Learning Outside the Classroom at AUNE
Posted on Tuesday, October 11th, 2011
Polly Chandler, director of the MBA in Sustainability Program at Antioch New England (AUNE), is an environmentalist to the core. But her vision for a better planet transcends typical “green” goals like promoting recycling or converting to fluorescent light bulbs.
“Our program is about instilling sustainability practices throughout organizations. That’s much more complex–and goes much deeper–than purely green initiatives,” she says.
As Chandler explains, environmental stewardship is a big part of sustainability. However, sustainability also encompasses ideals such as social justice, environmental justice, and responsible economic development.
Navigating this challenging terrain requires a solid intellectual grounding as well as real-world experience to see how theory actually translates into practice. “We’re grooming people to be sustainability champions and leaders of change in organizations,” says Chandler. “We want to make sure they graduate with the skills they need to get these types of jobs.”
The Road to AUNE
Chandler grew up skiing, exploring marshes, catching turtles, and walking in the woods in her native Minnesota. She fondly recalls family trips to the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, where she still returns on occasion to “recharge and reconnect with nature.”
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a bachelor’s degree in resource management and environmental science, Chandler earned a master’s in science education from Arcadia College in Philadelphia, taught science to everyone from kindergarteners to senior citizens, and worked for several environmental organizations.
She earned a second master’s in education (administration and supervision) from AUNE in 2004 and joined the faculty of the Department of Organization & Management two years later. There, she was part of a small team that launched the MBA in Sustainability Program in 2006. She has since served as director and led the development of weekend and accelerated options.
Chandler notes that unlike many similarly themed offerings, the MBA in Sustainability Program has sustainability in its DNA.
“Some traditional MBA programs add one or two classes on sustainability and then call it an ‘MBA in sustainability,’” she says. “What we’re doing–integrating sustainability throughout all the classes–is a totally different ballgame. Students learn how sustainability fits in systematically throughout the curriculum and throughout the types of organizations in which they now work or will work someday.”
Gaining Experience in the Field
Experiential learning is a key component of the AUNE philosophy and of the MBA in Sustainability Program. Through learning journeys (extended field trips) and other ventures outside the classroom, students see firsthand how organizations put sustainability into practice.
Chandler teaches Earth Systems and Organizations, in which students consult with a local business or nonprofit on how to address a particular sustainability challenge. Recently, students worked with a New Hampshire county to identify new revenue streams from its farm. After spending a semester researching the issue, the students presented their recommendations to a group of about 50 officials and other individuals.
Another Earth Systems and Organizations project involved Cabot Creamery, a Vermont dairy cooperative famed for its cheeses. Cabot wanted not only to calculate its waste stream but also to determine whether it was creating more than its fair share of the state’s total waste. The students’ presentation was “really well received,” according to Chandler.
Marketing, finance, and other classes in the MBA in Sustainability curriculum all offer similar opportunities for practice-based learning in the form of service outreach.
“Reaching out to the community at the experiential level: You can’t beat it for giving students the experience they need,” says Chandler. “It’s especially beneficial for our younger students. For those who haven’t had a job in the field yet, it becomes a critical asset, the first thing they list on their CV.”
An education that is rooted in experience, Chandler adds, produces graduates who are better prepared to make their mark in the world.
“Our graduates have their fingers on whole organizations and entire communities. If you think about the ‘pebble in a puddle’ image, we send 16 people out into the world with these skills each year, so the sphere of influence is amazing,” she says. “My ultimate goal in this work is protecting this planet, being an advocate for the world. I can be a very effective advocate by doing what I’m doing now.”
