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ARLINGTON, Va. -- With Army National Guard members, Department of the Army leadership and the president of Arizona State University present here Friday, a historic sustainability education initiative was signed into effect signifying the beginning of a partnership between the Army National Guard and ASU.
"The Army National Guard believes in empowering our workforce with the necessary tools to become a more sustainable organization to enhance mission effectiveness and efficiency," said Army Brig. Gen. Daniel Nelan, the operational support assistant to the Army Guard director.
"To this end, a partnership [has been] formed between the Army National Guard and [the] Arizona State University online education program to help provide ... understanding and education in sustainability," he said.
The sustainability education partnership between the Army Guard and ASU is the first of its kind, said Army Lt. Col. Joseph Knott, the Army Guard's sustainability officer.
"It is a collaborative, mutually beneficial, partnership that leverages ASU's leadership in sustainability education to provide specialized graduate certification for the military," he said.
The 100 percent online program will provide active duty Army, ARNG and Army Reserve soldiers and civilians knowledge, skills and techniques to incorporate sustainable planning and practices across the entire enterprise, Knott said
These types of programs are what Katherine Hammack - assistant secretary of the Army for installation, energy and environment - feels is needed to meet the goals established by President Barack Obama and the Department of the Army.
"This unique online graduate certificate in sustainability leadership is designed to assist eligible soldiers and Army civilians in fulfilling the goals of the 2010 Army Sustainability Campaign Plan, an essential factor in meeting the military's readiness challenges for the 21st century," she said.
According to the 2010 Army Sustainability Campaign Plan, sustainability is "an organizing principle and framework for decision-making and an ongoing institutional process that reflects total commitment to excellence, with continuous improvement to achieve policy goals and national priorities."
To fit that definition, Knott says the program - which kicked off its inaugural class Monday - consists of five courses developed by ARNG and ASU personnel together to meet the requirements for a graduate certificate.
The courses are as follows:
-Foundations of sustainability.
-Tools and techniques for sustainability.
-Operationalizing sustainability.
-Energy and the built environment.
-Sustainable acquisition and logistics.
"These courses were developed by a team of ASU faculty and ARNG trainers, energy managers, logisticians and environmentalists specifically for the Guard and the Army," Knott said.
Upon completion of these courses, Army soldiers and civilians will be presented with the graduate academic certificate which can also be applied toward a master's degree in sustainability - which is eligible for G.I. Bill education and benefits and tuition assistance programs, he said.
Hammack added that students who successfully complete the graduate program will be better equipped to help future generations of Army leaders make a difference in:
-Protecting the lives of our troops and making our military better and more capable.
-Achieving net zero energy, net zero water and net zero waste goals to better manage costs and maintain resource.
-Minimizing the Army's carbon foot print.
It's these differences that Richard G. Kidd IV, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for energy and sustainability, feels will take a culture change that can begin with knowledge.
"When we look to change our culture and raise awareness of the value of energy, water, natural resources and land, part of that is an educational component - we have to teach our leaders and our soldiers ... about the value of these resources," he said.
"The Army has a sustainability campaign plan, the National Guard has a sustainability policy - which we commend as in many ways leading the Army - but these efforts will not be effective if we do not provide the tools to our leaders and soldiers."
The groundwork has been laid by the Department of the Army, but partnerships and bringing together best practices are what will make the difference in sustainability for the Army, he said.
"It is for this reason that I commend the National Guard and Arizona State [University] sustainability leadership certification," Kidd said. "This is a great example of what the Army can do when working with private institutions [and] public institutions and it's what we have to do in order to develop this culture of sustainability throughout the Army.
By partnering up with the Army National Guard, Arizona State University is building on its already strong reputation of supporting the Defense Department, said Dr. Michael Crow, university president.
"Arizona State University is an institution committed to our national defense in every way that we possibly can," he said. "We are an institution deeply committed to the success of our nation in every possible way through everything we do."
ASU is ready to accept the challenge of future readiness through the education of Army service members and civilians with this exclusive partnership, he said.
"Our objective here is to work together, to tie our programs together in ways we can be of service to you ... to create an educational product that is state of the art - that is tied into the greatest thinkers that the world has in the area of sustainability - and plug that into the men and women that make up the National Guard, so that the National Guard can weather all of its challenges that lie ahead," Crow said.
"Sustainability is a core value that should be expressed through our intellectual output at the university, our own behavior as a university and in everything that we do."
Army soldiers - active duty, Guard and Reserve - and civilians interested in learning more about the sustainability leadership certificate can gain more information at the ASU School of Sustainability Online.
| Date Taken: | 01.10.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 01.10.2012 12:01 |
| Story ID: | 82217 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 152 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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