On September 27th and 28th, 2019, 52 participants representing 39 colleges, universities, and other educational institutions gathered at Au Sable’s Great Lakes Campus (Michigan) for Au Sable’s annual Academic Council, this year dedicated to the theme of “On-Ramps and Off-Ramps: Alternative Credentials and Emerging Pathways Between Education and Work.” One of Au Sable’s goals for every student is to connect their work to external recognition, professional and community service, and professional certification. This has long been the case in past courses like Watersheds in Global Development, which led to certification by the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Watershed Stewardship Academy, and in current courses like Lake Ecology and Management, in which students complete status reports on local lakes that are then delivered to that lake’s community association and used to inform members and residents of how to care for their lake.
This year Council attendees were treated to presentations on how work in “ordinary” college courses can be connected to and recognized by professional associations. Dr. Heath Garris of Covenant College (Georgia) demonstrated how he developed his Au Sable class, Field Techniques in Wetlands, to contain a component that would lead to certification for students by the Society of Wetland Scientists in the area of wetland assessment. President of the Council and Messiah Representative Dr. Dave Foster showed how to achieve similar results in recognition of skills in site assessment.
Participants saw Michigan’s first National Scenic River, the Jordan, from the privileged seats of canoes and kayaks, while others hiked the North Country National Recreation Trail near Au Sable to nearby Eagle Lake (and back again). On campus, Representatives participated in a special evening “listening session” (where Representatives gave most of the input and Staff did the listening) to help inform the new round of strategic planning for Au Sable that will begin in 2020. Long-time Faculty Representative and former Au Sable Professor of Conservation Biology Dr. Hal Reed from Oral Robert’s University remarked in retrospect that the 2019 Council was “an excellent informative council meeting. I was blessed by the fellowship, worship, and the Creation. God’s presence was evident.”
Dr. Fred Van Dyke, Au Sable’s Executive Director, noted, “We’re always encouraged to have the representatives here at Great Lakes, and even more encouraging that we had so many! This was the largest Council by attendance and representation in this millennium!”
This year’s Council is over, but its work and relationships will lay the foundation for students from throughout North America to attend Au Sable in 2020. Thanks to Au Sable’s Faculty Representatives, students on every campus will learn what Au Sable has to offer them as they pursue their own studies in caring for God’s good creation.