In collaboration with the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), Dickinson College is inviting faculty and educators from other colleges and universities to participate in our Valley & Ridge Faculty Development Workshop. If you are thinking about integrating social, economic and/or environmental sustainability into your undergraduate teaching, this workshop is for you. Valley & Ridge brings together educators from all academic disciplines to work collaboratively to introduce and enhance sustainability content in new and existing courses across the curriculum. Sponsored by Dickinson’s Center for Sustainability Education, and now in its 15^th year, this workshop has helped over 150 educators connect the subject areas of their teaching with sustainability using active learning pedagogies such as place-based & experiential education.

See past curriculum development projects here.

For 2023, Dickinson is again opening its 3-day IN PERSON Valley & Ridge Workshop to faculty from other colleges and universities as one of the AASHE regional Centers for Sustainability Across the Curriculum. We are planning a safe, in person workshop for 20 people.  We cannot accommodate virtual or hybrid options this year.

The Valley and Ridge Project at Dickinson takes its name from the physiographic region within which the College lies, which is marked by the Allegheny Plateau to the north and west, South Mountain to the south and east, and Cumberland Valley in-between. The Valley and Ridge Project is modeled after the Piedmont Project of Emory University and the Ponderosa Project of Northern Arizona University.

The workshop will be facilitated by Neil Leary and Lindsey Lyons, of Dickinson’s Center for Sustainability Education (CSE). Neil and Lindsey have been offering the Valley & Ridge workshop for many years to Dickinson’s faculty, each time making efforts to improve the program based on participants’ feedback. Join us!

Valley & Ridge Workshop Website

Apply Now: No Later than March 17, 2023

All Participants Will Benefit in the Following Ways:

• Examine the concept of sustainability, its varied interpretations, and connections with different fields of study.
• Use their local environment and community to teach a sense of place.
• Create new or modify existing courses to integrate sustainability across the curriculum.
• Connect living laboratory programs to sustainability.
• Learn how to use their campus and its sustainability programs as teaching resources.
• Explore transdisciplinary connections to other faculty and programs within their institution and beyond.
• Share resources for developing and enhancing sustainability content in courses.

The Workshop Plan:

• We seek undergraduate faculty and educators from any and all academic disciplines and institution types looking to incorporate sustainability into their teaching.
• Space is limited, apply now.
• We will meet May 23-25, 2023 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
• Cost for non-Dickinson participants: $125   Payment arrangements will be made upon acceptance.
• All food and transportation during the workshop is provided.
• Participants must cover travel to and from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA.
• Participants must cover lodging expenses.
• All applicants must APPLY HERE no later than March 17, 2023. Decisions on acceptance will be released by early-April.

More Information and Apply

Dickinson College is one of the regional AASHE Centers for Sustainability Across the Curriculum. Centers host workshops and other professional development opportunities throughout the year. If you aren’t able to attend this event, please consider attending one of the other upcoming events organized by a Center