On February 5, 2025, the California State University (CSU) office of the Chancellor launched a system-wide initiative focused on education and research. The objective aims to center agriculture and biotechnology on the desert, ocean life, and water to provide experiential learning opportunities for students, according to the CSU website.
Twenty-three campuses statewide are taking part in this project. The consortium will facilitate greater community engagement and partnerships with high schools, community colleges, and University of California campuses, according to a Feb. 5 SDSU news article.
The executive director overseeing this project is Megan Jennings, a San Diego State University conservation ecologist.
“My own research has focused on tackling challenging environmental problems through close partnerships and collaborations with managers, decision makers and communities,” Jennings said. “I'm excited that I now have the opportunity to help build capacity to scale up that solution-oriented work with the talented faculty, students, and staff across the CSU system.”
In the same article, Jennings expressed her eagerness to have this major change take its course across campuses in California.
The goal of the consortium is to combat climate change and offer sustainable solutions as devastating climate crises have been prolonged in California and the world.
The Spartan Daily reached out to Melissa Watkins, the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Systemwide Advancement, but Watkins was unavailable for comment.
The impacts of climate change are rising sea levels, coastal flooding, coastal erosion, high risk of fires, damage to agriculture, public health impacts, habitat destruction, and loss of ecosystems, according to the California Department of Justice website.
Aaron Klemm, senior director of Energy, Utilities, and Sustainability at SJSU. Klemm has been with SJSU for nearly three years and is responsible for managing electricity, water, sewer, wastewater/stormwater, and fire alarms on campus.
“The chancellor’s office announced a new multi-university consortium for climate adaptation with San Diego State as a major funding member,” Klemm said. “It started more on the faculty side, I am a staff person in a facility, so I don’t have a lot of data with the systemwide consortium and climate adaptation.”
According to Klemm, more information should be distributed about this topic to ensure the faculty at SJSU will serve the university and its students in educating and raising awareness regarding the consortium.
SJSU is making strides to combat climate change in certain ways, such as sourcing single-stream garbage cans.
Students also shared how they are not fully knowledgeable about the CSU climate change adaptation consortium, its purpose and whether SJSU is taking part in this statewide project.
Malvika Malhotra, a fourth-year environmental studies student and director of the Environmental Resource Center, said that she wishes it had been discussed further in classes.
“My knowledge of the climate consortium only goes to a certain degree,” Malhotra said. “ I have heard about it through news articles rather than my education system. That's pretty disappointing because I am an environmentalist and I feel it should be discussed in at least a few of my classes.”
The information on the CSU climate change adaptation consortium is limited on the web, there are not many updates on what the next steps are regarding active student and faculty involvement.
Malhotra said SJSU should promote information in a specific way, as it is a huge efficiency plan that goes beyond the campus.
For Kaili Mallari, a third-year environmental studies student, has the same issue with not having information on the CSU consortium.
“I had no knowledge about the CSU climate consortium until I looked it up,” Mallari said. “ I think this is a cool thing that the CSUs are doing, especially considering the political climate surrounding climate change and environmental studies.”
Transparency in outlining goals, methodologies, and progress is crucial for building trust and ensuring that the consortium's efforts align with the needs of students, faculty, and professionals who are in the fight against climate change.
“Making it more accessible to students is to have schools email their students about what the CSU system is doing while heavily promoting it to the (environmental studies) departments of each school,” Mallari said.
