University Funding From Fossil Fuels Slowing Switch to Green Energy – Report

Study’s authors say integrity of higher education ‘at risk’ upon finding lack of attention to role of oil and gas firms

Fossil fuel companies’ funding of universities’ climate-focused efforts is delaying the green transition, according to the most extensive peer-reviewed study to date of the industry’s influence on academia.

University of Maryland Researchers Are Playing a Major Role in the Future of Climate-Friendly Air Conditioning

Thanks to consistent funding from the Department of Energy, the Center for Environmental Energy Engineering has been improving the global landscape of energy conversion.

As global temperatures continue to rise at a dangerous rate, so does the number of air conditioning units in use.

Climate Ready: Innovative System Helping Local College Campus Become Carbon Neutral

Students returning to class at Swarthmore College may not realize it, but they're part of a big change. The college has a huge environmental goal that it's a lot closer to reaching thanks to what's beneath the campus, especially beneath the Swarthmore College Dining Center. "It's the heart of our carbon-free energy system on campus," said Andrew Feick, Associate Vice President of Sustainable Facilities Operations and Capital Planning at Swarthmore College.

Built By Students, For Students: EcoVillage Home a Product of Passion, Innovation

The home designed and built by students, one of six constructed in the EcoVillage at Loy Farm’s first phase, involved more than 60 students over the course of an academic year and yielded lessons students will carry into their futures.

Before teaming with fellow students last fall to build one of the first six homes in Elon’s new EcoVillage at Loy Farm, Abi O’Toole ’26 had never held a drill or used a power saw.

Yale at Climate Week NYC 2024

From Sept. 24 to 27, Yale will host a four-day summit in New York City that highlights the breadth and depth of the university community’s work to address the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. Under the banner of Yale Planetary Solutions (YPS), leading thinkers and organizations from across the Yale campus and around the world will convene at the Yale Club of New York City to explore and advance solutions to climate threat. The event coincides with Climate Week NYC, the largest annual climate event of its kind, and a meeting of the UN General Assembly.

The Aspen Institute Is Calling for a Systemic Approach to Climate Education at the University Level

Arizona State and UC San Diego will begin requiring climate courses this academic year. Columbia, Harvard and Stanford are going even further, creating schools devoted to climate change.

In 2019, Laura Schifter’s phone buzzed with a message: “Only 11 Years Left to Prevent Irreversible Damage From Climate Change.”

How Biden Raised the Profile of the Free College Movement

Although a signature campaign promise remains unfulfilled for the president, he still left his mark on the issue, laying the groundwork for Harris, Walz and the Democrats to build on if they win in November.

President Biden entered the White House nearly four years ago with ambitious plans to make community college free—and check off a top item on progressives’ wish list for higher education.

Can Professors Get STEM Students to Vote?

STEM students vote at lower rates than college students over all. Experts say that connecting their course material to what’s on the ballot can help.

For years, students studying science, technology, engineering or mathematics have voted at lower rates than their peers—especially lagging those in education and library science, who are most likely to vote.

Politics Climate is Increasingly a Factor in College Selection

Politics count as a factor in college selection among perspective students, according to a new Echo Delta report.

"Politics of College Choice: How Students’ Political Views Influence Where They Enroll" — authored by Jarrett Smit, senior vice president of strategy at Echo Delta, and Grant De Roo, the founder and principal at ADV Market Research — is based on a nationwide survey that included more than 1,000 high school juniors and seniors.

Student Voting Declined in 2022. What Could That Mean for This Election?

Far fewer college students voted in 2022 than 2018. That may not mean turnout rates will stay low this year, but the data could provide a clue about how to promote student voting come November. College students voted at lower rates in the 2022 midterm elections than they did in 2018, according to a new report, raising the question of whether the massive youth voting turnout that contributed to President Joe Biden’s victory in 2020 will be replicated in the upcoming presidential election.

What Kamala Harris’ Presidential Nomination Could Mean For HBCUs

The candidate’s status as a Howard University alum could spotlight the role historically Black colleges and universities play in preparing future leaders.

At Texas Southern University, a Houston-based historically Black university, Vice President Kamala Harris’ nomination to lead the Democratic ticket has sparked a sense of “pride and motivation,” according to sociology professor Carla Brailey.

New College’s Book Dumping Went Viral. A Beloved Student-Led Center Was the Biggest Loss.

A room tucked away at New College of Florida used to be decorated wall-to-wall with student-made oil paintings and drawings. One side housed a collection of books covering topics like gender studies, Black history, and LGBTQ+ issues. Another corner featured art supplies, including crochet hooks, stitch markers, and knitting needles used by the college’s decades-old knitting club, Anarchy Deathsticks.

University of Kentucky Disbands DEI Center, Will Reassign Employees

State lawmakers indicated further legislative attacks on DEI could be forthcoming, President Eli Capilouto said Tuesday.

The University of Kentucky dissolved its diversity, equity and inclusion center Tuesday, preemptively addressing concerns over DEI by the state’s conservative lawmakers. The institution will reassign the responsibilities of the Office for Institutional Diversity to other campus offices, and the changes will not result in any job losses, University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto said in a statement.

UNC Charlotte Shutters Its Three DEI Offices Amid Demand For ‘neutrality’

The university said it is complying with a new systemwide policy barring institutions from having offices focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. The University of North Carolina Charlotte dissolved its three DEI-related offices — the Office of Diversity and Inclusion; the Office of Identity, Equity and Engagement; and the Office of Academic Diversity and Inclusion — and reassigned 11 workers to comply with a new system-wide policy that bans such offices, the university announced Aug. 8.

Utah VP on DEI Closures: ‘It’s Been a Grieving Process’

Lori McDonald, the University of Utah’s vice president of student affairs, reflects on the expedited process officials took to comply with the state’s new anti-DEI law.

The University of Utah is one of many institutions in Republican-led states nationwide to be impacted by legislation mandating the closure of diversity, equity and inclusion offices—as well as the cultural and affinity centers that typically fall under the DEI umbrella.

Can You Teach Free Speech? These Colleges Are Trying.

The kinds of questions freshmen have to answer at orientation are typically mundane and uncontroversial: “Where are you from?” or “What do you think you’d like to major in?” or “Have you found the dining hall yet?”

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a group of first-years went past the small talk and swapped opinions on one of the most pressing topics facing higher education today — free speech.

UVA Tightens Protest Rules After Chaotic Spring

The state flagship will ban encampments and require people wearing masks to provide identification on request.

The University of Virginia updated its protest policies Monday to include a ban on encampments and to require anyone wearing a mask on campus to provide identification when requested by university officials. The state flagship also laid out its penalty system for “willful noncompliance with University policies.”

New Survey Examines Student Perspectives on Campus Protests

Some 18% of college students on campuses with large protests reported in a new survey that the political climate interfered with their education, compared with 62% who said it did not. The nationwide survey, administered by SurveyUSA and led by Dr. Neil Gross, the Charles A. Dana Professor of Sociology at Colby College, examines college students' involvement and opinions surrounding last spring’s antiwar protests encompassing a small percentage (16%) of student participants nationwide.

Professors at the Protest

When protests against the Israel-Hamas war swept across college campuses this past spring, student activists were joined in some cases by their professors. That’s what happened at Indiana University, where state police led a particularly aggressive crackdown on demonstrators. The professors’ reasons for participating were varied and complex, but their decisions point toward a thorny and persistent question: Do faculty members have any business joining student protests?

NYU Says Anti-Zionist Discrimination Could Violate Student Conduct Rules

Discrimination against people with Zionist beliefs, such as denying their entry to open events, could violate the university’s policy.

Attacks on or discrimination against people because of their Zionist beliefs could violate New York University’s updated student nondiscrimination and anti-harassment guidance, drawing free speech concerns from some faculty members.

Duke’s Marine Lab: At the Frontlines of Climate Change and Ocean Sciences

Some learning just requires you to get salty, wet and muddy. Two hundred miles from Duke’s campus, the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort is an unusual learning environment where Duke students and researchers are addressing questions of ocean and marine science that affect us all.

Learn more about the lab’s work and its partnership with the coastal community in a new documentary that will debut online at noon, Monday, Sept. 9.

Duke Marine Lab Origins: Science With a Community Connection

Dive into the fascinating history of the Duke University Marine Lab with Duke’s centennial year documentary, "Origins of the Duke Marine Lab.”

Discover why Beaufort was chosen as the perfect home and explore how the lab has evolved since 1938. Get an inside look at DUML’s acclaimed research, impactful teaching and dedicated community service.

1,500 College Endowments Are Divesting From Fossil Fuels. You Can Convince Your School to Divest Too

Most of you probably know that governments must soon change to cleaner and greener energy sources to prevent people from suffering or dying from the damaging effects of pollution and severe weather-related events. Fewer people know that students and environmental activists have pressured university and college officials for years to divest their endowment funds of all fossil fuel holdings.

Brown Trustee Resigns in Protest Over Divestment Vote

Joseph Edelman resigned over a looming vote to divest from companies linked to the war in Gaza. He called the vote, spurred by student pressure, “morally reprehensible.”

Brown University trustee Joseph Edelman stepped down abruptly on Sunday, expressing objections to a looming October vote in which the board will decide whether to divest endowment funds from 10 companies profiting off the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

‘Fossil Fuel Companies Are Hijacking Our Universities’: 6 Top Schools Received Over $100 Million in Funds From Polluting Industries Since 2003

Elite universities in the United States — which conduct important climate research — are raking in millions from fossil fuel interests, potentially creating conflicts of interest.

This is according to a collection of new reports compiled by student organizers and released by the student-led Campus Climate Network as The Guardian reported.

Rachel Carson, Terry Tempest Williams, and Finding Hope Amidst Change

I began my journey on the twelve-mile auto tour route at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, steering wheel in one hand, binoculars in the other. It was a birding expedition I had taken often, but never with the slight breeze of late September.

I had no knowledge of the birds I would soon encounter; the prospect made me press the gas with gentle excitement. Each venture to the refuge is different. If there is anything that is consistent in Utah, it is change.

Rachel Carson, Concrete and Steel in Brooklyn

My neighbor’s fig tree hangs over the wall between us. When I moved to Brooklyn in June, the buds were green and taut. Now, at the dawn of fall, the juicy gems drip onto the tomato plants baking in the courtyard.

When my parents drove up from Virginia to help me move, they looked for life on every street corner. “Look, Molly, a tree! You’ll be fine here,” they reassured themselves. This made me question whether I would, in fact, be fine here, but we must bloom where we are planted.

Surrender and Staying by the Sea: Reflections on Climate Change

In my new home in Iceland, it’s impossible to forget the power of the sea. It etches itself into our bodies and the roads we travel, and the vision we craft for what is to come. Of course, life everywhere relies on the mercy of water, air, and earth. But that reliance feels much more obvious here in Iceland, the land of fire and ice, with stories of recent avalanches, landslides, volcanic eruptions, gales and arching rainbows. I’m accustomed to a slower kind of slide into the devouring sea, like the one I witnessed growing up on the North Carolina coast.

Adventurer to Activist: Climbers and Climate Advocacy

I was halfway up the boulder with just one mat and a spotter beneath me. It probably wasn’t the safest setup, and the higher I climbed, the larger the risk of falling loomed. The more I pushed my body up the face of the rock, the harder it was mentally to retreat. If I didn’t give it my all, one wrong move could mean a serious injury, maybe worse. But there was so much to hold on for— like the pink and blue sunset that would soon paint the sky, or the thousands of stars that would brighten the desert night.

Equi-tea: A Tale of Two Worlds

At the peak of dawn, like clockwork, kitchens around the world come alive with the quiet ritual of making a fresh cup of tea, setting the tone for the promise of a new day. For so many, tea is deeply woven into the mundanely beautiful routines of our daily lives. We have tea for our sore throats, teatime to cherish with friends, and an evening cup to relax.

Our language even reflects this inherent connection – from “spilling the tea” when we share some gossip to “sipping the tea” when we watch the world unfold before us.

An Environmentalist in Alabama?

When it comes to biodiversity in the United States, the South sparkles for its incredible array of species. The region’s frequent rain and warm, subtropical climate have nurtured an astonishing variety of freshwater animals. Alabama, in particular, has been described by scientists as a global biodiversity hotspot, boasting the highest number of freshwater fish, mussels, and crayfish species in the country while seventy percent of the state is covered in forests.

The Climate Solution in Your Backyard – Urban Trees

It’s a hot morning in May, and we’re lugging a burlap sack full of tree roots along the Illinois Prairie Path, taking care to hold the sapling’s slender trunk upright. We crunch slowly along the gravel path and take care to make way for the only other people out this early on a Sunday – mostly neon-clad bicyclists and enthusiastic dogs. Wiping the sweat from our brows, we place the young Quercus bicolor where an X marks the spot and start to dig.

The Mystical Emu

In elementary school, my family surprised my sister and I with a trip to Walt Disney World to celebrate the start of winter break. In the nights leading up to our departure, I would fall asleep dreaming of exploring Epcot, sipping on mystical butterbeer, and Bibbidi Bobbidi Booing my way up to Cinderella’s Castle. Having never visited Florida before, I was enchanted by the stories my friends shared about the warm, lush weather and palm trees lining every street.

The entire experience felt like a dream come true, and I couldn’t wait to step into this magical world.

Marguerite Williams

Marguerite Williams broke barriers in the field of geosciences, becoming the first Black person to earn a PhD in the discipline. Her pioneering research and career set the stage for future generations, especially Black women, in a field where representation remains disproportionately low.

From 1973 to 2016, only 69 Black women earned PhDs in geosciences out of nearly 23,000 total degrees awarded, highlighting the profound significance of Williams’ accomplishments.

Grace Lee Boggs

Grace Lee Boggs, a Chinese-American author, activist, and speaker, stands out as a transformative figure whose work bridged environmental justice and social movements. With a career spanning over 70 years, Boggs made significant contributions to urban agriculture and community resilience, particularly in Detroit. Her journey highlights the intersections of activism, education, environmental justice and community engagement. Boggs’ path into activism began in Providence, Rhode Island, where she was born in 1915 to parents from Qing dynasty China.