Each of the Sustainable 16 is now in the running to be named “National Champion” in the first-ever March Madness tournament for Environmental Studies. In order to be considered for the Sustainable 16, schools were required to fill out a survey explaining their credentials, which was then evaluated by a panel of expert judges from well-respected organizations.
The Sustainable 16 are (alphabetically):
1. Baylor University
2. Colby College
3. Colorado State University
4. Cornell University
5. Duke University
6. Humboldt State University
7. Montana State University
8. Ohio State University
9. Purdue University
10. Rochester Institute of Technology
11. Temple University
12. University of California, Davis
13. University of Florida
14. University of Michigan – Dearborn
15. UNC Asheville
16. University of Texas at Arlington
“The ‘Sustainable 16’ has been selected from a highly competitive field of colleges and universities who responded to our survey looking for the top environmental studies programs in the country,” said Lawrence Goldenhersh, CEO and president of Enviance, and a tournament judge. “These are the institutions that will prepare the next generation of environmental professionals to lead environmental compliance, sustainability and social responsibility programs for some of the world’s largest companies. We’re excited about the quality of the schools involved in the contest and can’t wait to evaluate the programs further to identify a national champion.”
The March Madness Tournament for Environmental Studies was designed to evaluate colleges and universities on their academic and sustainability prowess as it relates to the environment, in a format similar to the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament. The tournament sponsors sent surveys to more than three-dozen of the country’s top environmental universities and also accepted open submissions from other qualified schools. Each participating school submitted a survey response covering topics related to curriculum, graduation rate, facilities and student retention.
Each submission was then evaluated against its peers by a panel of expert judges from well-respected organizations including The Brattle Group, CH2M HILL, Enviance, Trinity Consultants and Valero. The combined recommendations of those judges then determined the “Sustainable 16.”
Judges for this year’s tournament include:
• Peter Fox, Principal & Chairman of The Brattle Group
• Velislava Ivanova, Director of Global Sustainability at CH2M HILL
• Larry Goldenhersh, CEO & President of Enviance
• Nick Johnson, Managing Consultant at Trinity Consultants
• Don Cuffel, Manager of Environmental Engineering at Valero/California
In order to advance to the “Environmental Eight,” “Final Four” and beyond, Sustainable 16 faculty and students are being asked to support their entries with short essays, social media or video submissions on why they should be named National Champion. The submissions will be evaluated by the judges between today and Monday, Mar. 19. The “Environmental Eight” will be announced on Monday, Mar. 26.
The tournament will award $5,000 to the Environmental and Sustainability Department of one National Champion, and send the Department Chair or member of the faculty on an all-expenses-paid trip to San Diego to attend the Enviance User Conference, April 16-20. While there, the winner will lead a panel titled, “What Tomorrow’s Environmental Leaders Need to Know.”
For more information on the March Madness Tournament for environmental studies, please email Enviance@schwartzmsl.com, or visit enviance.com/march-madness or environmentalleader.com. Real-time updates are available on Twitter by following enviance or ELDaily.