News Releases
News from
Lane Community College, Eugene, Oregon
Public information officer: Joan Aschim, (541) 463-5591, aschimj@lanecc.edu
Contact: Steve McQuiddy, Co-editor (541) 463-5780, mcquiddys@lanecc.edu
For release May 9, 2006
Award-winning LCC faculty journal offers the "Sustainability Moment"
EUGENE, OR - In this time of public education's rising costs, budget cuts and no simple solutions, a few important facts about Lane Community College should not be overlooked. The college
- saved 511 gallons of gasoline in 2004-05 by recycling newspaper.
- saved 195 gallons by recycling aluminum cans.
- recycled or reused 458 tons of material.
- currently recycles or reuses 58 percent of all waste generated on campus.
- meets 10 percent of its energy needs with windpower.
This and more is explored in the Community College Moment, the faculty-led journal of professional development and scholarship published annually at LCC.
This theme of sustainability is appropriate, says President Mary Spilde. “Sustainability is a collegewide goal at Lane. This issue of the Moment explores environmental sustainability, sustainable alternatives to rising textbook prices, sustainable assessment models that can increase both the effectiveness and quality of education, and other interpretations of sustainability. One essay even challenges how we use the word sustainability."
The Moment, a 168-page book of essays, research, reports, art, photography and creative writing produced by community college faculty and staff from around the nation, will be available at a community reading event on May 13, 5:30 p.m. at Tsunami Books, 2585 Willamette St. in Eugene.
The Moment, now in its sixth year, is a rarity at community colleges. The focus at these schools is on teaching -- as it should be, says co-editor Steve McQuiddy. "But faculty and staff bring so much more to their professions. The founders of the Moment saw the need for a publication that showcases the breadth and depth of experience and expertise found at a comprehensive community college like LCC. This is a way for students -- and the community -- to see the diversity of expertise and ideas, and the professionalism that translates into LCC being consistently recognized as a top-rank school."
The Moment seeks to bridge the area between academic-based information and entertaining work, McQuiddy says. "We've got everything from a sabbatical report on how to make organizations operate more like human brains to poems created from translating the botanical names of mushrooms."
The sustainability theme applies to the publication itself. "We'll be promoting the book as a learning tool for classes," McQuiddy says. "Most of the contributors are in the area. It will be easy and inexpensive to get permission for copyright reproductions or to bring in guest speakers."
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