Colby-Sawyer College

This document, a community-based research project by Colby-Sawyer College, outlines a plan to enhance the resilience of New London, New Hampshire, by focusing on interconnected food, water, and energy systems. Key strategic areas include strengthening the local food system through initiatives like the Main Street Garden and agricultural land protection, improving water management via low impact development and rainwater catchment, and transitioning to sustainable energy through an Energy Descent Action Plan, greenhouse gas inventories, and sustainable investment strategies. The overarching vision aims for a resilient and thriving community by 2050, capable of addressing future environmental and societal challenges.

This document describes Colby Sawyer's strategic initiative to reimagine its liberal education program, focusing on integrating concepts of vocation, purpose, and passion throughout the curriculum. Key components include framing the First-Year Experience around global challenges, specifically the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, developing a Community Engaged Learning (CEL) component for juniors to address local and regional problems, and retaining traditional internships and capstone experiences. The plan aims to cultivate liberally educated, socially engaged global citizens who can find deep meaning in their work and contribute positively to society.

This Landscape Management Plan for Colby-Sawyer College, developed from 2015-2016 research, outlines goals and steps for the strategic long-term management of the campus landscape. It aligns with the college's mission and strategic themes, complementing the 2013 S.L.A.M. Master Plan. The plan emphasizes permaculture principles to create a sustainable living laboratory that is aesthetically pleasing, economically viable, and ecologically sound, focusing on enhancing sense of place, educational opportunities, and overall sustainability while working towards carbon emission reduction.

This Landscape Management Plan for Colby-Sawyer aims to transform the campus into a sustainable living laboratory that offers engaging, interdisciplinary educational opportunities. The plan emphasizes promoting personal responsibility, efficient resource use, and creating an aesthetically pleasing, economically viable, and ecologically sound environment that encourages community interaction and adaptability. Key focus areas include water management, landscape maintenance, seating and lighting, management of invasive species, and traffic patterns.

The strategic plan for Colby-Sawyer College is designed to guide the institution's development and achieve specific objectives by the 2023-2024 academic year. It focuses on several key strategic goals: recruiting and retaining diverse students, improving student outcomes, attracting and retaining talented faculty and staff, establishing and enhancing financial stability, delivering a dynamic curriculum, providing leadership and engagement opportunities, embedding a whole-systems sustainability approach, strengthening partnerships, and building a culture of high performance.