Engagement in Practice: Partnering with a Local Community in an Effort to Promote Revitalization

Five years ago, Penn State University developed a minor in sustainability with the first course in the program entitled “SUST 200: Foundations of Leadership in Sustainability”. Although it is a general education course, the majority of the class at the New Kensington Campus consists of engineering students. There is a community-based component required in this course. During this same period of time, this campus has committed to investing in the surrounding community by developing an entrepreneurial center where individuals can bring their ideas for development into fruition with benefit to the local economy. A grant was awarded last year to assist in revamping the main five (5) block thoroughfare, now dubbed the “Corridor of Innovation”, where this center will be located. During the spring semester of 2017, students in the sustainability class worked with the leaders of the community to identify ways to attract young people to visit and perhaps reside in the community. Given their experience with green roofs from their freshmen engineering design course, the engineering students recommended that some of the dilapidated roofs be converted into green ones along with a living wall adjacent to the community garden. That project is actually moving forward next spring with additional funding recently approved from the Sustainability Institute of the University. The students presented their ideas during the last week of class to members of both the campus and public officials. The fifteen week semester did not allow for some of their revisions to be incorporated; nor were any of the students able to volunteer their time during the summer. Nevertheless, continued involvement with the community will resume during the 2018 spring semester when the course is, once again, offered. At that time, the entrepreneurial center will have officially opened for business, which could allow for some measurement of success to be evaluated.