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Full text release has been delayed at the author's request until May 10, 2024

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Campus Sustainability and COVID-19: Perspectives of Challenges and Opportunities from Sustainability Leaders

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2022, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Environment and Natural Resources.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted much of society and universities are no exception. One area of concern is the disruption to campus sustainability. Previously, campus sustainability already faced a variety of challenges ranging from funding and staff, to working in silos and managing ambiguity. As many universities moved to a virtual format and faced potential budget cuts, campus sustainability faced additional challenges. This study explored the impacts and implications of the pandemic on campus sustainability through the perspectives of campus sustainability leaders in large, public universities in the U.S. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 sustainability staff from 12 institutions of higher education to discuss challenges to incorporating sustainability on their campus, lessons learned, positive experiences, and thoughts about the future of campus sustainability. Additionally, a document analysis was also conducted with university campus sustainability documents from the 12 universities. Campus sustainability leaders grappled with varying challenges that were similar to pre-pandemic ones but with added complexity. These challenges include university structure (turnover of the student population, silos, and power), resources (funding and staff), place/location/environment (campus borders and lack of broader societal change), and implementation (complexity and uncertainty, reach, friction, and metrics). Sustainability staff learned to communicate, collaborate, and engage with the campus community in a virtual setting. They also had opportunities to plan and experiment with different projects. Campus sustainability leaders saw connections between the pandemic and climate change and emphasized the necessity of making strides in implementing sustainability on their campuses.
Eric Toman (Advisor)
Jeremy Brooks (Advisor)
Matthew Hamilton (Committee Member)
106 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Liu, A. (2022). Campus Sustainability and COVID-19: Perspectives of Challenges and Opportunities from Sustainability Leaders [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1641492025373878

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Liu, Anna. Campus Sustainability and COVID-19: Perspectives of Challenges and Opportunities from Sustainability Leaders. 2022. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1641492025373878.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Liu, Anna. "Campus Sustainability and COVID-19: Perspectives of Challenges and Opportunities from Sustainability Leaders." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2022. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1641492025373878

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)