FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 2, 2012
Contact: Ulli Klein, 617-722-0036 ext. 206, uklein@secondnature.org
American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment Announces 2012-2013 Steering Committee Members
New Members from Sixteen States Represent Diversity of American Higher Education Institutions
BOSTON,MA—The American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) has confirmed the election of 18 new members to its Steering Committee during the 2012 ACUPCC Climate Leadership Summit in Washington DC. Launched in early 2007, the ACUPCC is a network of 659 colleges and universities in all fifty states and the District of Columbia - representing nearly six million students, about one third of the US higher education student population. The program is led by a Steering Committee comprised of 34 university and college presidents and is staffed and supported by Second Nature, a Boston-based national nonprofit organization.
"The level of engagement and diversity of the ACUPCC Steering Committee members continues to increase," according to David Hales, President of Second Nature and Coordinator of the ACUPCC. "There was tremendous interest in serving on the Committee this year among the ACUPCC presidents - it's just one more indicator of how this initiative and the sustainability movement are generating excitement on campuses and throughout the higher education sector in unprecedented ways." The new Steering Committee members are:
John M. Anderson, President of Alfred State College (NY)
Jack P. Calareso, President of Anna Maria College (MA)
Debra Derr, President of Iowa Area Community College (IA)
Paul W. Ferguson, President of University of Maine (ME)
Paul Fonteyn, President of Green Mountain College (VT)
Jo-Ann Gora, President of Ball State University (IN)
Mark Huddleston, President of University of New Hampshire (NH)
Robert A. Kennedy, President of Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CT)
Elizabeth Kiss, President of Agnes Scott College (GA)
Gloria Larson, President of Bentley University (MA)
Michael Miller, President of Northland College (WI)
John Mills, President of Paul Smith’s College of Arts and Sciences (NY)
Juan Olivarez, President of Aquinas College (MI)
Gifford Pinchot, President of Bainbridge Graduate Institute (WA)
Kay Schallenkamp, President of Black Hills State University (SD)
Jake Schrum, President of Southwestern University (TX)
William Shutkin, President of Presidio Graduate School (CA)
Harry L. Williams, President of Delaware State University (DE)
Members of the 2011-2012 Steering Committee who will continue to serve are:
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Michael Burke, President of Milwaukee Area Technical College (MI)
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Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University (AZ)
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William Destler, President of Rochester Institute of Technology (NY)
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John Dunn, President of Western Michigan University (MI)
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S. Verna Fowler, President of College of Menominee Nation (WI)
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Jonathan Gibralter, President of Frostburg State University (MD)
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Jean Goodnow, President of Delta College (MI)
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Jacqueline Johnson, Chancellor of University of Minnesota-Morris (MN)
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Scott Miller, President of Bethany College (WV)
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Rosalind Reichard, President of Emory & Henry College (VA)
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John Sbrega, President of Bristol Community College (MA)
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Greg Smith, President of Central Community College (NE)
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Mary Spangler, Chancellor of Houston Community College (TX)
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Richard Torgerson, President of Luther College (IA)
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Timothy White, Chancellor of University of California, Riverside (CA)
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Wim Wiewel, President of Portland State University (OR)
With all kinds of institution types - large and small; public and private; two-year and four-year; research, liberal arts, and technical; historically black colleges, tribal colleges, and Hispanic-serving institutions - from twenty-two states, the ACUPCC Steering Committee embodies a broad representation of the higher education sector in the US. The ACUPCC is the first effort by any major sector of society to set climate neutrality - not just a percent reduction in emissions - as its target.
With inertia at the federal and international levels on climate change policy, the ACUPCC network highlights the leadership of the sector as a whole, and now serves as a role model for regional, national, and international initiatives. While contributing to the collective action of the ACUPCC, each institution retains the autonomy to chart its own course and set its own pace towards achieving climate neutrality and educating for sustainability. More than 476 institution-specific climate action plans have been submitted to date and are available for public viewing at www.acupcc.org/reportingsystem.
"The hundreds of ACUPCC institutions employing a wide variety of solutions to move our society towards climate neutrality and sustainability are absolutely critical to rebuilding our economy and helping meet the basic needs of people everywhere, today and in the future," said Hales. "We at Second Nature look forward to continuing to support the ACUPCC network under the governance of the new Steering Committee."
About the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC):
The ACUPCC is an intensive partnership among more than 650 colleges and universities to accelerate the education, research and community engagement to equip society to re-stabilize the earth's climate, while setting an example by eliminating net greenhouse gas emissions from their own operations. Learn more at: www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org.
About Second Nature:
Second Nature works to create a healthy, just, and sustainable society beginning with the transformation of higher education. Second Nature is the support organization of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment. Learn more at: www.secondnature.org.
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