Summary of Objectives and Goals: Physical Environment

Objective: To provide and maintain a physical environment that supports excellence in the academic and residential programs and exemplifies responsible environmental management.

Goals: The College's physical surroundings are important to the recruitment and retention of students as well as to the effectiveness of the academic program. Thus, the following goal is judged of high priority for 2004-08:

To increase investment in facilities maintenance, particularly residence hall maintenance.

The following goal for the environment should also be pursued. The College's mission includes leading our students to become "responsible members of the larger community." One fundamental responsibility involves the natural environment and natural resources. Students, faculty, and staff working together to protect the environment will simultaneously provide an opportunity for extracurricular interaction, strengthen and contextualize lessons learned in the classroom, and teach students how to be responsive to global issues.

To reduce the resources used by, and the waste stream produced by, the College of Wooster, through a re-activated environmental task force that:

• is comprised of faculty, students and staff;
• is responsible for gathering information about environmental initiatives, availability of sustainable alternatives to current College practices, and environmental impacts of new building proposals, and
• reports to the president's executive staff at least once a semester.

This photo was taken in late July from the Tower Room on the third floor of Kauke Hall. It shows the new trees that were just planted on the south lawn of Kauke now that the construction vehicles have vacated.