Sustainability Studies B.A. Students Earn International Certification

On March 29, three students graduating this May with their B.A. in Sustainability Studies (BASS), Jenna Hendrickson, Kyle Stepanek, and Bri Davidson, earned the Sustainability Associate certificate (ISSP-SA) from the International Society for Sustainability Professionals.

One of their professors, Tina Evans, also took the exam and earned the certificate, and she plans to go on to earn the ISSP’s higher-level certificate: the Certified Sustainability Professional credential (ISSP-CSP).

The ISSP-SA credential demonstrates mastery of a body of knowledge for the sustainability field that is highly relevant to sustainability professionals working in a wide range of positions in business (including nonprofits), government, and education. The ISSP-CSP credential certifies that the holder has strong knowledge and experience in leadership and practice in the field of sustainability.

This accomplishment by the students and their professor is path breaking for the Sustainability Studies program, as they are the first students, and the first CMC faculty member, to earn the certificate. Students learned the content through their extensive coursework in Sustainability Studies and, most recently, through the program’s newly required course titled Careers and Professional Skills in Sustainability (SUS 416).

This course, first developed by Mercedes Quesada-Embid, served as an elective in the BASS for a number of years. The BASS faculty recognized the importance of devoting more attention to helping their student’s transition to work and/or further education beyond completion of the BASS degree, so they have begun requiring this course.

The students who completed the SUS 416 course this year took it as an elective because it was not required of them for their catalog year, and those who completed the ISSP-SA certification, a subset of the full class, did so as an optional part of that course. The students deserve a lot of credit for their preparation and their courage to attempt something that had not yet been attempted by BASS students (or faculty!).

The students are all from the Steamboat campus where the BASS faculty piloted the offering of this credentialing opportunity this spring. The program faculty will be discussing how best to include this opportunity in the curriculum across the BASS sites at the College.