Annual reports provide the opportunity to look back and celebrate our accomplishments. What an incredible year it has been. Given the historic nature of this past year, our main accomplishment is that our ship has weathered the storm and even now continues to move forward.
We want to extend a huge thank you to our CLUS Graduate and Undergraduate Student Fellows. We know this last year was not easy, and we admire your dedication to the CLUS. The work we do would not be possible without you! Throughout the pandemic, our students continued to support our many collaborations and projects even while working remotely. Our students offer us the best and most hopeful models of resilience and we were thrilled to be able to welcome students back into the office this summer. Meanwhile, our Affiliate Scholars met the challenges associated with the transition to online over the past year, and still made headway with their research and service. As we return to campus this fall, we will continue to adapt to what the pandemic throws at us as we work toward thriving in this new world.
You’ll find lots of information and updates about the CLUS, our projects, and our accomplishments below, but I do want to highlight two items here. First, in Spring 2021, the SU Centers for Excellence officially opened in downtown Shippensburg. Now the primary home for the CLUS and the Diller Center for Entrepreneurship Leadership and Innovation, this location brings us closer to the community and has already brought opportunities for collaboration. We are proud to be part of SU’s initiatives to bring the front door of campus to King Street. Second, this is the first year that SU has been able to provide partial support for our Research Analyst and Project Manager positions, a crucial need to balance the ebb and flow of grant funding and a significant capacity builder for pursuing new opportunities. We are grateful for the support of the university so that we can continue our important work at the CLUS and as part of the Centers for Excellence!
Before I close out, I feel compelled to touch on the recent report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This 6th assessment report focuses on the physical science basis of climate change and is unequivocal in its findings: we are experiencing unprecedented changes in the Earth’s climate in every region of the world and across the whole climate system. There is no more room to delay our global transition to a more sustainable and equitable future. I am proud that SU is doing its part through our sustainability and climate resilience work and I ask you all to join us in this work.
Wishing you a safe and healthy remainder of 2021,
Dr. Claire Jantz
Centers for Excellence
In April 2021, SU officially opened the Centers for Excellence at 29 E. King Street in downtown Shippensburg. This location is the new home of the CLUS and Charles H. Diller Jr. Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation. With additional student workspaces and meeting rooms, we have expanded opportunities for learning and collaboration, which helps the Diller Center and CLUS to carry out their missions.
The downtown location facilitates meetings with community organizations - whether as clients, experts, collaborators, or funders. By "moving the front door" of the university, the Centers for Excellence directly supports our four institutional priorities: student success, how we tell our story, interacting with our community, and quality.
CLUS reception area in the Centers for Excellence
CLUS student work area in the Centers for Excellence
Over the past year, we finalized a Land Protection Impact Assessment for the Open Space Institute, made great progress on our Appalachian Trail Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA), finalized development of a web tool for the Upper Delaware, and began a Housing Quality Assessment for the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. Through these projects, we developed tools and resources to aid decision-making for legislators and elected officials, planners, and other professionals. Explore some of our products, below:
DRB 2100 version 3.1: Our Delaware River watershed team produced interactive web maps and associated data with forecasts of urban land cover in the Delaware River Basin to 2100.
Appalachian Trail NRCA: With student assistance from Biology and Geography-Earth Science, Drs. Claire Jantz and Tim Hawkins (Geography-Earth Science) and other collaborators have compiled numerous data sets and data visualizations in an ArcGIS Hub website that will serve as an interactive companion resource to the forthcoming report.
Center for Rural PA Housing Index: Leading student fellows majoring in Biology, Geoenvironmental Studies, and Economics, Dr. Ying Yang (Sociology) is working on quantifying rural housing quality. This map of census tracts was used to validate housing index.
UPDE- Decision Support Tool: Research analyst Alfonso Yáñez completed an interactive mapping tool to support project review and resource management within the Upper Delaware river corridor.
CLUS affiliate scholars and students supported numerous projects related to Sustainability and Climate Resilience over the past year, perhaps most notably through support of the Climate Commitment and completion of a Greenhouse Gas Inventory on campus. Other projects included supporting Cumberland County in the development of a Climate Action Plan, supporting sustainable sourcing of hops for the brewing industry, and mapping the invasive Japanese Knotweed plant species in the Upper Delaware.
Cumberland County Climate Action Planning: In collaboration with Dickinson College, Dr. Tim Hawkins (Geography-Earth Science) and Meaghan Blair (Sustainability) helped conduct a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory and develop a Climate Action Plan through the Department of Environmental Protection Local Climate Action Program.
Climate Commitment: Dr. Russ Hedberg facilitated the Climate Action Planning Team on campus and Dr. Claire Jantz developed a Campus-Community Task Force to begin a resilience assessment for the Shippensburg Area School District
Climate Action Series: In partnership with Cumberland County, Cumberland Conservation Collaborative, South Mountain Partnership, Dickinson College, Yellow Breeches Watershed Association, and the Borough of Carlisle, the CLUS convened a three part online Climate Action Series to inform the community about measures that can be taken to address climate change.
Hops for Brewing Course: Dr. Alison Feeney (Geography-Earth Science) developed a course for local landowners and farmers to learn about planting, managing, harvesting, drying, and distributing hops used for the brewing industry
Mapping knotweed along the Upper Delaware: Research analyst Alfonso Yáñez completed a mapping analysis of where the invasive plant knotweed is present in the Upper Delaware at three sites: Skinners Falls, Hancock, and Deposit. This work support efforts to understand how knotweed changes hydrologic conditions, how it can be better managed, and how sites can be restored.
Capacity Building
The CLUS provides administrative support to the Cumberland County Food System Alliance (CCFSA), a local organization with the goal to support a sustainable local food system that promotes economic vitality, increases food security, promotes wellness and advances community resilience in Cumberland County. Over the past year, we also developed an online resource guide for the Shippensburg Community Resource Coalition, created a new water trail map for the Susquehanna River Trail Association- Middle Section, and built a series of story maps in partnership with the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation highlighting the legacy of Pennsylvania's public lands.
SRTA Map: This is a newly updated map of the Middle Section of the Susquehanna River Water Trail, from Sunbury to Harrisburg. It is available for sale locally or through SRTA membership.
Center for Applied History Graduate Student Fellows supported work related to Furnace Run Park, a newly acquired part in Southampton Township, and African-American Cemeteries throughout Pennsylvania. Work will continue into Fall 2021.
Furnace Run: With guidance from Drs. Allen Dieterich-Ward (History) and Claire Jantz (Geography-Earth Science), graduate students Alex Torchio (Applied History) and Steven Glodek (Geoenvironmental Studies) worked to identify the physical location and history of the Southhampton Iron Furnace.
African-American cemeteries throughout Pennsylvania: Dr. Steven Burg (History) is working with Margaret Gutshall (Applied History) to document cemeteries and identify potential grants and funding to preserve these resources (work in progress).
ESTEEM Panel
CLUS helped organize the ESTEEM Career Panel focused on Earth Science and Geosciences, featuring Shippensburg University Alumni and one of our first CLUS Undergraduate Student Fellows! ESTEEM (Exploring Science, Technology, Engineering, Earth Science, and Mathematics), is a science and mathematics conference with hands-on workshops for regional young women in 7th & 8th grade. Watch the panel!
Impact of the CLUS
In Spring 2021, we asked our current and former CLUS Undergraduate and Graduate Student Fellows to share what the CLUS means to them. Two videos were created to highlight the overwhelming responses received: the first video (below) includes student perspectives on how the CLUS has shaped their professional careers; the second video was used in the 2021 #ShipGives campaign to share the impact of the center with potential donors.
Students and alumni share the impact of the CLUS
From providing the opportunity to work in their field to furthering connections and developing skill sets, students are able to apply what they learn in class to real-world conservation initiatives.
The CLUS takes a holistic view of sustainability, considering environmental, economic, and social perspectives when solving problems in our community. Learn how you can get involved!
Awards and Recognition
Congratulations to CLUS Director, Dr. Claire Jantz, on receiving the 9th Spirit of South Mountain award through the South Mountain Partnership (SMP)! Each year, SMP recognizes an individual, project, or organization that has made significant contributions to advancing a positive and sustainable future for the South Mountain landscape.
Watch the full-length (~8.5 min) video of the January 2021 award ceremony on the SMP YouTube Page, or the short (~1.5 min) video, below.
Dr. Claire Jantz receives the 9th 'Spirit of South Mountain' Award
One of the CLUS projects, mapping the extent of the invasive knotweed plant, received a Recreation Achievement Award from the Upper Delaware Council. Coordinated by the Friends of the Upper Delaware, our mapping work supports knotweed management, monitoring, and restoration activities along the Upper Delaware River.
Scholarship
CLUS Affiliate Scholars and Student Fellows completed research reports, conducted presentations, and produced publications over the course of the year. Below is a sample of the many scholarship efforts through the CLUS from 2020-2021.
Jantz, C.A. Keynote speaker. STEM and Sustainability. Women in Math, Science, and Technology Conference at Millersville University. April 2021, virtual presentation.
Jantz, C.A. Invited speaker. Mapping knotweed using remote sensing techniques: opportunities and challenges. New York League of Conservation Voters. January 2021, virtual presentation.
Jantz, C.A. Keynote speaker. Sustainability, land use science, and GIS. Central Pennsylvania GIS Day. November 2020, virtual presentation.
Johnson L.R., T.L.E. Trammell, T.J. Bishop, J. Barth, S. Drzyzga, andC.A Jantz(2020). Squeezed from All Sides: Urbanization, Invasive Species, and Climate Change Threaten Riparian Forest Buffers. Sustainability 12 (4), 1448
Stubbs Q., I.Y. Yeo, M. Lang, J. Townshend, L. Sun, K. Prestegaard, and C.A. Jantz (2020). Assessment of Wetland Change on the Delmarva Peninsula from 1984 to 2010. Journal of Coastal Research 36 (3), 575-589
From 7/1/20-6/30/21, CLUS operated 14 grants and contracts with a total value of $679,819.90. During this timeframe, CLUS staff and affiliate scholars submitted 13 funding requests ($1,073,063) total: 4 projects were awarded ($100,607); 5 projects ($422,604) were not funded; and 4 are outstanding ($549,852.04).
Funded projects include Knotweed Management for Recreation and Habitat Enhancement in the Upper Delaware (National Park Service, UPDE), Continued Administrative Support for the Cumberland County Food System Alliance (Partnership for Better Health), Assessment of the Quality of Housing Stock in Rural Pennsylvania (Center for Rural PA), and the Mountain Creek Watershed Trail Assessment (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources)
The CLUS received $329,889 over the course of the year. Sources included federal grants ($86,366), state grants ($88,961), local/private grants ($79,936), mapping services ($1,500), donations and interest ($3,624), and indirect cost-share ($1,565). The $67,937 investment from Shippensburg University in the form of staff professional development ($1,059), computer upgrades ($5,489), Climate Commitment ($23,212), and staff salary and benefits ($38,177) generated an almost five-time return.
Expenses totaled $330,030 for the year, considering staff salary and benefits ($156,797), faculty course releases and stipends ($94,832), student salary and benefits ($20,456), subcontracts and consultants ($31,163), indirect and fees ($8,729), supplies and equipment ($7,506), marketing and website ($5,413), Climate Commitment fees ($3,840), travel ($1,063), and printing and postage ($229).
SU Foundation
CLUS is grateful to have received $3,567.55 in donations from 25 individuals over the past year. This includes 20 donations ($1,149 total) during the #ShipGives2021 campaign in April 2021. Donations to the CLUS directly support student fellows as they engage with community partners to address sustainability challenges. Funds also support student professional development through participation in local, regional, and national meetings to showcase their work, develop communication and presentation skills, and interact with other professionals.
In Summer 2021, CLUS received approval from the university to form an Advisory Council. This proposal recently received approval by the Shippensburg University Foundation and we look forward to working with the SUF to build an effective advisory council.
Please consider donating to the CLUS, or purchasing a t-shirt or bracelet to show your CLUS pride! Contact CLUS@ship.edu for more information.
Thank you to our students!
We would like to thank our CLUS Undergraduate and Graduate Student Fellows for all of their hard work during the 2020-2021 Academic Year: Edward Benish, Meaghan Blair, Kelsey Bortner, Mimansha Choudhary, Sianoi Kimari, Demetrios Koutosokostas, Gerard Marvin, Mary McGee, Ayrton Marriott, Amber Millison, Sarah Thompson, and Jacob Wacker. Congratulations to our graduates and best of luck in your future endeavors!
Thank you also to our Center for Applied History Graduate Student Fellows, Alex Torchio and Margaret Gutshall, and Geography-Earth Science student Steve Glodek for adding capacity to the CLUS in the area of applied history.
