Established in 2014 by a transformational gift from George and Amanda Hanley, the Hanley Sustainability Institute’s (HSI) shared vision builds on decades of environmental and sustainability education, research and community outreach. HSI positions UD students, staff and faculty as leaders in the emerging and transdisciplinary field of sustainability.
Through deepening existing partnerships and developing many new ones on and off campus, HSI works with the University and Dayton community to make progress toward a more sustainable campus and community and becoming a leader in sustainability education and research.
Connection to Experiential Learning
Experiential Learning is at the center of HSI’s mission and commitment to student leadership development. In addition to a variety of events and individual engagement opportunities, two high-impact and paid opportunities undergraduate students can apply for are the Sustainability Student Leader Program and the Undergraduate Sustainability Fellowship.
The Sustainability Student Leaders Program is a high-impact experiential learning and professional development program for undergraduate students who are passionate about sustainability. Student Leaders develop and facilitate programs alongside other student groups, offices and community partners. The Student Leaders Program enables UD students to make a tangible impact on campus sustainability through guided leadership and project management development.
The Undergraduate Sustainability Fellowship provides paid, full-time internship opportunities for students to explore the career field and contribute to real-world sustainability projects. This program consists of both campus and community placements, working alongside sustainability professionals with the support of HSI staff and faculty.
Mentored Undergraduate Research
The Sustainability Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program enables an annual cohort of outstanding UD undergrads to dive into a personalized interdisciplinary research project. Each student spends a full academic year and summer working with their mentor. Students receive a stipend for their summer work and an allowance to offset research expenses.
Curricular Collaboration
While our programming is open to all students at the University of dayton, HSI works in close partnership with sustainability curricular programs. These include the long-established sustainability, energy and environment (SEE) minor, both B.S. and B.A. degree programs in sustainability (Umesh Haritashya, academic program director), and a graduate certificate in sustainability (Umesh Haritashya, sustainability graduate certificate coordinator and assistant professor of sustainability).
Strategic Plan and HSI Faculty Directors
HSI advances sustainability through the four pillars of the strategic plan and the leadership provided by the respective faculty directors:
- Educating and mentoring transformational leaders
Erin Gibbemeyer (Chemical Engineering) - Facilitating impactful and transdisciplinary research
Zach Piso (Philosophy) - Catalyzing sustainable practices within our institution
Andrew Chiasson (Mechanical Engineering) - Building caring relationships with communities beyond campus
Glenna Jennings (Art and Design)
