The third finalist for Ohio University’s director of sustainability position said her approach would target all students — even those who say they couldn’t care less about sustainability.
Annie Laurie Cadmus, sustainability specialist at Waubonsee Community College in Aurora, Ill., said her approach toward sustainability goes beyond recycling — it shows students how living sustainably can help them in their future job hunts.
Cadmus told an audience of about 15 that her background in student affairs would provide her with the tools necessary to engage all students on campus.
Cadmus graduated from Illinois State University in 2005 with a degree in communication studies. Two years later, she received a master’s degree in college student personnel administration, also from Illinois State.
Sustainability professionals must reach out to students’ interests and abilities rather than trying to force new interests on them, she said.
“I would never, absolutely not write (students who aren’t interested) off,” Cadmus said. “I think sustainability is relatable to everyone.”
She provided an example by describing a situation in which the Office of Sustainability might encourage other offices to print fewer posters and flyers.
Instead, information could be spread using Quick Response codes, which can be scanned with smartphones like barcodes and lead to online information, she said. If the Office of Sustainability turns to engineering students to teach those in the office how to effectively implement QR codes, it will involve a new population of students in its sustainability efforts, Cadmus said.
One of the most important messages Cadmus said she wants to pass on to students is the understanding that carrying out sustainable habits could help them when they are searching for jobs.
“When they’re sitting down in interviews, they have an edge because they have an understanding of how sustainability works in an institution,” she said.
Cadmus is the last of three director of sustainability finalists to host a forum. The other finalists are Erin Sykes, OU’s interim director of sustainability, and
Nicholas Hennessy, sustainability coordinator at Bowling Green State University. The chosen candidate will replace former Director of Sustainability Sonia Marcus, who left OU in January to travel.
“(Cadmus is) obviously a great speaker and a good manager of time,” said Harry Wyatt, OU’s associate vice president for Facilities, who is heading up the search for the director of sustainability. “She demonstrates she has a firm grounding in different aspects of sustainability, and she has energy and passion.”
Wyatt said he believed all three candidates were well qualified, adding that he did not know when a final decision would be made.
“I’m hoping I can get a good candidate to the campus as soon as possible, but we’re not only choosing a candidate — a candidate is choosing us,” Wyatt said.
There are still negotiations. … Sometimes it can happen in a matter of weeks, and sometimes it takes months.”
rm279109@ohiou.edu
@ThePostCampus
