University of New Hampshire
EN-9: Staff Professional Development and Training

UNH offers various sustainability themed professional development/ training opportunities throughout the year. Some of the program offerings include Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Professional Development. These are professional development opportunities for UNH staff (and faculty and graduate students) to further diversity, equity and inclusion awareness, knowledge and skill sets allowing for critical analysis of the services UNH provides, and of the relational dynamics we seek in a diverse institution. In small group interactive sessions, we explore issues of social justice, equity and inclusion via personal and institutional lenses to analyze: power and privilege, discrimination and prejudice, inclusion and equity through the multiple social identities of race, gender, sexual orientation, class, nationality, ethnicity, ability (physical and mental), religion, etc. See
https://www.unh.edu/inclusive/trainings-news-events/social-justice-educator-training

They are also safe zones training (to advance awareness, knowledge, and skills around the services and support that UNH provides to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students and colleagues) and green zone training (developing awareness of the issues faced by student veterans and service members), that are open to all staff members. See https://www.unh.edu/inclusive/trainings-news-events/events-programs-trainings

Staff also have the opportunity to participate in the Sustainability STARS Leadership Program, in which they receive training and a sustainability resources.

In 2021, based on data from our campus wide survey, indicating low awareness of the specifics of UNH's specific sustainability practices and of the availability of various opportunities for staff to engage in sustainability, the UNH Sustainability Institute embarked on an initiative in partnership with UNH's Professional Development & Training unit, as well as Communications & Public Affairs, to substantially increase specific knowledge about UNH's existing sustainability practices, as well as opportunities for staff to get involved and/or be supported in integrating sustainability knowledge and skills into their work.

We developed and launched a professionally produced Sustainability professional development training module. The module consists of a series of 10 videos on various topics, with each video being followed by a quiz for people to test their knowledge. The video modules facilitates a universal understanding of what sustainability means, how UNH practices sustainability across various domains, and highlights how employees can be engaged in sustainability. The module will be updated annually.

In considering how we could best use the new training module to advance a deeper and broader culture of sustainability among UNH staff, we embedded the module into an annual UNH Sustainability Awareness Challenge. Launched with an email to all employees from our Provost, with subsequent reminders from Deans and unit heads, as well as UNH's Chief Sustainability Officer, we encouraged staff to participate by linking the module to the University's strategic priorities around sustainability. We incentivized participation by creating a unit challenge, whereby the unit with the highest percentage of employees completing the training within a designated 1-month time period. In addition to unit pride, we were able to offer special prizes to people in the winning units (10 backpacks provided by our community partner, Timberland.) In addition, we partnered with UNH Dining to offer ever person who completed the module one of UNH Dining's Reusable to Go Containers (which normally cost employees $3.) The reusable to go container pilot had been put on hold during Covid-19, and Dining was keen to "kick start" the program again this year. By providing funds to Dining to purchase an additional 1000 containers and making them available to anyone who completed the training who wants one, we are further supporting sustainable practices at UNH among staff. See https://www.unh.edu/static-cpa/sustainability-quiz/

Over 25% of staff (as well as a significant number of faculty as well) participated in the Challenge in 2021. We were particularly struck by the comments submitted by many of the participants who took the training module, noting how it increased their awareness and knowledge, their pride in the place where they work, and their desire to get involved in sustainability. The training elicited many requests to engage with sustainability programs and ideas and suggestions for future initiatives.

In addition, in partnership with UNH Professional Development & Training, the UNH Sustainability Institute, designed and offered a new 4 hour course in carbon accounting in 2021. While the module was offered to external audiences for a fee, the course was available to UNH staff (and faculty) for free. https://training.unh.edu/IntroCarbonFootprinting

The Sustainability Institute makes available funds for staff to attend Sustainability conferences annually such as the AASHE conference, as well as those more focused on student engagement such as the Ashoka U Exchange.