE), and Evelyn Laferriere, acting Sustainability Coordinator and graduate Environmental Policy student, recently participated in a kick-off retreat in Puerto Rico for the cohort of pilot institutions. The retreat was hosted by Sagrado Corazon University in San Juan and the University of Puerto Rico in Utuado.
They explored the diverse ways that campuses embed sustainability and climate action into their core missions. Field trips to community-led ecological restoration efforts, and student engagement with sustainable agriculture, including agroforestry for cacao and coffee productions were highlights of the trip.
“This trip allowed me to witness sustainability professionals in action, collaborating together to achieve a common goal of sustainability on our campuses,” said Laferriere. “The students at the campuses we visited were passionate and engaged, and I’m excited to bring all I learned back to Clarkson as I continue working with ISE interns to make Clarkson a more sustainable campus."
Clarkson’s leadership in sustainability and environmental education and research has been recognized for decades. A current sustainability rating system, Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Sustainability Tracking and Rating System (AASHE STARS), has recognized Clarkson with a Gold rating since 2016, based mostly on the inclusion of sustainability principles in our mission and vision, as well as the pervasive inclusion of sustainability in classes and research across our degree programs.
“The retreat provided me with a real understanding of the value of the new Carnegie classification,” said Powers. “AASHE STARS provides an opportunity to count and quantify our activities, whereas the Carnegie classification allows us to tell stories of the impact and value of these activities, especially in terms of creating the capacity for our graduates to be transformative sustainability leaders.”
Each participating institution will complete the classification application about its sustainability programming by August. The reports from all participating institutions will inform the standards for the classification before its expected launch in 2026.
Powers and Laferriere will be carrying the momentum from their Puerto Rico trip forward this summer as they work with others from across campus to complete the classification application this summer. Sustainability is truly part of everything we do here at Clarkson, and the ISE is excited to share that story with the Carnegie Foundation.
