On May 18, 2024, the Monmouth University Climate Change Learning Collaborative (MU CCLC) was awarded a substantial grant of over $311,000 from the New Jersey Department of Education. This grant was highly competitive, only being awarded to four universities. Monmouth was not only one of the selected universities but the only private institution to do so. This summer, the MU CCLC hosted a variety of professional development events for New Jersey public school educators, and they will continue their work in the new school year. Their team is prepared with events and programs that will prepare and educate the Monmouth community more widely on the issues of climate change.
Zafira Demiri works as the Graduate Assistant for the Climate Change Learning Collaborative and shared her passion for the grant and the CCLC’s mission. “This grant is especially significant because it provides a means for Monmouth to build a community of well-informed educators across various NJ school districts, actively shaping the next generation to be climate conscious and educated on the crisis at hand,” she said. “We are also one of four universities that have been awarded this grant, which is impressive and definitely places us on the forefront of climate education in New Jersey.”
This grant won’t only positively impact Monmouth University but will primarily benefit NJ K-12 teachers around the state in this subject area. “The grant and the larger program of the MU CCLC mean that MU can make a substantial contribution to the education of climate change by building a community of K-12 educators who themselves will be better educated in this enormously complex issue,” explained Peter Jacques, Ph.D., Rechnitz Family/UCI Endowed Chair in Marine and Environmental Law and Policy and professor in the Department of Political Science and Sociology. “This means that we have the privilege of affecting generations of learners like ripples in a pond. That is, in general, one of the larger privileges of being an educator and why it is such a profoundly fulfilling life’s work.”
Catherine Duckett, Ph.D., associate dean of the School of Science, added, “New Jersey is currently the only state in the union that requires climate education across all grades and all subjects. Given that climate change is going to impact every facet of life when you are my age (over 50 but not yet retired), the grant means that students in New Jersey will be the most prepared in the nation to face authentic challenges in the 21st century.”
The topic of climate change isn’t going to fade away any time soon. The goal of the MU CCLC is not only to make students aware of this issue, but also to help them care about it.
Michelle Schpakow, Ed.D., science education lecturer in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, commented on this very issue. “We are already seeing effects of climate change in our state, and the students who live and learn here have a right to understand how it impacts their lives,” she said. “I believe many teachers and administrators are willing to engage in this work, but some are unsure of how to begin or they believe they lack background knowledge and training. I believe the Monmouth University CCLC team works very well together, and we are already making a difference in teachers’ readiness to implement climate change education.”
In the upcoming weeks, the MU CCLC will host two events that will engage NJ educators, students, and MU faculty alike on the topics concerning climate change. “This competitive grant opportunity allowed Monmouth University faculty from different schools across campus to collaborate around a crucial issue, leveraging their varied areas of expertise to develop a program that would educate and empower NJ public school teachers and leaders,” continued Schpakow.
The first event will be “A Lecture on Sea Level Rise” on Oct. 1, 2024, from 7–8 p.m. This event will take place in Bey Hall 227 and will feature speaker Thomas Herrington, Ph.D.. On Oct. 8, 2024, at 7:30 p.m., “The Climate Crisis Town Hall: A Discussion for Voters” will be hosted in Edison 201 and will feature conversations about environmental policies between representatives of the College Republicans and College Democrats, and is co-sponsored by the Political Science Club. Additionally, there will be a panel of experts fit to provide answers to audience questions and topics of the conversation.
Schpakow concluded, “I believe in New Jersey’s focus on the future; it is imperative that we educate our students around climate change issues and solutions.”
