Coalition for Christian Colleges and Universities

Global Stewardship Initiative

Campus Activity Report (1995-1996)

Montreat College

Mark T. Lassiter, PhD

Associate Professor of Environmental Studies

Director of the Christian Environmental Studies Center @ Montreat College

mlassiter@montreat.edu

Goal of Report:
This report is prepared to summarize the activities on our campus that have resulted from the selection to participate in this grant awarded to the Coalition for Christian Colleges and Universities through the Pew Foundation's Global Stewardship Initiative. Montreat College's selection to participate in this grant effort coincided very effectively with the initiation of our Christian Environmental Studies Center (CESC @ MC). This center's directives are to establish collaborative efforts between Christian Environmental Organizations, academic programming, and the Christian Community. The supportive efforts of the CCCU / Pew GSI grant and the developments in the CESC @ MC both will be reflected in this report since these developments were very significantly linked.


Global Stewardship Task Force:
The formation of a campus Global Stewardship Task Force (GSTF) was requested immediately upon selection to participate in this grant. Those individuals that contributed to the grant development and the team consulted in the discussions of the CESC @ MC were designated as the GSTF. Thus, the GSTF was established on campus to both administrate the activities of the Global Stewardship Initiative and review the developments of the Christian Environmental Studies Center @ Montreat College.

Task Force Members:

Faculty Members:

Brad Daniel: Biology / Environmental Studies
Mike Sonnenberg - Biology / Environmental Studies
Mark Lassiter - Biology / Environmental Studies
Darwin Glassford - Bible / Christian Ministries
Tisa Lewis - Human Development
Bill Hayes - Human Development
Ben Fortson - Outdoor Education

Students: (as of 1995-1996 school year)

Scott Bowers - Environmental Studies, Junior
Joy Stumph - Environmental Studies, Senior
Ryan Toyler - Environmental Studies, Junior

Designated Responsibilities of the GSTF:

The indicated responsibilities of the GSTF are provided with a brief summary.

1. To distribute the "Request For Proposals" of the Faculty Grant Program for Global Stewardship projects and administrate the refinement, selection and submission of approved proposals to the Administrative Coordinator of the CCCU Initiative (Harold Heie by October 23, 1995).

Three proposals were presented and one mini-grant proposal was submitted:

a. A course dealing with the history of science and a response to the conflicts between Science and Religion, including Environmental Issues, was initiated but not completed as a mini-grant proposal. (Currently in development.)
b. An evaluation of beetle damage to a tree farm in coastal South Carolina was also investigated, but not formally proposed.
c. A proposal to complete an internet assistance tool for enhancing curriculum utilization of the internet was initiated and officially proposed. This project was authored by Mark Lassiter, Professor of Environmental Studies / Biology, Scott Bowers, Environmental Studies Major, and Matt Train, Business Major.

2. To work with the appropriate Academic Officer at the institution to arrange for the release time for teaching stipulated for any faculty who receives a faculty grant for a Global Stewardship project.

The Academic Officer, Dr. Don King, Vice President and Dean of Academics approved the project for an Internet Resource Tool and approved a reduced load for Mark Lassiter during the Fall 1995 & 1996 semesters.

3. To monitor the progress of any faculty recipients of a grant for Global Stewardship projects and to submit the written final results of the projects to the Administrative Coordinator of the CCCU Initiative.

The mini-grant for the development of an internet resource tool was developed over the time of the grant and is to be completed before the October 1996 National Conference. The activities of this grant are summarized in this activity report and detailed in the report prepared for the September 15th, 1996 reporting.

4. Provide college leadership in fostering Global Stewardship programming that includes all faculty research projects completed, planned or in process, as well as all curricular or co-curricular Global Stewardship Initiatives that have been started or planned and approved for future implementation. (Includes established pursuits of the center and related grant development.)

A meeting log has been compiled to present a time line of activity and following, a summary of activities on campus is presented, that both includes developments in curricular related and CESC @ MC developments.


Meeting Log (including significant communication):

1/27/95

Meeting. Presentation of "Vision" for an Environmental Center to President Hurt.

4/12/95

Meeting. First Task Force Meeting to discuss the grant selection and components of the grant. The link with the Center development and the grant activities was established.

5/19/95

Meeting. Notification of Montreat's Selection for the CCCU/Pew GSI.

8/95

Meetings and Communications. Christian Environmental Studies Center @ Montreat College (CESC @ MC) placed into the draft of the College's Strategic Directives reviewed by the Board of Trustees: College Linkages (approved upon review).

9/6/95

Meeting. Presentation to President Hurt: Success of Collaborative Effort Initiatives.

10/5/95

Meeting. Update GSTF on Pew GSI grant and CESC@MC developments. Review the call for Mini-grant proposals, announce Amanda Nesbitt as the selection for the study grant to Belize, presentation of information for March Mini-Grant Workshop @ Azusa Pacific University.

10/4/95

Meeting. Present the goals of the CESC @ MC to President Hurt and CCCU President Andringa.

11/22/95

Meeting. Presidential Cabinet: Formalization of the CESC@MC.

2/8/96

Meeting. Review Mini-Grant progress and developments of the CESC@MC.

4/11/96

Meetings and Communications. Request for CESC@MC Standing Committee and Executive Board communications. Committee continuation will be performed by the ES Faculty and include members of other disciplines. Quarterly presentations and reports to the cabinet have been established.

7/96

Communication. GSTF contacted and information of summer activity requested. Discuss potential link with Tuskegee University's newly developing Doctor of Ministry that deals with Environmental Studies and share student involvement over the summer in curricula activities that furthered their Environmental training.

9/96

Presidential Cabinet report. CESC @ MC developments and Final CCCU-GSI Activity Report presented to the campus cabinet.

9/96

Final CCCU-GSI Activity Report completed.

Activity Summary:

3/21/95

Conference Presentation. King College Colloquium: Christian Stewardship and the Environment. Case Study: Environmental Crisis and Reconciliation. Mark Lassiter.

4/21,22/95

Conference Participation. Earth Care '95, Exploring Christian Responsibility, Chattanooga, TN, Mark Lassiter.

8/20/95

Conference Attendance & Presentation. CCCU/Pew GSI Fall 1995 Conference, "The Christian Mandate for Global Stewardship", Au Sable, Mancelona, Michigan, Mike Sonnenberg, Darwin Glassford; The Practice of Global Stewardship on a College Campus, Mark Lassiter.

8/22/95

Opening Convocation: Hugh Morton, Owner of Grandfather Mountain, Chairman, N.C. Year of the Mountains Commission, Montreat College's Opening Convocation was an official event of the North Carolina year of the Mountains, Speech topic: Environmental Studies at Montreat College and concern for environmental issues in the N.C. mountains.

8/95

Strategic Directive Approved by Board of Trustees : "Establish Montreat as a Center for Christian Environmental Studies to collaborate with the Christian and Scientific communities on environmental issues which will support campus instruction and programming."

11/14,15/95

Presentation. Missions Conference Segment: "Environmental Christians and the Great Commission", Montreat Presbyterian Church & Montreat College. Mark Lassiter.

12/2,3/95

Conference Participation. Appalachian College Association (ACA)-Department of Commerce,TIIAP Planning Workshop, Berea, KY. This planning conference was held to plan the ACA's grant (funded 9/96) to establish Rural Information Service Centers (RISC) that would provide enhanced Internet training and use for our communities. Montreat College's proposal included the services to the community provided by the Christian Environmental Studies Center. Mark Lassiter, Alex Miller, Habitat for Humanity & Development office, Montreat College.

3/15/96

Presentation. CCCU/Pew GSI, Mini-Grant Workshop @ Azusa Pacific University, Internet Resource Tool, Mini-Grant development update, Mark Lassiter.

3/96

Co-Curricula. Student Environmental Club, S.E.E.D.S. (Students for Stewardship, Environment, Education, Discipleship, and Service) established its Charter. Bimonthly general meetings and weekly planning meetings have been established for the 96-97 school year. The club has launched much campus activity for students, faculty, and the campus: drop in informal introduction, meetings every Tuesday evening, activity trips (& considering integration into curricula- Law Environmental Geologist Report of preconstruction inspection, faculty presentations, etc.), worship services, etc. In October, 1996, white water rafting, river ecology, community creek clean-up activities are planned.

3/96

Instruction. MCCALL Ornithology course. This community course provided a continuing education opportunity to enhance an appreciation for birds of the area. Mark Lassiter.

3/3-8/96

Conference Participation. Pittcon'96 Conference: Releasing the Power of Imagination, Chicago, Il. A development team from the ACA -North Carolina schools was headed by Montreat College to develop a grant for instrumentation that would establish an Consortium for Environmental Curriculum Development and Research to support collaborative curricula development and instrumentation in Environmental Studies. Principle Auther: Mark Lassiter, Montreat College. Joint Authors: Bruce Branan, Mars Hill College, Robin Canterbury, Lees-McRae College, and Dean Kahl, Warren Wilson College. Montreat's Environmental Studies Program and Christian Environmental Studies Center are currently seeking to establish a Consortium for Environmental Curriculum Development and Research to support the collaborative efforts for science programs of the Appalachian Schools and establish an internet exchange tool.

3/26/96

Community Meeting sponsored by the Christian Environmental Studies Center @ Montreat College, Hugh Morton, "Year of the Mountains" Slide Presentation and update of Environmental Studies and Outdoor Education programs at MC.

5/8/96

Instruction. Earth Keeping: Christian Stewardship of the Environment Seminar, First Baptist Church, Mark Lassiter.

5/22-25/96

Conference participation. CCCU Conference, Faith and Learning in the Classroom: Practice and Presence. Development of exercises that link faith integration with science courses. Lloyd Davis, Mark Lassiter.

5/30-6/1/96

Conference participation. Theological Institution on Environmental Policy Advocacy, The Churches' Center for Theology & Public Policy and Theological Education to Meet the Environmental Challenge (TEMEC), Washington, DC, Mark Lassiter.

5/96

Training course. Amanda Nesbitt, selected to attend the Belize Student Environmental Leadership, Summer Training Course in Belize with the Christian Environmental Association. Amanda developed her experience in Belize to satisfy an Advanced Ecosystems course required for her course work. She also has provided assistance to advance our participation in course offerings at Belize as a Tropical Forest study site for our students.

8/4-12/96

Training workshop. Traci Meyers, selected to attend Environmental Training Conference, Christian Environmental Association, Hidden Lakes, Sacramento, CA. Traci received assistance in training for student club planning and activities.

9/5/96

Gathered names of students interested in the CEA, Belize summer study program. The selection will be made by the Task Force in 9/96.

9/96

Internet Resource Web Page Completed. The project components for the CCCU-GSI internet resource tool will be completed and placed "on-line". Additionally, materials for the Fall 1996 Global Stewardship National Conference will be posted on the page.

Curriculum Extension through Awarded Grants and Gifts (during the GSI Grant period):

1. Appalachian College Association-ChemMIST-Pew Foundation grant award due to inclusion in a grant headed by David Tipton, Berea College, that supplied training on the ChemMIST software, and Montreat's acquisition of Computer, Hardware, and software. This grant advanced our development of our environmental chemistry courses and other chemistry applications within our Environmental Studies program.
2. 
   Appalachian College Association Faculty / Student Research Grant. Mark Lassiter, Scott Bowers. Environmental Studies research project: "Environmentally Responsible Production of Energy from Various Biomass Sources: The Isolation of Cellulose from Refuse and its Acid / Enzyme Hydrolysis Coupled with Solar Distillation"
   
3. Christian Environmental Association - Evangelical Environmental Network Grant to send four students (one each summer) to study at Jaguar Creek in Belize.
   
4. Mini-Grant Award for Internet Project to develop a resource tool that would provide a large compilation of material to advance Environmental Curriculum development and support collaborative efforts between scientists, Christian Environmental Organizations, and the Christian Community. This project has been supported by the CCCU, Evangelical Environmental Network, American Scientific Affiliation and Au Sable Institute.
   
5. A planning grant was awarded to Montreat College to develop a Collaborative Instrumentation Acquisition and Curriculum Support program for Environmental Curriculum Development.
   
6. ACA Collaborative, Department of Commerce-Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP) Grant. TIIAP awards were funded in a joint collaborative effort with the Appalachian College Association to provide Rural Information Service Centers that train and link the internet services of their immediate communities. Montreat will have a community interactive room for internet training and access for community services and instruction - linking the both academic programming and the community. The Christian Environmental Studies Center played a major role in the development of the grant and will participate in the services provided to our community through this project (Principle author Montreat College: Mark Lassiter).
   
7. Funds were awarded from a large foundation to renovate the Morgan Science building.

Total Funds Summary: Approximately: $370,000


Grants Developed but not awarded at this point or rejected and being prepared for further submissions:

1. Montreat College served as principle investigator of the ACA Instrumentation and Support Granting Proposal which designates funds for participating institutions for instrumentation purchases and establishes Montreat College as the ACA Consortium for Environmental Curriculum Development and Research.
   
2. The CESC @ MC provided leadership on the development of a technology plan that served as the basis of the development of a second Department of Commerce - TIIAP grant submitted independently by Montreat College.
   
3. Pittsburgh Conference Memorial National College Grant Program: The Micro-Titer Plate Spectrophotometer's Capabilities to Expand the Biochemical Instructional Capabilities of our Environmental Studies Program and Enable the Extension of Classroom Investigation. Mark Lassiter.
   
4. Dreyfus Foundation - ACA Grant with Montreat College as participant: Improved Delivery of Chemistry Curriculum through Multi-Media at Appalachian Colleges.
   
5. The University of the South - Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Initiative in Undergraduate Biological Sciences Education, assisted in the grant development to include Montreat College's Environmental Studies Program as part of the grant's extension.
   

Other Grants Currently in Development:

1. A grant to establish two faculty / staff positions. Administrative Assistant and Recruiter / Placement Officer of the Christian Environmental Studies Center @ Montreat College. Grant outline presented April 11th, 1996.
   
2. A grant to extend the current Internet Resource project. This Internet tool provides the applied extension of collegiate training into the interaction with communities that these institutions influence and the unique integration of national and international Christian Environmental Organizations and the Christian Community. Funding requests involve extended services, personnel, equipment, training & travel costs, initiation of collaborative national development teams, national photo-directory of participants in collaborative ventures, shared collaborative curricula development and dissemination, national collaboration support among scientists and the Christian community, curricula extension services, search features, etc. The grant request involves a two year funding with more of the financial need shifting to regional development teams after that point. The funding of development teams will enable national joint construction of the CESC @ MC server and a multimedia development station to service national collaborative efforts. Grant outline submitted July, 1996.
   
3. Scholars Program Grant is in development to attract and support scholars integrated through a multi-discipline approach to the student's general education requirements and includes scholastic support, project stipends, professional mentorship, high school mentorship, and intergenerational participatory learning as all major components of the project. Particular attention is given to retaining Appalachian scholars.
   
4. The development of a Short Course integrated with a Conference Based Curriculum Program is in development. This project would enable institutions in the Southeast to simultaneously teach an Environmental Science course with a concluding large conference that enables the "Christian Institute" to link national Christian Scholars with Christian Instructors and the Christian Community.
   
5. NSF-Montreat Scientific Research for Special Student Project Work. Example: Mosquito Shifts in General Esterase Activities as an Indicator of Environmental Stress in Mountain streams.

Course Publications

1. Case Study: Environmental Crisis and Reconciliation. This caselet is utilized now in our EV 450 Environmental Issues and Management Course for seniors. Mark Lassiter.
2. Instruction Module for an Environmental Studies Course that serves the School of Professional and Adult Studies (S.P.A.S.), an adult accelerated degree completion program at Montreat College.
3. A "Workbook Manual for Environmental Science" was developed for a S.P.A.S. Environmental Studies Course. Mark Lassiter.
4. A module was developed for integrating Faith into Science instruction and is in use this Fall 1996 semester. Mark Lassiter.
5. To submit all list of all scholarly articles on Global Stewardship issues by college faculty that have resulted from this Initiative and have been accepted for publication or another appropriate form of dissemination to the academy.

Publications :

1. Mark Lassiter, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies / Biology:
Two new publications dealing with basic research that can be applied to world health and environmental issues dealing with the control of mosquitoes:

Lassiter, MT, CS Apperson, and RM Roe. Juvenile Hormone Metabolism During the Fourth Stadium and Pupal Stage of the Southern House Mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus Say. Journal of Insect Physiology. Feb. 1995.

Lassiter, MT, CS Apperson, and RM Roe. Juvenile Hormone Metabolism in the Ovary, Gut, Head and Carcass after Blood Feeding in the Southern House Mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. 1995.

Planned for development and publication. "Placing Students in Professional Positions within a Supportive Collegiate Mentorship as a Strategy for Engagement and Application of Training in Environmental Studies".

2. Scott Bowers, Senior Environmental Studies Major:
Scott was awarded a Summer Undergraduate Research Program Fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC. He will receive graduate school credit for his research this summer and as part of his work, he is currently pursuing the following publications:

Bowers, MS, TT Simandan, and TA Dix. Novel Synthesis of a Guanidino Macromolcule (Title and publication forthcoming).

Bowers, MS, TT Simandan, and TA Dix. Synthesis of Arginine Analogs Through Guanylation Reactions of Ornithine Derivatives (in preparation).


3. Darwin Glassford, Associate Professor of Bible and Christian Ministries:
Darwin is working on conceptualizing an edited volume on "The Hermeneutics of being Green".