| |
|
|
|
|
|
A Letter from the Co-Directors
Dear Reader,
In light of the current events and new policies at the federal level, we feel it is important to publicly declare that SCI remains 100% committed to helping communities around the country address sustainability, livability, quality of life and economic revitalization through design, policy, planning, and community engagement. Universities have a tremendous role and responsibility to not only conduct the science necessary to help communities and policymakers carry out evidence-based decisions, but also to provide the mechanisms that help get that knowledge into practice while also training the next generation workforce in the process. SCI is committed to all three and will remain so.
We are at a paradoxical moment in our society. Local communities are transforming like never before to address sustainability and community quality of life while at the same time the current federal administration denies the existence of human-caused climate change. Many communities are also doing the hard, continuous work of addressing social equity, while leadership in Washington institute a Muslim ban and flare racial tension. And universities themselves struggle to balance the prioritization of academic journal article publication with finding innovative and effective ways of getting such knowledge into practice to make more immediate and broader contributions to society.
All of us at SCI, but especially our student staff who are the heart and soul of our work, are committed to making this world a better place and doing so by leveraging the talent, knowledge, flexibility, and larger world view inherent within universities and finding effective means of applying those qualities to the service of society. We use evidence developed by faculty to help local policy making. We use the curiosity of students to introduce new ideas into society. We use the urgent demands of society to motivate us to be part of the solution.
At this moment in history, it is especially critical to step up and support the institutions that help make the world a better place. We thank you for being part of our SCI journey over the last seven years; never before has this work been as important as it is now. We know you, too, push hard in similar ways - thank you and keep at it!
Marc and Nico