The North Carolina Environmental Education Certification Program will move from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to Catawba’s Center for the Environment on October 1. The transition will preserve the certification program, its staff, and all the programs and resources that connect educators across the state, including its listserv and calendar.
“We ask our students to consider their stewardship as citizens, about how they can serve others,” said Catawba President David P. Nelson. “We ask the same questions of the College. This program has served our state well, and we are glad to respond to this opportunity to serve the people of North Carolina by carrying on this important work.”
The certification program is part of a broader state environmental education effort that began in the early 1990s. Since the July budget decision, environmental educators, classroom teachers, and program partners have expressed support for continuing the work at another institution.
Lee Ball, executive director of the Center for the Environment, and staff from DEQ’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs announced the transition at the 35th annual conference of Environmental Educators of North Carolina, the state’s nonprofit professional association for environmental educators. The announcement drew a standing ovation.
“This transition will extend the Center’s work in environmental education and create opportunities for our students to learn from and work with educators serving communities across North Carolina,” Ball said.
“The Environmental Education program has been a resounding success for 30 years, awarding Environmental Education Certificates to more than 1,600 people,” said DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson. “Educating children about the natural world and their role in protecting it is more essential than ever. The Center for the Environment at Catawba College deserves a huge thanks for taking on the leadership of the program in the wake of the new state budget’s removal of its funding.”
Lisa Tolley, program manager for the environmental education program at DEQ, thanked Ball, the Center, Catawba College, Wilson, the leadership of Environmental Educators of North Carolina and the statewide community of educators for supporting the transition.
“This transition preserves North Carolina’s environmental education legacy and allows an important statewide career-development and community-building resource to continue,” Tolley said.
Marty Wiggins, program consultant for the environmental education program, said the certification program will continue to serve the entire state.
“Our plan is to make a seamless transition to the Center for the Environment,” Wiggins said. “All of the resources that support the program, such as the NCEE listserv and calendar, will continue to be an integral part of the certification program.”
Details of the October 1 transition are still being finalized. Certification participants and educators who use the program’s resources are not expected to experience delays or interruptions in access.
