The EcoLeague is a six-college consortium consisting of Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage, Alaska; Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin; New College of Florida in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

;

Prescott College Prescott College is a private college in Prescott, Arizona. History In 1965, the Ford Foundation brought together a group of educators from around the United States. Prescott College was the result of this gathering. The college was originall ...

Prescott, Arizona Prescott ( ) is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona ...

;

College of the Atlantic College of the Atlantic (COA) is a private liberal arts college in Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island, Maine, United States. Founded in 1969, it awards bachelors and masters ( M.Phil.) degrees solely in the field of human ecology, an interdiscipli ...

in Bar Harbor, Maine; and Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Programs

The EcoLeague offers studies in marine biology,

sustainable business A sustainable business, or a green business, is an enterprise that has minimal negative impact or potentially a positive effect on the global or local Natural environment, environment, community, society, or economy—a business that strives to m ...

, and natural and cultural history interpretation. The consortium is unique in that each college is in a different geographic area. Despite a wide variation in structure and culture, the five colleges have strong programs in environmental studies. The idea behind the consortium is the ability to experience learning in virtually every major

biome A biome () is a biogeographical unit consisting of a biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate. Biomes may span more than one continent. Biome is a broader ...

of the United States, based on their mission of promoting a "bio-regional education for sustainability".

History

The EcoLeague was founded as a result of a visionar
call
from students with

improve academic collaboration and mobility related to urgent issues of global sustainability. The consortium design, including student and faculty exchange program and regular cross-college conferences, was first founded by students at Prescott College who articulated the original vision in 1996 and convened colleges under the consortium as the North American Alliance for Green Education (NAAGE), and later rebranded as "the Eco League". These institutions included Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin;

;

in Bar Harbor, Maine; and Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, all current members of the consortium. Former consortium members included

Antioch College Antioch College is a private liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1852 as a non-sectarian institution; politician and education reformer Horace Mann was its ...

, Green Mountain College, Naropa University, Sterling College, Unity College and

Warren Wilson College Warren Wilson College (WWC) is a private liberal arts college in Swannanoa, North Carolina. It is known for its curriculum that combines academics, work, and service as every student must complete a requisite course of study, work an on-campu ...

, and Audubon Expedition Institute.

Green Mountain College closure

In 2019, Green Mountain College in

Poultney, Vermont Poultney is a town in Rutland County in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Vermont. New York state is on its western border. Castleton, Vermont, is on its northern border. Poultney was home to Green Mountain College, a private liberal ...

(formally a member of the EcoLeague) announced it would be closing at the end of the spring semester, reducing the consortium down to five colleges. Green Mountain concurrently announced an agreement with Prescott College (an EcoLeague colleague) to support their students through the completion of their degrees, hiring on board several faculty, and developing an area of the college (to be determined) to carry on the Green Mountain name.

External links

Official website

References

College and university associations and consortia in the United States Antioch College {{US-university-stub