Faculty editorial explain a new core learning element for undergraduates, centered on the theme of "creating sustainable communities"
In the Jan. 23, 2015 issue of The Technique, Georgia Tech faculty Beril Toktay, Ellen Zegura, and Colin Potts explain a new core learning element for undergraduates, centered on the theme of "creating sustainable communities"
Imagine you had the opportunity to take part in developing affordable products and services for the underserved, deploying community renewable energy or sustainable mobility solutions, supporting a clean water infrastructure, developing local, state and federal environmental policy. In 12 months’ time, Georgia Tech will officially begin the "Serve•Learn•Sustain" program to make this reality. Its central tenet will be service learning and community engagement – this means projects will address a community need and you will serve this need with what you learn here at Tech, in your major.
Students, they write, will have the opportunity to make service contributions based on their disciplinary expertise, bringing renewed meaning to Tech’s motto, “Progress and Service”.
Evidence shows that students with skills in listening to and working with diverse communities are much more valuable to employers than those who have equivalent technical skills but lack awareness of societal context. The ‘doing well by doing good’ perspective you will bring to your jobs will create value to your employers by redefining how your organization engages with communities it serves. In the long term, Georgia Tech will be known for its positive impact on communities near and far.
Serve•Learn•Sustain, which begins in 2016, addresses educational needs clearly voiced by graduates, enhances long-held Georgia Tech values and directly responds to Georgia Tech’s strategic plan.
The full editorial is available on The Technique's website. To stay informed of the progress and opportunities within Serve•Learn•Sustain, visit serve-learn-sustain.gatech.edu/join.