Preliminary Reflections On Planning

33 thoughts on “Preliminary Reflections On Planning”

1. Rather than inrease internationalization, strive for diversity among the student body. The urban poor at Wesleyan is severely under-represented. Outreach programs must exist to provide the poor with mentors and tutors in order to prepare them for a Wesleyan Education.
   Second, restore Wesleyan’s Educational Studies Program. One of the best ways to increase public knowledge of the outstanding education offered by Wesleyan is to send alumni into the teaching ranks. In this economy there is widespread unemployment, but a dire need for highly qualified public educators. Please consider.

2. Thank you for the opportunity to contribute a thought.
   When the idea of a College of the Environment was proposed, my first thought was that the Wesleyan community needs to model sustainability not just study it.
   I highly recommend the book “Cradle to Cradle” by architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungard. There are literally thousands of ways Wes could be made more green. Wes students could begin living a sustainable life in college and take that forward with them when they graduate. I guess I’m trying to say we need the practice, not just the theory. Make Wes a model for sustainable practice even as we pursue the science.

3. Internships and study abroad opportunities are an integral part in preparing students for the world of work and life beyond Wesleyan. Many colleges around the US are now incorporating internship and/or study abroad components into their graduation requirements; I would urge Wesleyan to consider this as well. I understand that this would impact curriculum, professor and administrative allotment, and how financial aid works for study abroad; however, the benefits of a better prepared student body can result in additional student opportunities and potentially increased alumni contributions.
   I also believe that through improved professor advising students will more thoroughly understand their goals and life opportunities. Too often students are graduating from college with no true idea of what jobs or opportunities are available to them. In order to change this, a true relationship must be developed between the student and advisor to help explore each student’s interests and opportunities. Professor training and support is imperative in this process.
   Thank you for the opportunity to share some of my thoughts. I appreciate your positive outlook.

4. I think Wesleyan could involve its alumni more effectively by communicating what they are accomplishing. As a minor example, I have published several books over the years, but I don’t receive a regular email questionnaire asking about this. I could probably beat down the door of the alumni magazine, but that goes beyond the limits of my wish for recognition. If I received a frequent questionnaire saying, “Any stories, any accomplishments, anything relevant to Wesleyan,” it would be easy to give a quick affirmative reply.

   There are presumably many other kinds of contributions made by alumni that would be easy to feature in very brief (say, one-paragraph) items in the alumni magazine. There are also likely to be many interesting situations that could be very brieflly described. At my university, for example, I have been department chair twice, and in one of my terms the dean of social sciences was another Wes alumnus from around my time in Middletown. Although I didn’t know him when we were at Wesleyan (we chose different majors), I think it made it easier to work with him on various projects and goals because our histories (and hence educational values) were similar. I assume that every time you feature an alumni story, the subject of the story becomes more likely to contribute to the university. You can’t pull most people in by treating them as anonymous. You have to give them their “15 minutes” of attention every once in a while. And I think that might be surprisingly easy to do.

5. Upon visiting the campus two summers ago while my daughter was looking at colleges, I was very concerned about the state of disrepair of many university owned buildings and some other campus landscape features.

   Though the 2020 initiative is an academic one, I hope that the university has considered its deferred maintenance burden while setting the goals listed in the document. It is a given that the cost of exterior repair increases with each passing year as materials continue to deteriorate. I’m assuming that there is a structural problem where the annual facilities maintenance budget cannot keep up with the annual demand.

   If another capital campaign is undertaken, will any of the funding go towards the endowment of existing buildings on campus? If new structures have been planned, will they be fully endowed?

   Finally, the physical look of the campus is an important issue when assessing how Wesleyan stacks up to other schools in the eyes of prospective students.

6. I am grateful for your efforts in trying to elevate Wesleyan’s offerings and allowing alumni to offer observations. Here’s the first thing that occurred to me in reading through the draft.
   It seems readily apparent to me that what the world needs now, more than anything else, is consciousness, an awakening to the true nature of reality. Many of us aren’t even aware of the universal consciousness and energy that sustain all of existence. All other life forms trust in, and surrender to, this benevolent intelligence, the ground of being, this sea of awareness that sustains all that is. But not mankind. We function as if we are apart from this sea of awareness and the resulting non-alignment manifests as suffering and pain – wars, widespread planetary abuse, and so on. It’s a bit like a fish denying the water in which it swims and depends on for its very life. Is it any wonder that the result is suffering and pain? Just look at what unconsciousness has wrought in the world we have made?
   I suggest that incorporating a compelling program that fosters a deep understanding, an internalization, of what it means to be conscious, perhaps through the proposed College of Environment, would serve to help place Wesleyan at the forefront of liberal arts universities again.

7. It is very appropriate that your introduction starts with Vic Butterfrield, an immense contributor to undergraduate liberal arts education. Unfortunately, Wesleyan has since gone astray. A single Master of Arts Program has escalated into far too many Ph.D. programs and pressures for more. These graduate programs detract from Wesleyan’s traditional focus on the undergraduate, and may well account for the precipitous drops in Wesleyan’s ranking as an undergraduate liberal arts institutution in recent years. I would vigorously encourage your examination of ALL graduate programs in this
   context. Today’s undergraduates at Wesleyan simply do not get the undivided attention of faculty who also work with graduate students and postdocs. I believe that were President Butterfield alive today, he would join me in requesting an evaluation of the impact of the graduate programs on the liberal arts education of undergraduates. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on your road map. I have other thoughts, but they dwarf relative to my primary concern as to how Wesleyan has lost its way.

8. I loved the language in the Values section about a learning community — and the references to joy and exhuberance. Might some reference to passion, love, or joy be snuck into the mission? It does seem so central to the University’s essence.

9. Have you considered recasting your goals (stated as actions) into outcome goals, where the phrase is turned into a full sentence, with the target (the entity in which you seek the change in attitude, knowledge, behavior, condition, or status) becomes the subject of the sentence and the rest is descriptive of the change? This would produce much more specific goals that are actually accomplishable (and success could be measured). Your targets are buried in the statements below the goal…as part of the activities…I can explain what I mean if you are interested…(I work with organizations on this sort of thing.)

10. I think the goals outlined are very admirable, with the College of Environmental Studies and the improvement of the first year experience two that immediately strike me. One thing that I think needs great improvement, and fits in with the globalization/internationalization efforts, is the foreign language program. Facility with languages other than English is now seen as essential, and Chinese is being taught in pubic grade schools. But this is an area where Wesleyan does not match its quality in other areas, and should be a focus for the next 10 years.

11. In these interesting times, creative thinking, and thinking outside of the proverbial box, will provide the tools for reshaping the present and having a future to live into. Financial freedom is something that is becoming more elusive with every passing day and creating choices, that were more easily made in the past, become difficult inside of our deliberations and considerations. I believe the university has to look at different options in marketing itself with new and innovative initiatives.

    I have studied the successful thoughts of the likes of Donald Trump and Robert Kawasaki and it looks like incorporating networking and education could be a consideration. My wife recently started an online nursing program that will allow her to attain her RN degree after two years of more “normal” training for her LPN degree. She can earn $100 if she refers others to the program and if she enrolls six her tuition is paid up by the company. Wesleyan should look into these avenues where people can be marketed into planning for the long run and part of the benefits of the programs can be saving on tuition.

    I market for an online retailer and I receive $100 everytime I enroll someone into the fold. As members, we get deep discounts on factory direct items, automobiles and countless other products. I also provide 25% discounts to my patients in my medical practice that are members of my group. Wesleyan can be part of something like this and offer discounts on tuition for members. Wesleyan can also earn income by having its own referral sources enroll and the more enrollees then a series of bonus programs are triggered. I know of a number of individuals and corporations that are earning six and seven figure incomes because of the momentum that builds by expanding the membership. I like the program because there is nothing that I have to sell other than enrolling people into my marketing company.

12. 1. It is unfortunate that graduates of liberal arts colleges have little or no appreciation of engineering and engineers. I’m not suggesting creating an engineering department. Rather there should be ways that Wesleyan students could be exposed to how engineers think and to the variety of engineering disciplines. There is nothing in this plan that addresses that situation.
    2. It is fashionable now in higher education to increase the number of foreign students. However, that means less emphasis on finding deserving and qualified domestic students. Wesleyan–and the country–would be better served by expanding its efforts to recruit, in particular, first generation domestic students.

13. Dear Dr. Roth,

    Your vision for the university is exactly what we hoped for when we encouraged our daughter to consider Wesleyan University. To our great delight, she decided that it was the school best suited to her, applied for early admission and was accepted in the class of 2012.

    She felt challenged by her coursework as a freshman, participated in several community activities and was anxious to return to school this fall.

    I would encourage you to take a non-nostalgic look at her dorm, however. She has been placed in Butts Hall. To be fair, I saw it during the time when students were moving out for the summer. The creaking doors, spartan bathroom facilities, ancient and distant laundry rooms and common rooms without kitchens were evidence of a fearsomely aged building. Francesca is sanguine and happy about her life in the Butts, I do not think she will be in any way dissuaded or harmed by living there, but I must admit I’m relieved that she was placed there her sophomore year, when she will spend half the year overseas.

    Just a thought as you consider how Wesleyan stacks up compared to other schools,

    Susan Yarian

    P.S. I can not adequately thank you for the wonderful emails during the period after last year’s student shooting. Your emphasis on grieving for the student’s family and friends was so on the mark, and so comforting for all of us.

14. Firstly, I would like to applaud the new strategic direction. In particular, I believe that the new focus on Internationalism is positive on several fronts:
    a) Socio- Culturally – As an International student who studied in Wesleyan in the 90s I felt that the overwhelming American presence on campus made for limited debate and understanding of the problems faced by the rest of the world. I believe that the contribution made by the International students on campus is important given that globalization and interaction with foreign nationals will continue to be an everyday reality for Wes graduates.
    b) Financially – One important point to note is the fact that International students are less dependant on financial aid than American students. Hence, a new effort to boost International student admission would be an added bonus for the school as it would help contribute towards financial sustainability.

    Secondly, I would like to contribute one somewhat controversial idea. I believe Wes graduates would benefit thoroughly by the addition of courses meant to prepare them to work in the modern world. While traditionally this would mean writing, analysis, and critical-thinking intensive courses, increasingly this would also mean providing courses which emphasizes teamwork, project management, presentation skills, entrepreneurship and risk taking. I believe that these are some of the key skills for success of Wes graduates looking for careers in the public, private and social sectors.

15. Goal 2, objective 5: Go green!

16. Dear President Roth,
    This draft summary of your work this summer could not come at a better time. Let this be a signal to the world that now is the moment not merely to assess damage, but, to move forward. Wesleyan has always been blessed by tremendous reserves in human capital and today is no different than in times past. I agree with your priorities; naturally, I could list a few dozen things that could use additional attention and money. But, as a bare-bones “wish-list” for the next ten years, I find nothing more compelling than securing need-blind admissions by growing the endowment. My sense is that, if we keep our eyes focused on that goal, we will be surprised by what else falls into place along the way. I applaud your efforts, and those of our esteemed faculty.
    Yours truly,
    Ron Medley, `73

17. I was delighted to see that developing a means to foster lifetime learninig was included in the objectives. No doubt you are aware that a number of our peer institutions, either singly or in cooperation with others currently offer online courses to alumni(ae). What a great way to maintain post-graduation involvement and support. I hope this objective gets implemented sooner rather than later.

    Dick Irwin ’56

18. Thank you so much for the opportunity to comment. The statement is exciting and moving and I’m looking forward to helping in whatever way I can.

    I agree with Mr. Mathews about reinstating Educational Studies. This is also in keeping with Suryo Soekarno’s comment about adding just a few more offerings that might prepare our grads for the workplace (although I understand that Soekarno meant it in more general, cross-curricular ways.)

19. Thank you so much for providing a forum for dialogue in these early stages of your plan. The creation of a College of the Environment is not only strategic and timely, but crucial – as our economy moves into uncharted “green” territory. Wesleyan can become well-equipped to produce leaders in this arena. I also am happy to hear that Wesleyan is broadening categories of “diversity” to encompass geography or regional difference in the application process. As a small-town Floridian, I can certainly attest to the surprising cultural distances we find domestically. That being said, it is also profoundly important that we continue to reach out to potential international students.

20. As for Goal 1, “distinctive educational experience,” please consider the impact on visitors when told that Williams has two programs in which freshmen are likely to participate. The first program is one in which courses are taught by professors from two different departments, e.g., one from the economics department and one for the political science department. At least for this parent it was absolutely fascinating to imagine the perspective that a student must get in one course from that dual perspective. The second program is one in which there are two students and one teacher. Again, it was fascinating to imagine the intense experience that my 1st year child might get from that type of seminar. Of course Williams has the endowment to put resources into those types of programs. However, Williams’ ratings as first or second each year among small colleges may be influenced by those types of “distinctive educational experiences.” Best regards.

21. I think you could have a huge impact in recruiting students, fundraising and building the Wes reputation if there were a powerful effort to build a job networking capacity drawing on the alumni for summer internships and for graduating seniors. Wes has creative alumni already in the workforce who can support intelligent, creative students with advice on networked job searches. If alumni either have internships/jobs in their organizations or can refer the students to their colleagues in their own professional networks who can help these students find work, it could become a distinctive, practical, feature of the Wes experience. There would be side benefits. Involved alumni who get to know individual students personally would, in my opinion, be more likely to also respond to fundraising appeals — older people like helping younger people they get to know. They might feel a more direct, intimate relationship to the university as a result. I also think that this demonstrates to the students that their predecessors have “made it” in whatever profession they’ve chosen, even if it is an “offbeat” one. This fosters and can ingrain the creativity you want to create. (You would need to educate students in carrying out networked job searches — a la “What Color is your Parachute – if you took the approach I’m suggesting.)

22. President Roth,

    I really appluad the initiative with the release of this planning document. I was, however, a little disappointed to see that nowhere on your list of Goals and Objectives is the mention of ‘Promoting Religious Understanding’. I think this is a critical step in creating a tolerant campus environment and it adequately addresses the challenges of the 21st century. It also provides students with a foundational framework for learning from the diverse backgrounds that they represent.

    I think our Office of Religious Life is comprised of some amazing leaders (many of whom I had the privelege to learn from) and I would love for the university to invest more time and money into their development.

23. The deficiency of endowment funds at Wesleyan is serious, and it will take several years of successful fundraising to correct this. With a continuing heavy cost burden from financial aid and a broad curriculum, significant budget pressures can be expected. Sadly, operating costs cannot be subsidized for long by high endowment transfers before endangering the future of the institution. Tuition increases above already high levels cannot be counted on to fill the gap. Expense containment has to be the mantra for some time.
    Four broad policy goals remain critical for me in assessing how Wesleyan moves forward:

    ++ Wesleyan remains committed to providing a liberal arts education, as outlined in Mission (community draft);
    ++ Students are admitted on the basis of merit, not wealth;
    ++ The university hires and retains faculty who are effective teachers as well as scholars in their disciplines;
    ++ Broaden the global reach of the curriculum.

    Challenges relating fo these concepts are many. Here are a few:
    The financial aid portion of the budget is enormous, but I would be loath to place any arbitrary limit on merit-based aid. However, I have concerns about significantly expanding the number of international students, IF they would fall under the merit-based financial aid policy. I am assuming that after-tax income levels either for high-tax Europe of emerging nation families are lower than in the United States, so that the per-student financial aid cost for new international students could be higher than domestic. As a basic matter, though, I feel more comfortable in maintaining the present emphasis on domestic aid and not reducing it in favor of international – though I recognize that more international students would broaden campus diversity.
    Curriculum review must be an ongoing exercise. Because of Wesleyan’s relatively small size, and cost pressures, we cannot afford to maintain a boutique array of courses no matter how obscure the material of how low the interest level may be. As newer global courses are added to reflect emerging educational needs, it is appropriate to make sure that the remainder of the curriculum still serves broad student demands. Perhaps shared courses with nearby colleges might alleviate some pressures, but Middletown’s somewhat remote location and transportation issues might limit this approach.

24. Let me be a voice for many of the great traditions in education that Wesleyan has stood for. Do we need to reinvent the wheel every 10 years? Has Wesleyan not been incredibly successful in selecting and preparing a unique group of individuals to live and act in the world? Let’s keep doing what we have done so well for 178 years.

    The thoughts about once more tweaking the freshman curriculum are very tired. Can we not launch our freshmen directly into the intro classes in a variety of disciplines, ideally with some of the most dynamic, experienced professors at the helm?

    The lack of guidance in finding meaningful internships is also worrisome, and I would support much improvement in this area.

    Is there some way to restore the small, intimate nature of the campus when it was half the size it is now, especially in promoting close relationships between students and professor/mentors? This too seems to have sadly diminished. Are there still places on campus where both students and professors congregate? I’m not sure Usdan is such a great success in that regard.

    I would echo the comments of many of my colleagues regarded a dubious interest in increasing international students and the sad state of disrepair of many campus buildings. Criticism aside, I applaud the effort to recommit to our most deeply held ideals.

25. The endowment, the fundraising, the prestige issues are all serious and demand grownup leadership, which we fortunately now have. And we also have a big card to play that is not only natural to us, but perfectly timed for this stage in history. It’s the card of juxaposition: the double major in physics and film studies, the linebacker who becomes a heart surgeon, Mayor Hickenlooper’s bizarre personal resume, the original spirit behind the College of Letters and Social Studies, the maintaining of graduate programs in Science at a small liberal arts college. Innovation happens where different fields come together,and that has always been something Wesleyan did big time. So it is no accident when Matt Weiner’s Mad Men seems so unusual and fresh to the Emmys, or Belichick’s approach to football seems unlike any other. It’s the fresh take that time and again has come from the kind of people who are attracted to Wesleyan and from the experience and relationships they have there. We need to protect and burnish that interdisciplinary heritage even more than ever, and claim that “brand” in every channel through the actions and thoughts of the people of Wesleyan, on campus and off.

26. First, I want to thank all those who have taken the time to respond to my preliminary reflections. Whether you agreed with them or not, you’ve shown that you care about the future of Wesleyan, and in that regard we are very much on the same page. You’ve suggested ways in which Wesleyan could better respond to the needs of the country, from teacher training to our plans for a College of the Environment. You’ve suggested too how we might better prepare students to meet their own needs after graduation: be it more internship opportunities, courses emphasizing teamwork and entrepreneurship, or involving alumni more in job networking. And you’ve asked that we bring alumni into the fold by learning more about their achievements and offering them life-long learning opportunities. All this makes sense to me, and we are currently working on projects in several of these areas. Your thoughts on mentoring and the ingenuity that results from intense interdisciplinary (or multidisciplinary) learning experiences are music to my ears, and I can tell you that issues with the first year curriculum are very much on our minds. And I’m listening too to your criticisms: from the request for more precision in my language and more urgency in my tone to the less than ideal condition of some of our facilities, from objections to decisions I’ve made to reports of where we could have done better in our communications with alumni. I note that there is room for disagreement about internationalization and the image Wesleyan presents to the world. Ideas for increasing revenue are, of course, always welcome. I’ll finish with a quote from one response: “Wesleyan has always been blessed by tremendous reserves in human capital.” I will continue to count on those reserves – including all of you — as we move forward.

27. I observe, without being overly surprised by it, that NONE of the objectives of Goal 2 (sustainable economic model) is focused on spending less or better. ALL are focused on spending more or same. Lip service is duly paid to “economic pressures” in the context (that should guide action) and this having been done, promptly waved aside. I suggest to add objectives related to reduced administrative staff ratios, new and different operating models (outsourcing, offshoring), gradual reduction of unsustainable benefits packages or outsize salaries for comparable skillset in the non-academic or public sector, stability or reduction of overall tuition fees (in a context of deflation or flat prices and earnings, why would we plan for increase in operating expenses), and generally speaking, a longer term strategy to respond to economic downturns than stop investment until the rosy days return.

28. President Roth,

    This major initiative has passed and been forgotten about by most of the Wesleyan community with barely a yawn. Despite having been sent to over 40,000 alumni, 3,000 students and 300 faculty, it generated a meager 25 responses, and since the last was over a week ago, it seems that may be the end of them. In contrast, when President Bennett began the process before the campaign, it drew an enormous flowering of ideas, excitement, and support from all corners of the community.

    The difference is that President Bennett started by asking members of the Wesleyan community for their thoughts. These brief suggestions were then culled by a committee and developed into short working papers, and the best of those were carefully developed by stakeholders into actionable plans. Even if others were not involved, at least they could respect the process. In your case, you plonked these ideas down on the Wesleyan community from the start, and although they will require tremendous efforts on the part of faculty especially, they have not yet been involved in any serious manner (other than the College of the Environment) in generating them. Are you expecting to go this alone? Are you expecting to state a bunch of ideas you yourself think are great in the hopes the faculty and alumni (who will have to support them financially) are going to rise up and jump to it? Good luck with that!

    As many of the respondents above have mentioned, you ideas are very, VERY expensive, and Wesleyan is running a very large deficit that you are well aware is only going to get larger under current models. Some of your suggestions, especially with regard to increasing the number of foreign students, may simply not be feasible given the university’s financial state.

    I think you are going to discover that the manner in which you have gone about things is not going to generate the support from the Wesleyan community stakeholders needed to enact them in any meaningful way, and here is what you might consider doing.

    First, the faculty are currently trying to figure out how to balance the university budget deficit. Give them a year to do so. This is a very trying process. It is emotionally draining, very time consuming, and they need to reach consensus on it. Also, a year from now will give us a better sense of where the financial world is moving.

    Then, issue a call for papers and follow the model your predecessor did. (a) You may discover much to your dismay that some of your ideas are not all the well supported by other stakeholders, and while you might not want to learn that, the simple reality is that ideas that are not widely supported will not be enacted meaningfully anyhow. (b) Second, and very importantly, if you started by asking stakeholders for their thoughts, they will take ownership of what results, and the ensuing agenda will become *Wesleyan’s* agenda. Right now it’s just *your* agenda, and even if you are the president, if it isn’t supported by the faculty, alumni and students, it isn’t going to go anywhere.

    Noting I have written is to say your ideas are bad. Rather, at the moment, they’re *you* ideas and no one else’s, and unless you pay attention to the process, you may quite well find yourself extremely disappointed with what results.

29. Dear President Roth:
    I am sending you today an e-mail titled “2020” in which I suggest dreamily that you consider a new affiliation for our alma mater, escaping the “peer group” in which we are losing prestige––Amherst, Williams, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Hamilton, also Swarthmore, Haverford, Oberlin, not to mention Union, Colby, Tufts and Bates, and certainly the college with the most beautiful campus and most magnificent new sports facility––Kenyon (where my older son went). Think Patriot League. (Each institution also within a day’s drive of Middletown) I think we could beat Georgetown this year by a field goal.

    Basta,

    Horace “Pete” Deacon

30. 1) Thirty odd classes from a variety of departments; a third will be in one department and that is your major. This is administratively convenient for the University and faculty but I am not sure it is best for the students. Don’t have another idea but it seems wrong. How is crowdsourcing changing higher education?

    2) Wesleyan arbitrarily distinguishes between academic and technical subjects probably enforced by the faculty via departmental structure. Big problem. The point of view and the topics of classes now compared to twenty years ago is not as different as it should be.

    3) Freshman should come in early August and have one month basic training: unit cohesion, overview of all major fields and analytical styles, introspection on goals, study skills (especially writing), and how Wesleyan communicates.

    4) lots more non-Americans

    5) lots more red staters

31. Dear President Roth,

    Thank you for your video presentation and draft of your thoughts/plans/wishes for Wesleyan. Also, congratulations on being elected as President, not exactly an easy task in these days of economic difficulties for most if not all members of the community.

    The comment I wish to add has to do with the ability to raise money for specific or general purposes. It seems that Wesleyan is good at supporting the desire of wealthy alumni who wish to give money for building buildings. Wesleyan is not alone in this but new buildings are a part of the infrastructure. Considering the success in this area, perhaps those alumni who are interested in this form of giving could be encouraged to broaden their outlook, if possible, toward giving in general, especially toward Wesleyan’s more immediate needs.

32. I am pleased to see Wesleyan continue its commitment to graduate education. There is no question as to the purpose of the University is undergraduate education. However in my years at Wes, I found that the MS. and PhD. students were an integral and important part of the distinctive nature of the intellectual life of the school. Many think of graduate programs as a distraction of purpose, but in my experience they invigorated learning at the highest levels. This is why Amherst and Williams both have made provisions for graduate student interaction with their faculty at other large research institutions. Particularly in the sciences, these students are the repository for specific experimental and theoretical knowledge. They are responsible for challenges to the orthodoxy of faculty and serve to drive everyone to new questions and new modes of thinking. A small but excellent program of graduate education can be both financially responsible and distinguishing of the University community.

33. Goal 2, Objective 5 could be enhanced to promote an environmentally sustainable campus including: green buildings, sustainable landscapes, sustainable building operations, recycling, energy conservation, alternative energy sources.