Who We Are

SEAC is an independent third-party accreditor providing dynamic, context-sensitive guidance for Sustainability and Sustainability-Related degree and certificate programs in higher education.

SEAC is working in a strategic partnership with the National Sustainability Society to improve Sustainability Education and the preparation of Sustainability Professionals. We believe Sustainability Education is vital to developing a resilient, empowered, and skillful modern workforce that will meet the challenges of our future climate.

Our program standards, best practices, and competency framework have been developed through decades of conversation with groups such as the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors and the Sustainability Education Community of Practice at Global Council for Science and the Environment. We collaborate with other organizations in Sustainability in Higher Education including AASHE, AESS, NAAEE, and Second Nature. We welcome input and participation from all academic disciplinary associations, networks, and accreditors.

Since 2021, the Pathways towards Accreditation initiative, funded by the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, has provided focus and momentum to expand stakeholder engagement and formalize a transformative accreditation process.

Meet the Team

  • Krista Hiser, Ph.D.

    Program Director

  • Rod Parnell, Ph.D.

    Facilitator

  • Teri Balser, Ph.D.

    Facilitator

  • Jordan King, Ph.D.

    Facilitator

Sustainability Education Leadership Advisory Council

SEAC is informed through quarterly meetings with an academic advisory council, the Sustainability Education Leadership Advisory Council (SELAC):

Strategic Advisors:

In addition, we rely on input from Strategic Advisors with whom we consult on specialized topics:

  • Katja Brundiers, Universität Freiburg

  • Anne Kapuscinski, University of California Santa Cruz

  • Shelley Kossak, Global Council for Science and the Environment

  • Christopher Lambert, BCC Advisory

  • Keala Young, Ecoversities Alliance

  • Michelle Wyman, Biosphere Strategies

Background Briefing

This 25 minute video provides background and progress report on the Pathways towards Accreditation initiative:

Partners

SEAC is a distributed organization that partners with other organizations in the Sustainability in Higher Education space. Our most active collaborations are with:

The National Sustainability Society

The NSS will facilitate a coordinated national strategy to develop educational standards and advance the professionalization of the field.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education

In AY 2024-2025 only, AASHE will host a cohort of program directors who will work together to evaluate and update their sustainability programs using new program standards collaboratively developed by scores of stakeholders in the sustainability education community.

This peer cohort will pilot program learning outcomes integrating the Key Competencies in Sustainability Framework, and the Best Practices that support them. Participants will complete their own program evaluation while working with other directors to further develop dynamic, context-sensitive guidance for the field. This work was developed by the Pathways towards Accreditation initiative and the Sustainability Education Community of Practice at the Global Council for Science and the Environment (GCSE).

The Program Directorsʻ Cohort will be facilitated by Krista Hiser, convener of the Sustainability Education Accreditation Commission. Teri Balser and Rod Parnell will co-facilitate.

Weave Education

Candidates for accreditation complete their self-study in Weave Education, a specialized software that improves the process of self-evaluation and external review.

Funders

We are grateful for funding from the following organizations

The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation

The National Science Foundation