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American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment

Creating a Better Environment: The ACUPCC 14 Years Later

I heard about the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) shortly after it was initiated. The concept was that many politicians, business leaders, and citizens in the United States continued to ignore the signs of global warming. A group of college presidents signed a commitment to develop a plan for their institutions to achieve carbon neutrality as soon as possible by creating a workable plan, completing a comprehensive inventory of all greenhouse gas emissions, initiating tangible actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and making all plans publicly available.

Guest Post: Personalization and Respect Central to Creating Value for Non-Traditional Students

APUS is dedicated to implementing best practices and programs for our students that support their academic and personal success.  In this guest post, Caroline Simpson, APUS assistant provost of student services, shares her thoughts on personalization of service, transparency of options, and various support practice benefits. 

*Snippet from Evolllution

Non-traditional students expect a level of service from institutions that is, frankly, foreign to many higher education leaders.

State Public Tuition Rate Legislation Creates New Education Options for Veterans

Guest Post by George M. Vukovich, Director, Veterans Relations at American Public University System

A recent article on Money.com, “Why Veterans Will Soon Save Thousands on College,” provides promising information for veterans and their family members as they transition from the military environment to civilian life, college and beyond.

As a retired Marine, and advocate for veterans achieving higher education success, I truly appreciate the congressional effort to enact new legislation to assist veterans with immediate in-state residency standing for higher education tuition purposes.

Bill Gates Throws Down the Gauntlet to Higher Education

“Colleges need to hold themselves more responsible, or someone else will.”

That statement came from Microsoft founder Bill Gates during his keynote address this week at the National Association of College and University Business Officers’ (NACUBO) annual meeting in Seattle earlier this week.

Speaking on behalf of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, he urged the more than 3,000 financial officers in attendance to become more transparent by disclosing how much they spend on athletics, expensive dormitories, and administrators whose roles do not directly benefit students.

Charles Town and Ranson, WV Community Revitalization Groundbreaking

Yesterday morning, American Public University System (APUS) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the City of Charles Town and Ranson, WV Community Revitalization Project. The event featured a public reception at our administrative/finance center and remarks by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, Ranson Mayor David Hamill, and Charles Town Mayor Peggy Smith. Representatives of the US Department of Transportation, U.S.

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day and it seems fitting to share an update about American Public University System’s (APUS) most recent sustainability initiatives and accomplishments. 

Recycling is one of the most fundamental elements of sustainable practices.  At APUS, we have had a recycling program for many years.  A year ago, we expanded the program to include battery recycling using The Big Green Box program. 

APUS is a Finalist for a Climate Leadership Award

I have written about some of the sustainability initiatives at American Public University System (APUS)  in the past.  I signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in September 2007, making APUS a charter signatory to this initiative with a mission of making colleges and universities more sustainable.  Even though our status as a university with only online programs reduces our impact on the environment, we have worked diligently to minimize our carbon footprint. 

APUS Opens Largest Solar Array in West Virginia

 

President Boston, Mayor Hamill, Vice Mayor Clendening, Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, and CFO Harry Wilkins cut the ribbon officially opening the APUS Solar Array.

Today I had the honor of hosting the ribbon cutting event for American Public University System’s (APUS) latest addition to its Charles Town campus, a 1,660 panel solar array. The array is the largest solar project in the state of West Virginia and will produce approximately 480,000 kWh of energy.

APUS Green Initiatives

It has been a little while since I’ve provided an update on American Public University System’s (APUS) sustainability efforts.  There seems no better time to do so than Earth Day.  Despite my lack of updates on this blog, the APUS Sustainability Committee has been working diligently and partnering with other groups on campus to promote sustainability and make APUS a greener place to work and learn. 

Sustainability in Higher Education: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going

In celebration of Earth Day, and in the spirit of giving more than just one day to the consideration of our planet and our impact on it, this is the first in a series of articles which I’ll post this week and into next related to sustainability in higher education.

In September 1962 Rachel Carson published her groundbreaking work, Silent Spring, documenting the negative impact of pesticides on the environment, specifically on birds.