Trusteeship - September/October 2024 - 16

THE ROLE OF GOVERNING BOARDS IN ADVANCING CLIMATE ACTION
Strategies to Advance Climate Solutions for Higher
Education
While there is an urgent need for governing boards to act, there is
also immense opportunity for leadership and innovation. Higher
education can help lead the nation in a just transition
to clean energy. Institutions can model
clean- energy practices
on campus that benefit
students and surrounding
communities, while
engaging students from all
backgrounds in the process
to ensure career readiness
in a climate- changed
world. With the passing of the
Inflation Reduction Act, the
Infrastructure Investment and
Jobs Act, and the CHIPS and
Science Act, there is also an
unprecedented amount of federal
funding available to achieve
these goals.
In the action plan, we identified
Educating and Supporting Students
The changing climate is also reshaping our economy, shifting market
trends, and driving consumer demand for renewable energy. The
Inflation Reduction Act alone is projected to create nine million
new jobs over the next decade.8
The clean- economy tranMore
than 800 college students and community
volunteers participate in Good Neighbor Day, a
collaboration between the University of Maryland,
College Park, the City of College Park, and the MarylandNational
Capital Park and Planning Commission.
sition will require countless more trained workers
in fields such as electrical work, renewable
energy installation, green building construction,
advanced manufacturing,
and STEM. It will also require leaders
in sectors such as business, health
care, and education to understand
how climate relates to their industry.
Higher education must play
a critical role in training the next
generation of climate leaders to
tackle complex issues, regardless
of academic or career path.
Recognizing higher education's
core strength in engaging students
in learning across a variety of contexts,
interests, communities, and
key strategies higher education can
leverage to fulfill its responsibility: developing
comprehensive climate action plans; educating
and supporting students; engaging and supporting communities;
and modeling, developing, and researching solutions.
Recognizing the imperative to leverage this period of transition, we
view these strategies through a cross- cutting lens that prioritizes
equity and climate justice. We are proud to lead institutions working
to model these strategies at every level. In the sections below,
we describe these strategies and how we work to apply them across
our institutions.
Developing a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan
The development and implementation of a plan for equitable climate
action can help direct action and ensure accountability across
systems and institutions. Through climate action planning, institutions
can prioritize the climate solutions strategies we describe
below, communicate their action and knowledge, and identify
metrics to gauge success. Comprehensive institutional or system
action plans should be tailored to and leverage unique institutional
or system- wide strengths and missions. To develop comprehensive
climate action plans, governing boards should seek broad engagement
and participation. For instance, consulting with local tribal
nations can help colleges and universities understand and recognize
the ecological practices of the original stewards of the lands
on which campuses are located.
16 TRUSTEESHIP SEP.OCT.2024 ©2024 AGB.ORG
languages, colleges and universities are
uniquely positioned to help students understand
our changing climate. Through undergraduate
education, workforce training, and graduate
education, higher education can ensure that all students have a
foundational level of climate literacy and an opportunity for deeper
learning about the intersection of climate across disciplines.
To prepare students for success, climate change education needs
to be cross- cutting and transdisciplinary. This requires a twopronged
approach: faculty and curriculum committees creating and
advancing climate education across all disciplines, and presidents
and governing boards buoying and consistently supporting their
work. Recent surveys suggest that fewer than half of college students
engage with coursework related to environmental sustainability.9
all students are entering a world increasingly shaped by our changing
climate. It is imperative that governing boards and faculty align
to make this timely educational integration a reality. We can ensure
that all students are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary
to engage with and positively contribute to our changing world.
University System of Maryland (USM). The USM, comprising
12 public universities and three regional higher education centers
across Maryland, enrolls nearly 170,000 students and confers
eight in every 10 bachelor's degrees in the state. More than 2,000
USM students are enrolled in nearly 60 undergraduate and
graduate majors related to climate and environmental science
and to sustainability.
Yet,
JOHN T. CONSOLI/UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
JOE ANDRUCYK, EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
http://www.AGB.ORG
Trusteeship - September/October 2024

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