NYU School of Professional Studies Center for Global Affairs Launches NYU SPS Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab

Virtual Unit Will Educate Students, Faculty Members, and Industry Professionals on the Impact of Current and Projected Climatic Changes and Other Stressors on Food, Water, Energy Security, Environmental Justice, and Economic Development

NEW YORK, February 24, 2021— The NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) has launched the NYU SPS Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability (ECJS) Lab to help students, businesses, organizations, and individuals prepare for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Climate change, sustainability, and justice are no longer in the footnotes of academic curriculums. Students, academics, and professionals are yearning for spaces, platforms, and communities to learn more and educate others. NYU SPS has decided to be one of the leading academic institutions offering such a community space and platform with the launch of the ECJS Lab.

Conceptualized and executed as a virtual resource, the Lab will fall under the administration of the NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs (CGA), and will ultimately serve as a teaching and learning vehicle.  The ECJS Lab will be a thought leader, an influencer, and a driver of change by offering a wealth of academic content and programming that will take the form of graduate and non-degree classes, public events, and research. 

“The Lab will focus its work on being at the nexus of industry, community, and academia and will strive to build critical affinities with industry and philanthropic partners,” said Carolyn Kissane, clinical professor, academic director of the CGA graduate program, and newly appointed director of the ECJS Lab. “The establishment of the Lab represents a way of bringing together already existing expertise and activities and leveraging them to strengthen our graduate and noncredit programs, while making NYU SPS and the Center for Global Affairs a vital contributor to the urgent work required to educate students and the public on issues related to energy, climate justice, and sustainability.”

“The ECJS Lab seeks to not only prepare our students and community members to be the energy and climate justice thought leaders of tomorrow but to also promote them as such,” said Kissane. “Much of the Lab’s resources will be composed of student work, however, the Lab also will include work of faculty members, as well as other energy, climate justice, and sustainability work from NYU SPS community members. The goal will be to empower members of the NYU SPS community as climate justice advocates, while enlightening and connecting other interested parties on the important intersections between energy, climate justice, and sustainability with other social justice intersections such as economic development and racial justice,” she explained.

The Lab also serves to connect the important work happening across the School in its Division of Programs in Business, Tisch Center of Hospitality, and Schack Institute of Real Estate.  Michelle D’Amico, director of Public Events and Non-credit Programs at the CGA will participate in the management of the Lab. She noted, "The practitioner-based applied approach of the School along with its industry connections throughout key sectors makes NYU SPS and the Center for Global Affairs well-suited to break down the silos that typically hinder this work. We have a real opportunity to foster impactful dialogues and solutions across disciplines."

“Now more than ever, as global citizens, we need to be well-informed and prepared to address a wide range of energy and environmental issues,” said Vera Jelinek, divisional dean and founder of NYU SPS CGA. “NYU SPS and the Center for Global Affairs are extremely well-positioned to create this virtual lab, which will provide resources across the NYU community and beyond. This new initiative will allow us to expand our footprint as an educational innovator in these critical areas.”

About the NYUSPS Center for Global Affairs
The NYU School of Professional Studies Center for Global Affairs facilitates change by educating and inspiring our community members to become global citizens who are capable of identifying and implementing solutions to pressing global challenges. We believe that the development of solutions to global problems must be informed by an understanding that the world’s challenges are not merely challenges for and among states and traditional diplomatic outlets, but also challenges for nonstate actors, urban and rural communities, and regional organizations. sps.nyu.edu/cga

The NYU School of Professional Studies – Celebrating More Than 85 Years of Excellence in Applied Professional Education
For over 85 years, the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) has been a deeply respected institution of higher education that is grounded in applied learning. From its early years, training returning World War II veterans to fulfill the nation’s urgent need for skilled technical workers, it has evolved into a professional education powerhouse that offers 20 graduate degrees, 13 bachelor’s degrees for traditional and post-traditional students, four associate’s degrees, and a plethora of non-degree courses and credentials.

NYU SPS is a thought leader, and serves as an incubator for new ideas in industries that are constantly changing, including real estate, real estate development, and construction management; hospitality, tourism, travel, and event management; global affairs and global security, conflict, and cybercrime; global sport and sports business; publishing; marketing; public relations; project management; executive coaching and organizational consulting, human resource management and development, and human capital analytics and technology; management and systems; translation; and professional writing. It is focused on building skills that open doors to opportunities in emerging fields and global markets. NYU SPS faculty members are leading experts in their areas of discipline, with a hands-on approach that encourages students to push beyond their limits and to break new ground.

Home to some of the largest and most prestigious industry conferences in the world, including the Schack Institute of Real Estate’s Capital Markets Conference, REIT Symposium, and National Symposium of Women in Real Estate; and the Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality’s International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference, the School’s invaluable connections to industry leaders is a truly distinguishing factor in the education that it provides. Through career development services and resources provided by the NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development at NYU SPS, guest lecturers, site visits, participation in numerous conferences and events, and Global Field Intensives, students benefit from an NYU education that will set them apart. In addition, they have the opportunity to learn from and network with more than 30,000 NYU SPS alumni who live, work, and contribute to innovation in industry around the world. sps.nyu.edu.