Category Archives: Sustainable Living

Agriculture, Climate Change, Conservation, Ecology, Energy, Environmental Education, Giving, Our History, Rivers, Sustainable Living, Water Quality

Spring 2020 Event Updates

In accordance with decisions by the University and CDC recommendations regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19), the ERC’s annual Earth Day celebration – Conservation Conversation unfortunately, will be postponed until further notice. As are many of the spring events we were planning and looking forward to:

Our History, Outreach, Sustainable Living

Meet Our NEW Sustainability Coordinator

Samantha Theisen is the Sustainability Coordinator for the Environmental Resources Center at Purdue University Fort Wayne. She came to Purdue Fort Wayne after obtaining her Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) with a focus in Natural Resources Planning and Sustainable Energy. Her degree concentrated largely in Land Use Planning and Social and Policy Sciences.

Samantha Theisen

“My heart is in higher education and I’m excited to be in a position that combines both my education and what I do in my free time. When I’m not in the office you can find me cooking, hiking, basking in the sun, binging reality TV shows, hammocking, or tending to my houseplants.”

Samantha has held several university setting positions during her time at UWSP and also has a wide array of experience in local government settings working on projects surrounding aquatic invasive species, brownfield redevelopment, bicycle and pedestrian route planning, agrotourism, nature-based recreation, and water quality monitoring, just to name a few. She is passionate about all things outdoors and preserving public open space so much that she lived a leave-no-trace lifestyle solely in U.S. National Parks for the first 5 months following graduation. She used this experience as a time to visit the backcountry of 22 national parks all while being an advocate of public lands and natural resource conservation. When you see her on campus or around the community, give her a warm welcome!

Conservation, Energy, Environmental Education, Invasive species, Outreach, Rivers, Sustainable Living, Urban ecology, Water Quality

Sustainability Coordinator Position Available

The Sustainability Coordinator works collaboratively with Purdue University Fort Wayne constituents including administration, faculty, staff, students and community partners to develop, coordinate, promote and celebrate effective sustainability initiatives to reduce the impact of the University and regional community on the environment.  The Coordinator will advance the University’s mission to engage with the community, to advance the development of the region through the integration of teaching, service and scholarly research and to develop students’ talents and prepare them for success.  Specifically, the Coordinator will work with constituents to provide knowledge, skills and motivation to integrate sustainability into strategic planning, relevant facilities planning and student directed activities.  The Coordinator will work closely with the Director for the Environmental Resources Center (ERC) and the Director of Facilities Management to support sustainability initiatives within best practices, creative endeavor, and the needs of the local community.

Required:

  • Bachelor’s degree
  • Knowledge of life science, environmental science, food systems or some other area that strongly aligns with principles of sustainability
  • One year experience in relevant field
  • Working knowledge and passion for the concept of sustainability and awareness of the central issues and controversies in the discourse on sustainable development
  • Knowledge of sustainability principles and best practices
  • A commitment to sustainability
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both written and oral
  • Social media skills
  • Analytical and planning skills
  • A collaborative, enthusiastic approach
  • A commitment to diversity and ability to work with all constituents at a diverse institution
  • Comfortable with all Office suite application

Preferred:

  • Familiarity with university academic environment

Other details:

Interested parties can contact Bruce Kingsbury (Bruce.Kingsbury@pfw.edu) with questions, but ultimately must apply online via one of the following links.

Candidates internal to Purdue Fort Wayne would apply at:

https://performancemanager8.successfactors.com/sf/jobreq?jobId=3205&company=purdueuniv&username=

External candidates:

https://career8.successfactors.com/sfcareer/jobreqcareer?jobId=3205&company=purdueuniv&username=