Centenary College Launches Sustainability House

Integrated Education to Meet 21st Century Challenges

SHREVEPORT, La. (Centenary News Service) — Centenary College of Louisiana announced today the creation of the "Sustainability House," a flagship initiative designed to further equip its students to address 21st Century challenges.

"We're taking an integrated approach to education," said Centenary's President, Dr. David Rowe. "We want Centenary graduates to be able to engage sustainability and other complex global issues responsibly no matter what they do—whether they are doctors, teachers, business people, artists, or lawyers. We're committed to a "whole-person" approach for developing that capability in our students, which means integrating learning, living and action with a larger sense of purpose."

The Sustainability House, launching in the fall of 2011 and already oversubscribed, will enable its residents to experience team-taught courses, special events and programs, service-learning and internship opportunities, closer contact with faculty outside of the classroom, and an outreach program to promote sustainable practices on campus, in the local community, and beyond. It will be the second Living Learning Community on campus.

"Centenary's Sustainability House will allow students to integrate their campus living experience with their study and interest in sustainable living for themselves and the world around them," said Dr. Jeanne Hamming, associate professor of English and a "live-in" faculty leader of the program. "When I talk to students about their interest in this initiative, what I keep hearing is that they want to be part of a real community, and they want to do something.

"The Sustainability House will address both desires. And, it's going to be a lot of fun, too," added Dr. Hamming.

Other faculty leaders in the Sustainability House include Dr. Gloria Walker, assistant professor of political science, and Dr. Troy Messina, assistant professor of physics. There is also broad support from Student Life, Residence Life and the College administration.

Funding for the Sustainability House is already in place thanks to the generosity of Centenary College Trustees Nancy Word '70 and Chairman, Edward J. Crawford III. Both wanted to ensure that Centenary builds an integrated experience to prepare students to engage global challenges they will face no matter what they do after leaving the College.

Crawford sees the Sustainability House as a 21st century way for Centenary to connect with its core identity of using the liberal arts and sciences to transform lives and transform the world.

"Centenary has always had that inter-connected purpose." said Crawford. "And we expect that a more integrated approach to education today will also deepen the relationship between faculty and students, create more of a peer-mentoring culture, and lead to new partnerships between Centenary and other institutions, too. This initiative fits perfectly with who we are and how we are preparing students to engage 21st century global challenges."

The Sustainability House will be the second living-learning entity at Centenary. It joins the Le Quartier Français, or the French Quarter, which opened its doors in fall 2010.

"This really is taking learning into action," said Dr. Mike Hemphill, Provost and Dean of the College. "We've had great success with our first living-learning community, the French Quarter, and this is an expansion of that concept. Together, we're writing the first pages of a new chapter at Centenary."

About Centenary College of Louisiana

Centenary College is a private, four-year arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Centenary is one of 16 colleges and universities constituting the Associated Colleges of the South and has been recognized as "One of the Best 373 Colleges" by the Princeton Review and one of "America's Best Colleges" and one of "America's Best Private Colleges" by Forbes.com. In 2008 Centenary College celebrated 100 years in Shreveport and Bossier City.