Fulton Center Renamed to Reflect Closer Integration with Academic Programs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  |  Nov. 14, 2016

Chambersburg, Pa. — The Fulton Center for Sustainable Living at Wilson College has been renamed the Fulton Center for Sustainability Studies, a shift that reflects an effort to more purposefully integrate the center and its resources—including the certified-organic Fulton Farm—with the college’s academic curriculum.

Some of the steps toward making the FCSS an academic center include the development of a food studies minor and a restructuring of short-term internships to create a two-year apprenticeship program for those seriously exploring a career in sustainable agriculture.

The college is also considering offering a nine-credit certification program in sustainable food, according to FCSS Director Chris Mayer, who said the certification would include an internship, a course in agroecology and a course from a menu of other classes in areas such as nutrition, business or sociology.

“It could be tailored to students’ needs,” Mayer said, adding that the program could be a fit for students interested in business, sociology and global studies.

In addition, a soon-to-be-announced partnership between Wilson and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute will likely strengthen the link between academics and the stewardship values of FCSS, Mayer said. The partnership was brought about thanks to a gift from Wilson alumna Susan Breakefield Fulton, Class of 1961, who provided $1 million in 1999 to endow the Fulton Center in honor of her late husband, Richard Alsina Fulton.

The new direction of the FCSS reflects a longstanding goal of integrating the academic curriculum with the center and more closely connecting it to the campus community—a goal that has not yet been realized. The program additions and changes are aimed at helping the Fulton Center reach its full potential.

“It starts with perceptions,” said Mayer. “Just changing ‘living’ to ‘studies’ puts the center at the heart of academics in people’s minds.”

When the Fulton Center was founded in 1994 as the Center for Environmental Education and Sustainable Living, its creators envisioned its purpose as caring for the land, preserving history and natural resources, and pursuing the new movement of environmental sustainability.

In addition to promoting earth-friendly practices such as sustainable food and energy production, the FCSS provides oversight of Fulton Farm and its popular CSA (community-supported agriculture) subscription program, as well as the Robyn Van En Center, a CSA information resource. More recently, the center has hosted student research projects in food safety and water quality monitoring done in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

The proposed food studies minor is on track to be offered next fall. It would include studies in the sciences and humanities and would require an internship at the farm. It could appeal to students interested in a variety of fields, from farming and food science to healthcare and social work, according to Mayer. “Our goal is to make it appealing across many disciplines.”

The FCSS has existed at Wilson in some form since 1994, when the Center for Environmental Education and Sustainable Living was launched on an 18th-century farmstead, known as the Lehman Farm, Wilson had purchased 20 years earlier. Over the years, the center has been involved with a number of demonstration projects to help promote and familiarize the community with environmentally friendly practices such as sustainable farming and CSA, biodiesel fuel production, solar energy use and recycling.

Wilson’s Fulton Farm, which received certified-organic status from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in late 2013, has been recognized over the past year as one of the best college farms in the country. CollegeRanker.com listed the farm 24th on its list of the 40 Best College Farms—ahead of both Penn State and Ohio State—and CollegeValuesOnline.com rated Wilson’s farm 19th on its list of the Top 30 Sustainable College-Run Farms. Last month, OnlineCollegePlan.com ranked Fulton Farm 14th on its list of 60 Blue Ribbon College Farms.

CONTACT:           
Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations
Phone: 717-262-2604
Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu

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Founded in 1869, Wilson College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering bachelor’s degrees in 34 majors and master’s degrees in education, the humanities, accountancy, management, nursing, fine arts and healthcare management for sustainability. Wilson is committed to providing an affordable education that offers value to its students beyond graduation.

Located in Chambersburg, Pa., the college has a fall 2016 enrollment of 1,098, which includes students from 18 states and 16 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.