Developing Resilient Communities through Campus-Community Collaboration Craig R. Mosher Luther College Decorah, I

1. Developing Resilient Communities through Campus-Community Collaboration Craig R. Mosher Luther College Decorah, Iowa • Introduction • A key strategy for climate change is campus–community collaboration (M’Gonigle & Starke) To develop resilient, sustainable communities (Ausubel); as demonstrated at two small liberal arts colleges. The assumption that campuses can isolate themselves behind walls, is giving way to a more systemic, interdependent model involving cooperative community development efforts. • Campuses and communities transformed into collaborative living/learning laboratories (Senge) through: • Student internships • Student-faculty action research • Service learning projects • Outreach to communities • Developing sustainable resilient communities • Providing learning experiences • This work challenges schools to redesign the campus, curriculum, and graduation requirements to include cooperative (work-study) education models, action research, internships, and service learning (Curley) in order to truly collaborate with our host communities.   • Students and faculty work withcommunities to develop creative sustainable solutions to local problems. • Methodologies • Action research • Internships • Service learning • Cooperative Education model • Paradigm shift underlies work • Holistic – All are one • Systemic – All is interconnected • Intuition and rationality • Steady state economics • Cooperative ways of thinking • Intuitive leadership models • Theory U (Scharmer) • Synchronicity (Jaworski) • Can advance student learning and resilient sustainable community development across the cultural divide between town and gown. • Organization Development Processes • Learning organizations (Senge) • Principles of self-organization • Chaos theory (Wheatley) • Biomimicry (Benyus) • Guide the development of innovative campus-community collaborations. • Processes are more • Participatory • Value-based • Transparent • Inclusive • Less hierarchical in structure • Eco Model of Partnership • Shared values • Mutual benefits • Communication & Trust • Power, Leadership, Decisions • Learning Organizations Assessment –> Improvements • Barriers to Overcome • Communication • Power struggles • Conflict • Cultural differences • Elements of Success • Agreement on values & mission • Transparency • Realistic solutions • Empower community reps • Cooperative Education • Require for graduation • Learning by doing (Dewey) • School arranges placements • Common in Engineering • Antioch College–coop education • YES!Illustrations by Jem Sullivan • College-Community Collaboration Two Examples: • Oberlin Project – Oberlin College • Plan: 90% renewable electric • Oberlin E. College St. project: housing, retail & office space • Green Arts Block – museum & performing arts building • Radical efficiency improvements & LEED building standards • Local foods initiative • Encourage green businesses • Multiple partners and funding • Luther College – Decorah, Iowa • Luther Center for Sustainable Communities • Interns with City, businesses, Green Business Council • Greening Churches workshops • Internships in local churches • Winneshiek Energy District • Decorah Sustainability Plan • Exploring: joint district heating, landfill gas, community solar