This presentation will cover the history of sustainability projects at WSU, the efforts being made by our food services company, Chartwells as well as current and future sustainability efforts on campus. Additional topics covered will include solar photovoltaic arrays, building efficiencies, co-generation, food waste reduction and composting, local food initiatives, biodiesel production, recycling, student programs, community garden and much more.

The Engaged Student: The Impact of Research and Creativity

Patricia Marshall
Interim Associate Vice President, Academic Affairs
Worcester State University

This panel discussion will highlight the importance of undergraduate research as a "High-Impact Educational Practice" (AAC&U).   Building upon the Fifth Annual Celebration of Scholarship and Creativity held in April, faculty members will share their reflections and advice on some of the inspiring and innovative collaborations that have engaged Worcester State students both in and outside of the classroom."

WSU students who have returned from abroad will discuss how their experience is within the grasp of all WSU students and the personal, professional and educational benefits of living and studying abroad.

Higher Education and the Future of Worcester: Worcester State University's Role in the City

Moderator: Hank Stolz
Morning Show Host, WTAG

Panel members and presentation titles:

Planting Olive Trees, Matthew Johnsen, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Chair,
Sociology Department, Worcester State University

 

Making a Difference in the City of Worcester, Jack Foley, Vice President,
Govermental and Community Affairs, Clark University

The Role of the Creative Economy in Healthy Cities, Erin Williams,
Cultural Liaison, City of Worcester

Toward a Culture of Social Innovation, James Harrity, MS Nonprofit Management, Ed.D.

This is a two-part exploration of the role that higher education might play in affecting the city of Worcester. In Part I, a panel representing academic and city leaders present a vision of what roles higher education could play through the combined efforts of the colleges and universities, students, faculty, and alumni. In Part II, participants have an opportunity to discuss these ideas and to share their own visions of the ways in which higher education might transform the city.

This presentation will showcase the concentration and highlight the interdisciplinarity of the program as well as the diversity of our cross-listed courses, currently numbering more than 70 and growing every year. Mini-presentations on an array of courses will be given by members of the Global Studies faculty, including Dr. Carlos Fontes, who is teaching Introduction to Global Studies (GL150), the only required course for the concentration.

Worcester has a rich tapestry of urban gardens that are not only growing fresh vegetables for residents, but also cultivating community change. As WSU begins its own Garden for ALL Ages, it looks to this urban landscape of change makers.

Ocean Soul is a love story. It is a story of discovery. It is a story of hope. The story begins when a boy who loves the sea attends an event with underwater photographers and has an epiphany: “I had always wanted to explore the oceans, but I now understood how I would do this. I would do it with a camera.” With sheer deter­mination, hard work, and a little bit of luck the boy, named Brian Skerry, realized his dream with more than 20 awe-inspiring articles for National Geographic magazine. Now, with Ocean Soul, he showcases his stunning photography and describes his adventurous life in a gripping portrait of the ocean as a place of beauty and mystery, a place in trouble, and ultimately, a place of hope that will rebound with the proper attention and care.