Commit-to-Change Grant

Featured Documents

Commit to Change Documents

Visit the C2C Website!

Click here for all the information on C2C scholarships, programs, activities, and more!

The Commitment to Change Initiative of the Department of Environmental Studies and Science

Ithaca College's Environmental and Sustainability Model

Ithaca College has been a front-runner in the area of sustainability education.  Ithaca College’s leadership in environmental and sustainability education and operations received a significant boost with the assistance of a three-year, $500,000 grant from the HSBC in the Community (USA) Inc. Foundation. Awarded to the Department of Environmental Studies and Science, the grant will fund a number of noteworthy initiatives. The foundation is the philanthropic arm of HSBC Bank USA, N.A., part of one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations with an excellent track record in sustainability and climate neutrality. Programs funded by the grant will include scholarships to attract incoming students with a passion for social and environmental change, a fellowship program to reward students engaged in exemplary environmental or sustainability projects, an internship and research fund,  a  Scholar-In-Residence Program bringing in a series of exceptional speakers for two–day to two–week visits, a program that uses Ithaca College natural lands (500 acres) as the focal resource for education, research and experimentation, the development of a new sustainability major and minor, expansion of local, regional and national outreach efforts through workshops, and development of an online certification program for sustainability coordinators in higher education as well as in the government, nonprofit, and private industry sectors.

Please explore the links on this site for more information about the Commit to Change Initiative and opportunities available through the Department of Environmental Studies and Science due to the HSBC Grant.
 

Commit-To-Change Scholarships Available

The Department of Environmental Studies and Science is offering 5 one-time $5000 scholarships to incoming students who have a real passion to work for social and environmental change.

Have you already shown a commitment to engage in these areas through work in your local community, or by volunteering or interning with a sustainable environment project?

• Would you enjoy living with like-minded students in IC’s Sustainably Conscious Living Community?
• Then please apply to Ithaca College and consider an Environmental Studies major!!

Contact Susan Allen-Gil, Department Chair, for more information.

If you have been accepted to IC Department of Environmental Studies and Science, you can download the Commit-to-Change Scholarship Application and send it in electronically (requires Word 2007).

Internship Opportunities

During the academic year, funding is available for supplies for student research or supplies for credit-bearing projects (up to $500 per project).   

• For the summer, students can apply for on-campus (2 available annually) or off-campus internship positions (4 available annually). 
• On-campus internship stipends are $4000; projects should be related to climate neutrality (exploring alternative transportation, renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable campus operations, and reforestation).
• Off-campus internships stipends are $3000; preference will be given to internships with our established partners (including EcoVillage at Ithaca, Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, New Roots Charter School, Tompkins County Solid Waste, the City of Ithaca, Tompkins County Planning, Sustainable Tompkins, Tompkins Renewable Energy Education Alliance, Cayuga Nature Center, the History Center, Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute, the Ithaca Nature Awareness School, and others).  
• Additional funds ($500 per student) are available to support student travel to present research or internship experiences at academic meetings and to compensate faculty overseeing summer internships.

Click Here for the Commit-to-Change Internship Funding Application

Click here for the Commit-to-Change Student Research Project Funding Application

Commit-to-Change Fellowships for outstanding student projects

To recognize and reward students engaged in exemplary environmental or sustainability projects while in college, we will offer up to six annual awards ranging from $500 to $3,000 each year, beginning in 2009. The current application deadline for these fellowships is April 1, 2009.

Click here for the Commit-to-Change Fellowship Application

Contact Susan Allen-Gil, Department Chair, for more information on any of the above Commit-to-Change programs and opportunities.