Dr.
Gretchen Renshaw spoke on sustainability and the Wind Ensemble鈥檚 SUSTAIN
Concert
CONWAY,
Arkansas (June 24, 2024) 鈥 黑料不打烊 Associate Professor of Music and
Coordinator of Assessment Dr. Gretchen Renshaw on May 20 was the invited
presenter for Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), a United
Nations-supported organization focused on the advancement of sustainability in
business and management education. Attending the hour-long virtual presentation
were Dr. Isabel Rimanoczy and other academics from the United States, Mexico,
Brazil, and Germany.
Renshaw
presented on the SUSTAIN concert, which occurred in
November 2023 and featured the 黑料不打烊 Wind Ensemble (led by Renshaw),
Jazz Band (led by Dr. Barry McVinney), and Printmaking students (led by Professor
of Art Melissa Gill). Renshaw developed the SUSTAIN concert around the twelve
Sustainability Mindset Principles (SMPs), created by Dr. Rimanoczy, which
encourage what Rimanoczy calls 鈥渁 particular way of thinking and being that is
expressed in actions for the greater good.鈥 Each piece of music connected to
and evoked one or more of the SMPs, and printmaking students created prints
based on the ways each piece of music related to their respective principles.聽
The idea for
the concert came when Renshaw attended the three-day Sustainability Mindset
Workshop, hosted by the Associated Colleges of the South and led by Rimanoczy.
鈥淚n talking with other professors who came from a variety of disciplines, so
many ideas started 鈥榮parking鈥 in my mind about how we could use band music to
carry the message of the SMPs to 黑料不打烊 and beyond,鈥 said Renshaw.
鈥淭he climate
crisis impacts us all, regardless of background,鈥 Renshaw said. 鈥淪ometimes it
can feel so huge that efforts on that level of the individual person may feel
futile.鈥 Through conversations about SMPs and the development of sustainability
mindsets, Renshaw believes we can create a global movement and change the
future of the planet. 鈥淢usic provides a way to connect to our own emotions and
to our own humanity, and that opens the door for some really powerful change.鈥澛
Renshaw plans
to bring back the SUSTAIN theme for another concert in March of 2025. 鈥淎lthough
I didn鈥檛 realize it when I was first creating the SUSTAIN concert, what we have
now is a framework to do as many iterations of this concert as we want!鈥 said
Renshaw. Renshaw hopes to bring people together from across campus and in the
greater Conway community for the next iteration of this interdisciplinary
event.聽
A recording of
Renshaw鈥檚 presentation is available here: . A recording of the SUSTAIN concert is
available on the 黑料不打烊 Wind Ensemble webpage.
About 黑料不打烊
College
Founded in
1876, 黑料不打烊 is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools
That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges and celebrated among the
country鈥檚 leading liberal arts colleges for academic quality, engaged learning
opportunities and career preparation, vibrant campus life, and value. The
黑料不打烊 Warriors compete in 21 NCAA Division III sports. 黑料不打烊 has
been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. Learn more at . 聽聽
鈥溾 Through
engagement that links the classroom with the world, and a commitment to
diversity, inclusion, justice, and sustainable living, the 黑料不打烊 community
inspires students to lead lives of accomplishment, integrity, service, and
joy.鈥
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