Evaluation of Allegheny College’s Center for Economic and Environmental Development Program (CEED)

Founded in 1996 within Allegheny College’s Department of Environmental Science and Studies, the Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED) was created to expand experiential learning opportunities for students while helping community and regional leaders integrate economic development with environmental stewardship to revitalize northwest Pennsylvania.

Building on the existing French Creek Environmental Education Project, CEED launched a diverse portfolio of initiatives, including environmental curriculum development, strategic environmental management, ecotourism, art and the environment, the Meadville Community Energy Project, sustainable forestry and agriculture, the French Creek Visioning Project, and the Enterprise for Sustainability Program.

Managed by an Environmental Science faculty member and an administrator, with individual projects led by faculty from multiple disciplines, CEED faced the challenge of sustaining its work despite limited faculty time and continual student turnover. TerrAqua and Colby College professor David Firmage conducted an on-site evaluation through interviews with faculty, staff, students, and community stakeholders. Based on these findings, we developed recommendations in ten key areas: organizational development; faculty and community engagement; creation of an external advisory committee; project continuity; community liaison functions; CEED’s relationship with the broader college; faculty evaluation; academic quality; strategic implementation planning; and broadening CEED’s base of support.