From: Vyapari, Sudeep [mailto:svyapari@hccfl.edu]
Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2013 12:14 PM
Subject: HCC Sustainability - Moving Upwards and Onwards
Importance: High
Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2013 12:14 PM
Subject: HCC Sustainability - Moving Upwards and Onwards
Importance: High
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
I am so proud of every single achievement we continue to add to the extraordinary list of accomplishments of HCC Sustainability. We are here because of our students and you. You have changed the conversation about sustainability within our college, our community and at the national level. During the last Council meeting, I shared a few emerging partnerships and opportunities that are knocking on our door, because we have set a high bar for how a sustainability council model works at an institution of higher education. And once again, I will brag about our winning AACC’s (SEED) inaugural national Green Genome Award as an evidence of our collective thinking and work.
As we move forward, together, to make a greater impact within our college and outside the community, I am asking that YOU lead us on this path. Ginger, Barbara, and Resham continue to provide excellent leadership and coordinate HCC Sustainability Council’s activities, efforts, and projects. And we will continue to do so. However, the true growth and development of our Council is possible with your help and leadership. Simply speaking, let’s get organic in its truest sense.
Through this email, I am proposing that it’s time to think about forming a Steering Committee of HCC Sustainability Council so that we make an even greater Impact. This proposal is being presented to empower a campus-based and campus-led approach that represents greater participation by our students, staff, and faculty at each of our campuses. Here are some (initial) thoughts about my proposal.
First and foremost, I would like to seek your feedback and response on what you think about the idea of forming a Steering Committee. Please share your thoughts with me over the coming weeks. I would like to get all of your responses together to and share them with our Council colleagues by May 15, 2013. Thus, a response from you by May 10th is sincerely appreciated.
To help you with your response (feedback) here is a little bit more information. Assuming that I receive a support from most of you for forming this committee, I would like us to
<![if !supportLists]>1. <![endif]>Discuss the outcome of your responses during our next HCC Sustainability Council meeting (June 2013).
<![if !supportLists]>2. <![endif]>If possible, we may seek your help in serving on this committee on a volunteer basis during the June meeting or shortly thereafter.
<![if !supportLists]>3. <![endif]>If any students want to join the committee during the June meeting or shortly thereafter, that would be great. But, to ensure that all campuses are well represented, we will continue to seek representation from students into the new (Fall 2013) term if necessary.
What will the committee members be responsible for? I want to seek your input on this between now till our next meeting. But, I could share a few things that I can think of right now.
<![if !supportLists]>a) <![endif]>Share information about her/his campus and the emerging stories that are relevant to sustainability (and remember that these stories may be part of your academic efforts, student clubs and activities, projects, community work, facilities, finances, energy saving, whatever). Here is the key….If you’ve heard something that caught your attention, just share”
<![if !supportLists]>b) <![endif]>Bring to our attention (particularly Rae’s and mine) when you have an idea about a project or looking for a support to find a resource. We will help you. Just share the idea.
<![if !supportLists]>c) <![endif]>Share with us important dates of events/activities/happenings on your campus that may have relevance to sustainability or not. We may simply wish to come out to your campus and have a booth.
<![if !supportLists]>d) <![endif]>When Rae (or I) need help hosting a meeting at your campus, we will be able to seek your support in getting a room reserved and work with you to find out who you wish to invite from your community as guests to our meeting.
<![if !supportLists]>e) <![endif]>When a Council meeting is held at your campus, please lead us by providing items for an agenda that will help us see something we may not have thought about. For example, I would like to see our colleagues at Southshore campus letting us know more about the community around the Southshore campus that is supportive of our efforts. How about our Brandon colleagues bringing to our attention someone in that area to be a presenter at one of the Council meetings? You know your community. All we are asking is, introduce us to your community and friends and then, we can, together, show them how our Council can lend expertise and support for their sustainability projects as we learn from them.
<![if !supportLists]>f) <![endif]>The members of the steering committee will also help us with planning and hosting Beyond Sustainability Conference 2014, selecting students for national conferences such as AASHE (Oct 2013) and NCSE (Jan. 2014), sustainability internships at HCC (yes, we are launching it after July 1, 2013), Green Retreat Leadership Program (May 2014), etc.
<![if !supportLists]>g) <![endif]>Last but not least (for now), advice on how we use the existing funds ($8,000) as a source of seed funding to fund projects (students or staff) that would create and generate revenue for HCC sustainability Council.
I assure you that this will not take you away from your busy schedules. I respect your time and contribution. Importantly, I want to see YOU leading us and we (myself, Rae, Ginger, and Barbara) will be right there behind you to support your ideas and work.
So, please share your thoughts.
Kind Regards,
Sudeep Vyapari
Dr. Sudeep Vyapari
Director, Institute of Florida Studies
Sustainability Coordinator
Hillsborough Community College
1206 North Park Rd.
Plant City, FL 33563
(813) 757-2144 (Office)
(813) 253-7523 (Fax)svyapari@hccfl.edu
Please Note: Due to Florida's very broad public records law, most written communications to or from College employees regarding College business are public records, available to the public and media upon request. Therefore, this email communication may be subject to public disclosure.
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