2021 Next Generation Learning and Skills - Swarthmore College - USA

2021 Next Generation Learning and Skills - Swarthmore College - USA

Learning by Leading: The President's Sustainability Research Fellowship at Swarthmore College

In the President’s Sustainability Research Fellowship (PSRF) at Swarthmore College, students learn by leading, through taking stewardship over vital sustainability challenges. The program matches motivated students with teams of staff and faculty mentors to research, develop, and implement projects in a year-long course and associated internship.

With faculty guidance, students conduct wide-ranging research and write reports, proposals, and white papers relevant to their project. Students hone skills in collaboration, gain valuable leadership and project management experience, and make meaningful contributions to advance sustainability at Swarthmore. 

Since the program’s founding in 2016, Fellows are doing all we could have asked for and more: They have redesigned our waste system to zero waste, launched 10-year Crum Woods Restoration and Stewardship Plan that is now being implemented, helped launch Swarthmore's award-winning internal carbon pricing program, created behavioral change strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, founded a green revolving loan fund, launched a process to create an offsite power purchase agreement, and established a system to track sustainability progress across campus. 

Top 3 learnings:

1. We simultaneously make tangible change, support student leadership development, and run an academically rigorous program.
2. Through engaging with PSRF, hundreds of community partners become change agents for sustainability every year.
3. Our students lead and launch multi-year projects that have real, meaningful impacts on campus sustainability.   

Videos

• Video #1 (click to hide)