Environmental Studies Programs: Reflections and Resources: For Community Colleges, Technical Colleges & Further Education Programs

Designed for use at community colleges, technical colleges and further education, worldwide, Paul Elsner addresses Environmental Studies Programs through his personal reflections and provides numerous resources that would help faculty, students, instructional designers, businesspersons, governmental officials, and other interested persons in creating these programs. Environmental Studies Programs are critically important to college students who will assume responsibilities for saving the world. The issue of global warming, water and the finite natural systems, will impact the students, their children and grandchildren. The effects of our decisions, our choices or preconceptions, and our tolerances and consent of unregulated free market enterprise as well as the outcomes of unexamined consequences of aggressive economic development are emphasized. Suggestions include action-oriented conferences, service learning, arts and humanities, and college-wide forums. He stresses the responsibility of faculty to assume a leadership role functioning as stewards, guides and the conceptual leaders in this effort.

Paul Elsner received his doctorate from Stanford University and completed study at the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University. He is the Senior Editor of a 'Global Survey' of 23 countries titled, Global Development of Community Colleges, Technical Colleges, and Further Education Programs. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Sias International University in Zhengzhou, China, and has spoken and consulted in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Singapore, China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Ireland, England, South Africa, and other countries. His previous appointments include chairing the ETS Board at Princeton and the ACT Board at Iowa City. He has also served as President of the Board for the League for Innovation and numerous Washington-based educational organizations. Elsner served as Chancellor of the Maricopa Community Colleges for 23 years. He prepared and chaired the Water, Global Warming and Radical Climate and Over-development Conference to be held at Sias International University, the People's Republic of China, May 2013. Among his numerous achievements, he gave the Third Robert Atwell Distinguished Lecture, following the first given by Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, and the second by Harvard President Neal Rudenstein. Elsner is the recipient of the BHF Anderson medal, the Marie Martin Leadership Award and holds Honorary Degrees from Arizona State University and the Northern Arizona University as well as a W. K. Fellowship for Doctoral Studies at Stanford University. Paul Elsner also served on the New Skills Commission, www.skillscommission.org a Washington, D.C. based commission of former congressmen, cabinet members, and academic leaders. The Skills Commission has been facilitated by Marc Tucker, Executive Director of the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE). In motion is a six state pilot project that recommends the implementation of the reform strategy issued in the Skills Commission report Tough Choices or Tough Times. Arizona is one of the six pilot states. Dr Elsner conducts his own business under Paul Elsner Associates and is President and Founder of The Sedona Conversations and Sedona Edge Forums, that hold conferences on a variety of topics in various countries: www.sedonaconversations.com and www.sedona-edge.com