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Mar 19 2013

Presidential Voices Interview Series: Beverly Daniel Tatum, Spelman College

Submitted by Judy Walton on March 19, 2013 - 10:44am

AASHE’s Presidential Voices interview series features conversations with heads of higher education institutions who are inspiring sustainability leaders. To recommend a president or chancellor for this series, contact Judy Walton, chief publications officer, at judy@aashe.org.

Beverly Daniel Tatum, Spelman College President since 2002, is our guest for this interview. Spelman is America's oldest historically Black college for women, and a leading liberal arts institution. It has been recognized for its environmental efforts with a Green Key Award from the U.S. EPA. In 2010, Dr. Tatum signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Most recently, she spearheaded a Wellness Revolution at the college to empower and educate Spelman women on the value of lifelong wellness as a means of building strong, sustainable communities. Dr. Tatum is a member of the President’s Board of Advisors to the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She earned a B.A. degree in psychology from Wesleyan University, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan. She also holds an M.A. in religious studies from Hartford Seminary.

Judy Walton: Why is sustainability important to Spelman, and how does it fit the college’s overall mission and tagline, “A Choice to Change the World?”

Mar 6 2013

Presidential Voices Interview Series: Jo Ann M. Gora, Ball State University

Submitted by Judy Walton on March 6, 2013 - 12:49pm

AASHE’s Presidential Voices interview series features conversations with heads of higher education institutions who are inspiring sustainability leaders. To recommend a president or chancellor for this series, contact Judy Walton, chief publications officer, at judy@aashe.org.

Jo Ann M. Gora, our guest for this interview, became President of Ball State University in 2004. She was one of 12 charter signatories to the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment in December 2006. In May 2009, she and other officials broke ground on the largest geothermal district energy system in the United States. Phase One, completed in 2012, allowed Ball State to shut down two coal-fired boilers. For its sustainability commitment, the university has been ranked in The Princeton Review's “Guide to 311 Green Colleges,” and has earned a Second Nature Climate Leadership Award. The institution also earned a STARS Gold rating from AASHE in 2012. President Gora has co-authored two book chapters on campus sustainability initiatives. She earned her bachelor's degree in political science from Vassar College and master's and doctoral degrees in sociology from Rutgers University.

Feb 22 2013

Presidential Voices Interview Series: Wim Wiewel, Portland State University

Submitted by Judy Walton on February 22, 2013 - 2:35pm

AASHE’s Presidential Voices interview series features conversations with heads of higher education institutions who are inspiring sustainability leaders. To recommend a president or chancellor for this series, contact Judy Walton, AASHE’s Chief Publications Officer, at judy@aashe.org.

Wim Wiewel, President of Portland State University, is our guest for this interview. Dr. Wiewel serves on the steering committee of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. Under his leadership, PSU received the largest gift in its history, the $25 million James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation challenge grant for sustainability. In 2011, the university was awarded an AASHE STARS Gold rating. Dr. Wiewel’s books include Global Universities and Urban Development and The University as Urban Developer. He holds degrees in sociology and urban planning from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands and a Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University.

Judy Walton: In 2008, soon after arriving at Portland State, you announced that a $25 million, 10-year challenge grant from the James F and Marion L Miller Foundation (at that time the largest single gift for sustainability in higher education) would be put toward sustainability research, engagement, and education. Why was sustainability chosen as the focus, and in what ways has the Miller grant made an impact?

Jan 22 2013

Presidential Voices Interview Series: James H. Mullen, Allegheny College

Submitted by Judy Walton on January 22, 2013 - 10:10am

With this interview, AASHE is pleased to launch our Presidential Voices interview series, featuring conversations with inspiring sustainability leaders who play unique roles as heads of higher education institutions or systems. I will be conducting most of these interviews in my role as AASHE's chief publications officer. Please let me know via email (judy@aashe.org) of any presidents or chancellors you recommend to be interviewed.

First in the interview series is President James H. Mullen of Allegheny College in Meadville, PA. Dr. Mullen has been president of Allegheny since 2008 and has 20 years of experience in leadership roles in higher education. In addition, he has been a sought-after lecturer in public policy, history, and political science. Under his leadership, Allegheny College received a 2012 Climate Leadership Award from the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and Second Nature, recognizing the College’s commitment to a renewable energy future. Dr. Mullen is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He holds a master of public policy from Harvard University and a doctorate in higher education from U Mass Amherst.