Strategic Plan for Sustainable Agriculture Project
Strategic Plan for Sustainable Agriculture Project
Context For Planning
The GVSU Sustainable Agriculture Project is a collaboration between
students, faculty, and staff to experience sustainable agriculture on
the Allendale Campus. The project began with a group of students in 2008
and has expanded over the years to include a variety of different
initiatives. The Sustainable Agriculture Project has a diverse
Advisory Board with representatives from different academic disciplines,
facilities services, and the Office of Sustainability Practices. The
resulting 2016-2021 Sustainable Agriculture Project Strategic Plan is
designed to support the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies'
vision of being a regional and national model for creative inquiry,
integrative programming, inclusive practices, and student empowerment.
Mission
The GVSU Sustainable Agriculture Project was started by a group of
Grand Valley students in 2008, and is a project of the Brooks College of
Interdisciplinary Studies. The farm site is on Luce Street on the
Allendale campus. The purposes of the project include: 1. Seeding
sustainable food practices We foster sustainable farming practices to
promote ecological and food literacy. The farm strives to implement
intensive agricultural practices that are ecologically durable, socially
responsible, and economically viable. We promote social and food
justice, while exploring various means of sustainable food production.
2. Cultivating leadership and learning We value student leadership with
the continued mentoring and support of faculty and the farm manager. We
foster student leadership through the Farm Club, volunteerism,
internships, and student-led research. The farm is a student-led space.
We value sustainable food system education that is rigorous and
experiential. The project provides support to courses across the
university. We encourage research projects that are student-initiated
and/or interdisciplinary. We wish to foster collaboration and
experimentation within all teaching and learning in the project. 3.
Nurturing place We value land and its ecological integrity. Place-based
learning is at the heart of our work. The project sites provide places
where the practical, political, ecological, and symbolic challenges of
such work can be negotiated and explored. 4. Growing community The
project is rooted in community. We seek to grow relationships by
providing a space for dialogue across disciplinary boundaries, the
negotiation of interdisciplinary practices, and the contestation of
ideas. The project is run as a collaborative effort among students,
faculty, administrators, the Office of Sustainability Practices and
Facilities Services & Planning.
Vision
The Sustainable Agriculture Project will be an academically-focused,
student-led, faculty-mentored space where students are encouraged and
motivated to apply the principles learned through their liberal
education in a living environment that serves as a microcosm for society.
Value Statement
We value:
Sustainable farming practices to promote ecological and
food literacy.
Student leadership with continued mentoring.
Sustainable food system education that is rigorous and experiential.
Land, ecological integrity, and community.
Strategic Priorities, outcomes, and key objectives
Strategic Priority Area 1: Actively engage learners at all levels.
Outcome A: Grand Valley's learning environment is personal, challenging, and transformational, supporting excellent academic programs and co-curricular opportunities.
Outcome C: Grand Valley has mutually beneficial relationships, partnerships, collaborations, and connections with local, state, national, and world communities.
Strategic Priority Area 2: Further develop exceptional personnel.
Outcome A: Grand Valley's learning environment is personal, challenging, and transformational, supporting excellent academic programs and co-curricular opportunities.
Strategic Priority Area 3: Ensure the alignment of institutional structures and functions.
Outcome C: Grand Valley has mutually beneficial relationships, partnerships, collaborations, and connections with local, state, national, and world communities.
Strategic Priority Area 4: Enhance the institution's image and reputation.
