July 9, 2018 (Philadelphia, PA) – The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) is pleased to announce that Dr. Akpezi Ogbuigwe, the former Head of Environmental Education and Training at the United Nations Environment Programme, and Dr. Paul Shrivastava, the Chief Sustainability Officer and Professor at Penn State University, will join approximately 2,000 higher education sustainability leaders in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from Oct. 2 – 5, 2018, as this year’s keynote speakers.

During the opening keynote address, Dr. Ogbuigwe will draw on three decades of experience and research in transformational change in higher education in Africa, environmental law and policy, and sustainable development to show how the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) present an opportunity for higher education to reinvent itself and to rethink teaching, research, and community engagement.

 

In the closing keynote, Dr. Shrivastava will pull from his experience as the founding director of Future Earth – global research community working to develop the knowledge and tools that nations across the globe need to meet the SDGs – and as a scholar focused on organizations and the environment to highlight how Pennsylvania State University is rising to meet the challenge of the SDGs.

“With Dr. Ogbuigwe’s and Dr. Shrivastava’s international experiences and personal passion to advance sustainability, I am confident they will captivate sustainability leaders throughout the world as we explore the AASHE 2018 conference theme, Global Goals: Rising to the Challenge,” said AASHE Executive Director, Meghan Fay Zahniser.

Attendees can expect to come together and examine the critical role of higher education in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Adopted by the world’s governments in September 2015, the 17 SDGs establish ambitious global targets to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all by 2030.

For more information and to register, visit conference.aashe.org.

About the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)  

AASHE empowers higher education administrators, faculty, staff and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation. AASHE enables members to translate information into action by offering essential resources and professional development to a diverse, engaged community of sustainability leaders. We work with and for higher education to ensure that our world’s future leaders are motivated and equipped to solve sustainability challenges. For more information, visit www.aashe.org. Follow AASHE on Facebook and Twitter.

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