Past Program

The first pilot program to be developed will focus on Executive Leadership Development for Sustainability. There is a profound lack of targeted sustainability programs for executive leaders both in the higher education sector and for other types of large employers. There is also general consensus that executive leaders represent a high impact group that can have a substantial multiplier effect on a variety of higher education arenas, including operations, teaching, research and community service.

In order to establish a pilot executive training program, the SFA is hosting a development meeting this October, in which invited participants will be engaged in designing an initial training program for developing executive leadership skills in relation to sustainability, both in higher education and business. This program will be offered internationally with a specific emphasis on balanced participation from developed and developing nations. Executive training topics will range from finance and accounting for sustainability, change management for sustainability, applications of systems thinking to sustainability, sustainability in infrastructure planning and operations. Target groups for training could be institutional leaders with a variety of managerial responsibilities including chief executive function, campus or institutional operations, academic planning and research.

Since there is no existing template for offering this kind of program, participants will be asked to help identify needed knowledge and skill sets, possible pedagogies, roles of prospective partners, and appropriate business models. The goal will be to begin a process, to learn through experience and to ultimately evolve the pilot into a full-fledged, self-supporting international executive training program model.

Please note: This session is by invitation only