Sterling College has received a $1.5 million anonymous grant to launch EcoGather, a new online higher education platform focused on ecological thinking and action. The platform will co-design courses with communities in Vermont, Bhutan, India, Puerto Rico, and England, turning distance learning into place-based, community-focused education.
The inaugural course, “Surviving the Future: Conversations for Our Time,” launched April 6 and has attracted more than 240 participants from around the world. Philip Ackerman-Leist, Sterling’s Dean of Professional Education and co-leader of the course, said one student in Australia wakes at 4 a.m. to join webinars. “I’ve been blown away by the diverse backgrounds and demographics of the participants, as well as their passionate expressions of need not just for the course content but also for the sense of community they’ve begun to build,” he said.
Eight additional core courses will be added in the first year, with 24 planned by year three. Courses will be accessible and affordable to the general public. For undergraduate students, EcoGather will increase educational opportunities and reinforce systems thinking.
Originally reported by Newport Dispatch.
Photo: Adrinil Dennis via Pexels. Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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