New Steps in Sustainability

Sustainability is a top priority among today’s students, and Georgia Southern is planning new initiatives to help them address the impact of complex environmental issues. The University plans to enhance the work of the Center for Sustainability by pairing it with new academic programs and focusing its resources on larger projects. 

In 2012, 74.7 percent of students approved the “green” fee, which supports the Center and such green projects as LED lighting upgrades, electric vehicle charging stations, sustainable gardens on campus and vertebrate biodiversity surveys. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Carl Reiber assembled a transition team that will spend a year developing a new roadmap for the Center.

“We want student sustainability fee dollars to go further and have an even greater impact,” Reiber said. “We want to be ready in July 2020 with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sustainability. Additionally, I would like to develop a proposal for a doctorate focused on coastal sustainability. This will add a suite of high-impact academic programs to Georgia Southern University and will heighten our regional and national profile.”

Georgia Southern University has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a 2018 Green Ribbon School for its environmental accomplishments.