Sustainability Studies Program

The purpose of the Sustainability Studies Program is to prepare students to be educated citizens, to be conversant with the sustainability-related issues and tasks that arise in the workplace, and to pursue careers as sustainability professionals. Sustainability Studies currently offers an 18-credit minor that may be combined with any major field of study.

Sustainability is most often defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. As such, it focuses upon the interaction of environmental, economic, and social systems. This triple focus is reflected in kindred concepts such as environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria associated with corporate culture; triple bottom lining (taking into account economic, social, and environmental factors) in the private sector; the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) associated with local, national, and international efforts; as well as other environmental and climate action and justice initiatives including advocacy, social movements and other efforts in the public arena.

The rising importance of sustainability has been accompanied by increased demand within all kinds of organizations – public, private and nonprofit – for employees conversant with the issues and tasks involved. Common tasks of sustainability professions include:

developing and implementing climate and resilience action plans at the local, state, national and international level
compiling regular reports on the organization’s environmental, social, and economic performance, both locally and throughout the world
ensuring compliance with governmental regulations regarding pollution and occupational health and safety
reducing waste and energy use by making operations more efficient
measuring and reporting on greenhouse gas emissions
ensuring compliance with nongovernmental sustainability standards, labels, and certifications
maintaining outreach to important stakeholders such as the local community, governmental officials, businesses, nongovernmental organizations, shareholders, and the media
creating and monitoring management plans for natural resources owned or impacted by the organization
educating and motivating fellow employees

All of these tasks require an ability to communicate across disciplinary boundaries. This emphasis on communication across boundaries is reflected in the design and delivery of the Sustainability Studies curriculum at UMass Dartmouth. The participating faculty and students represent a wide range of academic disciplines, and many non-faculty members of the campus community participate in the program as well.

Participating Faculty

Mark Altabet, BS 1979 State University of New York at Stony Brook, PhD 1984 Harvard University, Department of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences

Smita Bala, Department of Chemistry

Heidi Berggren, BA 1986 University of California Berkeley, MA 1993 University of Texas Austin, MA 1997, PhD 2005 University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Political Science

Sankha Bhowmick, BE 1992 Jadavpur University, MS 1996 Villanova University, PhD 2000 University of Minnesota, Department of Mechanical Engineering

James Bisagni (emeritus), BS 1972, State University of New York at Stony Brook, MS 1976, PhD 1991 University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, Department of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences

Sarah Cosgrove, BBA 1996 St. Norbert College, MA 2000, PhD 2003 University of Wisconsin, Department of Economics

Robert Darst, BA 1984 University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, MA 1987, PhD 1994 University of California Berkeley, Department of Political Science

Anna Dempsey, BS 1978 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA 1990, MPhil 1991, PhD 1998 Columbia University, Department of Art History

Neil Fennessey, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Catherine Gardner, BA 1985 University of Leicester, MA 1989 University College of Swansea in Wales, PhD 1996 University of Virginia, Departments of Philosophy and Women’s and Gender Studies

Randall Hall, BA 1997 Colby College, MA 1999, CPhil 2002 University of California Los AngelesDepartment of Economics

Memory Holloway (emeritus), Department of Art History

Kaisa Holloway Cripps, MBA 2010University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, DM 2016 University of Maryland, College of Arts and Sciences

Margarita Huayhua, BA 1999 Universidad San Antonio de Abad de Cuzco, Peru, MA 1996 Facultad Latinoamericana de Diencias Sociales, Ecudaro, PhD 2001 University of Michigan, Department of Sociology and Anthropology

James Jacquart, Campus Sustainability

Shannon Jenkins, BA 1993 University of Notre Dame, PhD 2003 Loyola University Chicago, Department of Political Science

Pamela Karimi, MA 1999 Azad University, MA 2003 University of Arizona Department of Art History

Lisa Maya Knauer, BA 1977 Oberlin College, MA 1999, PhD 2005 New York University, Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Rachel Kulick (Program Director), BS 1993 Union College, MEd 2003 Harvard University, PhD 2010 Brandeis UniversityAssociate Professor of Sociology

Sarah Lederman, Sustainability Studies

Steven Lohrenz, BA 1978 University of Oregon, 1985 PhD MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Department of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences

Crystal Lubinsky, BA 2000 University of North Carolina, MA 2002 New York University, PhD 2012 University of Edinburgh UK Religious Studies Program

Devon Lynch, BA 1992, MS 1996 University of the West Indies, MA , PhD 2005 University of Colorado, Departments of Economics and Public Policy

Daniel Macdonald, BSCE 1992 University of New Hampshire, MS 1996 Cornell University, PhD 2002 Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

David Manke, BS 2000 Brandeis University, PhD 2005 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Chemistry

Chad McGuire, BS, MDS 1997 University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, JD 1999 Thomas Jefferson School of Law, LLM 2003 University of San Diego, PhD 2007 University of Massachusetts Boston, Department of Public Policy

Kristen McHenry, BA 2000 Ithaca College, MA 2002 Georgia State University, PhD 2013 University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Health and Society

Heather Miller, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Cathy Moran, Department of Art History

Jennifer Mulnix, BA 1999 University of Nebraska, MA 2006, PhD 2006 University of Iowa Department of Philosophy

Nancy O’Connor (emeritus), BS 1980 University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, MS 1982 University of Delaware, PhD 1990 North Carolina State University, Department of Biology

David Prentiss, MA Boston College, JD New England Law, Department of Political Science

Tara Rajaniemi, BA 1995 Florida State University, PhD 2001 University of Michigan Department of Biology

Isabel Rodrigues, BA 1994 Northeastern University, MA 1996, PhD 2002 Brown University, Department of Sociology & Anthropology

Mark Santow, BA 1989 Vanderbilt University, MA 1992 University of Massachusetts Amherst, PhD 2000 University of Pennsylvania, Department of History

Sukalyan Sengupta, BS 1985 Calcutta University, MS 1991, PhD 1994 Lehigh University, Registered Professional Engineer, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

John Silva, Department of Physics

Lydia Silva, Sustainability Studies

Miles Sundermeyer, BA 1991 University of California, ScM 1995, PhD 1998 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Estuarine and Ocean Sciences

Amit Tandon, BTech 1987 Indian Institute of Technology, PhD 1992 Cornell University, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Bridget Teboh, BA 1986 University of Yaounde, MA 1994 University of California, PhD 2002 University of California, Deparment of History

Jefferson Turner, BS 1969 Guilford College, MA 1972 University of South Florida, PhD 1977 Texas A & M University, Department of Biology

Timothy Walker, BA 1986 Hiram College, MA 1990, PhD 2001 Boston University, Department of History

Steven White, BS 1985, MA 1987 Bowling Green State University, MBA 1991, PhD 1996 Cleveland State University, Department of Management & Marketing

Marguerite Zarrillo, Department of Physics

Sustainability Program Outcomes

Students with the minor will be able to:

GENERAL: Develop a critical and interdisciplinary understanding of the multiple forces that contribute to sustainability challenges and injustices
GENERAL: Envision alternative and equitable sustainable practices that address cultural, social, economic, political, institutional, and environmental challenges
NATURAL SCIENCE: examine unsustainable practices and to offer the latest science and technological solutions to reduce the impact of these practices (natural science)
ARTS, THOUGHT, and MEDIA: articulate the impact of art, design, language, or thought to re-imagine, define, and challenge the relationships between humans and the natural and built environment
ECONOMIC, SOCIETY, and POLICY: articulate a deeper understanding of how to identify and address local and global challenges to sustainability from economic, environmental and social perspectives
EARTH STEWARDSHIP: actively participate, connect, and take care of the natural world