Beginning Fall 2024, the Â鶹ӳ» at Lake Tahoe is offering a single-semester Sustainability Certificate program for Â鶹ӳ» undergraduate students. The interdisciplinary certificate program invites students from all majors to live at the Wayne L. Prim Campus in Incline Village, Â鶹ӳ» for a semester where they will gain an interdisciplinary, contemporary mastery of sustainability applicable across disciplines.
The program cost is comparable to living in the dorms and studying in Reno, making this unique experience of living less than a mile from Lake Tahoe accessible to students across the University.
Students interested in enrolling this Fall 2024 may apply for the which would cover the cost of a single dorm room in Prim-Schultz Hall at the Â鶹ӳ» at Lake Tahoe's Wayne L. Prim Campus – a $5,300 value.
To enroll in the Sustainability Certificate program, students must first .
"Whatever a student's major – journalism, public health, political science, literature, agriculture – you can imagine how having a wholistic understanding of sustainability will give students the edge and knowledge needed to pursue the growing market of green and green-adjacent careers within their field."
Students in the certificate program will take three required courses in interdisciplinary sustainability topics. A required colloquium course invites University and community leaders in the sustainability movement to speak to students throughout the semester. Part of the three-credit colloquium course includes experiential and project-based learning related to the seminars. Electives in sustainable topics and/or other available units toward their degree will fill the remainder of the student's schedule.
“Sustainability is rooted in meeting the needs of today without compromising the needs of the future,” Brennan Lagasse, teaching assistant professor of sustainability and long-time Tahoe-area ski guide, said when describing the certificate program’s educational mission. “Sustainability is an effort that goes beyond reducing human-induced impacts by actively promoting the restoration, revitalization and regeneration of ecological, social, cultural, economic and political systems.”
The Lake Tahoe campus is surrounded by towering pines with pathways through the forest that are clear year-round.
“Whatever a student's major – journalism, public health, political science, literature, agriculture – you can imagine how having a wholistic understanding of sustainability will give students the edge and knowledge needed to pursue the growing market of green and green-adjacent careers within their field,” Vice Provost and Dean of the Lake Tahoe campus Doug Boyle said, “This semester-long experience will not only enhance students’ majors with a marketable certificate and highly sought-after skillset but will provide them with the foundation needed to become the environmentally minded leaders our world needs now more than ever. We are thrilled to offer this experience of a lifetime to our students.”
Central to the certificate program is place-based experiential learning and outdoor adventures. Coursework will incorporate experiences in the natural environment of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Â鶹ӳ». Internships on and off campus as well as regular opportunities to volunteer for local environmental organizations will be offered throughout the semester. Outdoor single and multi-day excursions will provide students with unique access to the natural environment through activities like snowshoeing, paddle boarding, rock climbing and more. Diamond Peak Ski Resort is five minutes from the campus.
Students studying at Lake Tahoe are within minutes of world-class skiing, hiking, mountain biking, and recreational opportunitiesStudents are invited to visit the campus at Lake Tahoe
Students interested in the Sustainability Certificate may visit the Lake Tahoe campus for a series of overnight experiences.
April 5-6, students are invited to network with many Tahoe-area organizations working in the area of environmental stewardship and sustainability such as the League to Save Lake Tahoe (known by its call to action, “"), the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Drink Tahoe Tap, Great Basin Outdoor School and others will be in attendance.
April 19-20, students are invited to spend the night on campus in celebration of Earth Day, with student- and faculty-led activities throughout the two days.
The Sustainability Certificate is currently open to Â鶹ӳ» undergraduate students in any major. It is suggested students have a minimum of 12 credits on their transcript before participating in the certificate program. Enrollment in the program opened this March.
Space in the program is limited. Housing scholarships are also limited. Prospective certificate program students are encouraged to ahead of April student enrollment dates to secure their spot in the program. Students will be enrolled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Â鶹ӳ» the Â鶹ӳ» at Lake Tahoe
Located less than one mile from the shoreline of Lake Tahoe, the Â鶹ӳ» at Lake Tahoe’s Wayne L. Prim Campus merges experiences across education, research, creative and scholarly work in a stunning mountain environment. The campus serves as an epicenter of cutting-edge collaborations and interdisciplinary activities aimed at inspiring the protection of the most precious natural environments. The 18-acre setting in Incline Village includes 10 classrooms, several meeting/conference rooms, both large and medium events spaces, a cafeteria and catering service, highly equipped laboratories, 88 dorm rooms and the Lou Sardella Student Commons Lawn. The natural setting provides a living laboratory and serves as creative inspiration for both scientists, artists and students alike.
The Â鶹ӳ» at Lake Tahoe is situated on the traditional homelands of the Waší∙šiw (Washoe) People. The waší∙šiw are the original stewards of the land in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin, and as a sovereign nation, the Washoe Tribe of Â鶹ӳ» and California, as it is known today, continues to advocate for the protection and preservation of waší∙šiw It’deh (the Washoe Peoples’ homelands).
We extend our appreciation for the opportunity to live and learn on their territory.
