The goals of the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education are:

I. To provide opportunities for faculty, administrators, staff, and students from across the campus to engage in scholarly activity, teaching, and service related to environmental and sustainability education. The Center will cooperate with other FGCU Centers and Institutes to advance common interests and to achieve the UniversityÕs environmental mission.

II. To advance innovative educational research methodologies and pedagogies in environmental and sustainability education. This work will include developing methods for the assessment of sustainability, philosophical research, and curriculum and program development, and will take place in a variety of educational settings and geographical locations, ranging from local to global.

III. To educate for an ecologically literate citizenry and to advance civic engagement in the critical environmental issues of the Western Everglades and Barrier Islands. Key areas of emphasis will include ethics, activism, and the literary arts.

IV. To provide professional development for educators in environmental education and education for sustainability. The priority audiences will include University administrators, faculty, and in-service and pre-service teachers.

Over the first three years, the programs and activities of the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education will include:

I. A Research Agenda

A. Assessment of sustainability in higher education
B. Measurement of environmental attitudes and behavior
C. Assessment of learning in environmental education

Humane Sustainable Development Writing Project

II. Professional and Pre-Professional Education

A. Professional development opportunities, including courses, workshops, field trips

B. Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership ÒEnvisioning Sustainability in Higher Education ToolkitÓ consultations

C. Curriculum development, including consultation on curriculum statements Learning and internship opportunities for students and youth

III. Public Education Activities

A. Public education events including speakers, panels, debates, and Renaissance Academy events Educational workshops for the University community Academic symposia, seminars, colloquia, Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture Series

IV. Partnerships with Other Organizations

A. Joint ventures with other institutions of higher education and educational organizations including University Leaders for a Sustainable Future, the Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership, Earth Charter Initiative, the Ubuntu Alliance, and others Cooperative endeavors with local environmental organizations

B. Partnership work on Sanibel Island, including Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, ECOSanibel, and others

V. Center Administration, Development, and Funding

A. Fund-raising and grant-writing activities

B. Organization of Board of Advisors

C. General Administrative Tasks