IMPROVING ENERGY STEWARDSHIP AT MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY’S ATHLETIC COMPLEXES

Athletics departments are showcases for universities, serving as a public face and recruitment outlet that communicates university identity to the world. This applied research project examines the state of electrical energy infrastructure at Michigan Technological University with special attention to the Athletic Department and reports on the process for energy decisions in both settings. I take a qualitative research approach analyzing University documents and conducting interviews with informants in Athletics Administration, Facilities, and MTU’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience. Four major barriers to efficiency emerged: (1) lack of University-wide climate action goals, (2) staffing issues due to a large number of unfilled positions, (3) lack of financial incentives to change current electricity consumption practices, and (4) lack of investment in efficiency and maintenance. I recommend that the President’s Council adopt clear targets for climate action, work to reduce critical staffing shortages, and invest in efficiency and maintenance by streamlining the funding process, incentivizing units to reduce their energy waste, and complete identified “low-hanging fruit” projects as soon as possible. These strategies for improving energy efficiency have positive implications, including return on investment, reduced carbon footprint, and improvement to the safety, resiliency, and functionality of the campus. These near-immediate benefits lead to improved branding, visibility, and optics, elements that are crucial for student recruitment and stakeholder engagement

The Economic Impact of H-2B Workers

The Labor, Immigration & Employee Benefits division of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Immigration Works USA are pleased to present this important study of the economic impact of the H-2B visa program. Many American businesses could not function without the H-2B program. Small, medium-sized and large employers in every region of the country count on it to keep their businesses open and growing, and to create opportunities for U.S. workers. Yet the program is under constant attack by critics, who all too often make a case based on rhetoric and hypothetical scenarios, not hard economic data. This report uses original economic analyses to examine the true economic effects of the H-2B program

Temporary Professional, Managerial, and Skilled Foreign Workers: Legislation in the 113th Congress

Legislation aimed at revising the law governing the admission of professional, managerial, and skilled foreign workers to the United States received attention in both chambers of the 113th Congress. This workforce is seen by many as a catalyst of U.S. global economic competitiveness and is likewise considered a key element of the legislative options aimed at stimulating economic growth. The challenge central to the policy debate is facilitating the migration of professional, managerial, and skilled foreign workers without adversely affecting U.S. workers and U.S. students entering the labor market. This report provides legislative analyses of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744), as passed by the Senate, and the Supplying Knowledge- based Immigrants and Lifting Levels of STEM Visas Act (SKILLS Visa Act, H.R. 2131), as ordered reported by the House Committee on the Judiciary. Both bills would substantially revise the law governing the admission of professional, managerial, and skilled foreign workers to the United States

Breaking Barriers to Renewable Energy Production in the North American Arctic

As climate change continues to affect our lives, the communities at the northern extremes of our world have witnessed the changes most profoundly. In the Arctic, where climate change is melting permafrost and causing major shoreline erosion, remote communities in Alaska and northern Canada are particularly vulnerable. Furthermore, these communities have limited access to electrical grids and bear oppressive energy costs relying on diesel generators. While some communities have started to incorporate renewable energy into their hamlets and villages, progress has generally been limited with the notable exception of Canada’s Northwest Territories and some coastal communities in western Alaska. During its latest stint as chair of the Arctic Council, the United States outlined community renewable energy in the Arctic as one of its primary goals. This Note focuses on regulatory and practical policy solutions to make that goal possible. It draws on examples from industrialized countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as examples from developing countries, such as India and Peru, to examine solutions for the technical, economic, regulatory, and community engagement problems that Arctic communities in Alaska face when setting up new energy projects. Additionally, this Note describes the current political structure of Alaskan villages under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and argues that Alaska Native Corporations should play a role in developing clean, cheap energy sources for their shareholders. Finally, this Note argues that public-private partnerships, like the non-profit Arctic Energy Alliance in the Northwest Territories, shows that clean, renewable energy projects for rural Arctic villages are possible throughout the Arctic. This Note draws lessons from other communities throughout the world and attempts to apply them to the unique situations that remote northern Alaska communities face regarding access to clean, renewable energy

E-strategy in the UK retail grocery sector

After a decade of Internet trading, retailers in the UK have experienced mixed fortunes with their Internet-based ventures. Online shopping success stories include; Tesco’s, which has positioned itself as a world leader in online grocery retailing by providing an Internet-based home delivery of over 40,000 products and making the service available to almost 95 per cent of UK residents. Similarly, Sainsbury’s offers 71% per cent of UK residents the opportunity to shop online however the company does not have the same international recognition. Waitrose too has expanded its Internet-based shopping services, aided by its acquisitions in OCADO. By contrast, Somerfield, and more recently Iceland have stopped their Internet shopping operations due to poor trading results and economic difficulties, despite the fact that Iceland was the first grocery retailer to offer online shopping to the majority of the UK mainland. The key aims of this paper are to explore how major grocery retailers coming to the one line market; to consider why some are more successful than others and to develop an understanding of the role of strategic thinking in online retailing. More specifically, the paper will initially, investigate the strategic options open to retailers developing activities online and finally, discuss the extent to which e-strategies represent a long-term approach to planning. The paper presents a literature review, which provides the conceptual foundations for investigation of the significance of e-strategy development within retailing. This model is then compared with evidence from secondary data sources and business results from leading UK grocery retailers in order to debate and analyse the likely importance of e-strategies in the success of online grocery retailing in the UK

Circular 02/19 : quality and standards : reviewing performance : refined arrangements for colleges and providers from October 2002

"This circular is addressed to colleges and providers funded by the Learning and Skills Council, their representative bodies, learners and their representative bodies, inspectorates, awarding bodies and all other stakeholders with an interest in post-16 learning. It does not apply to school sixth forms. It provides details of the refined performance review framework to be introduced by the Council during October 2002 and outlines the analysis of the responses to consultative Circular 02/05 Performance Review: Arrangements for Colleges and Other Providers" -- front cover

Asylum in Practice: Successes, Failures, and the Challenges Ahead

The Workshop on Refugee and Asylum Policy in Practice in Europe and North America was organized to facilitate a transatlantic dialogue aimed at understanding just how well these asylum systems are balancing the dual goals. The Workshop was convened by the Institute for the Study of International Migration (ISIM) of Georgetown University and the Center for the Study of Immigration, Integration and Citizenship Policies (CEPIC) of the Centre Nationale de Recherche Scientifique, with the support of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. It was held on July 1-3, 1999, at Oxford University. The workshop examined key issues as to the workings of the U.S. and European asylum systems: decision making on claims, deterrence of abuse, independent review, return of rejected asylum seekers, scope of the refugee concept, social rights and employment, international cooperation, and data and evaluation. In this opening paper, we explain the significance of these issues and raise central questions about them

EU counterterrorism strategy: value added or chimera?

Europe did not wake up to terrorism on 9/11; terrorism is solidly entrenched in Europe's past. The historical characteristics of Europe's counterterrorism approach have been first, to treat terrorism as a crime to be tackled through criminal law, and second, to emphasize the need for understanding the 'root causes' of terrorism in order to be able to prevent terrorist acts. The 9/11 attacks undoubtedly brought the EU into uncharted territory, boosting existing cooperation and furthering political integration-in particular in the field of justice and home affairs, where most of Europe's counterterrorism endeavours are situated-to a degree few would have imagined some years earlier. This development towards European counterterrorism arrangements was undoubtedly event-driven and periods of inertia and confusion alternated with moments of significant organizational breakthroughs. The 2005 London attacks contributed to a major shift of emphasis in European counterterrorism thinking. Instead of an external threat, terrorism now became a home-grown phenomenon. The London bombings firmly anchored deradicalization at the heart of EU counterterrorism endeavours

Once & For All: Placing a Highly Qualified Teacher in Every Philadelphia Classroom

Quality teaching matters - particularly for low-income, inner-city students who perform below grade level. But these students are often taught by the least-qualified and least-experienced teachers. Philadelphia schools will not be able to improve student performance dramatically without more teachers who have the skills, experience, and rich content knowledge needed to help every student achieve high standards.Once & For All: Placing a Highly Qualified Teacher in Every Philadelphia Classroom examines the current status of teacher quality in the city and what the School District of Philadelphia is now doing to ensure that all classrooms have highly trained, motivated, and knowledgeable teachers ready to boost the achievement of the district's 188,000 students.For the first time, thanks to information provided by the School District of Philadelphia, researchers have been able to identify what we know about the qualifications, experience, and school assignment patterns of Philadelphia's 11,700-member teaching force. The study was conducted by a group of scholars who have launched Learning from Philadelphia's School Reform, a three-year research project designed to measure and help the public understand the impact of the 2001 state takeover of the Philadelphia schools, the school management partnerships undertaken with external for-profit and non-profit organizations, and the reforms initiated by the state and city-appointed School Reform Commission (SRC) members and School District of Philadelphia CEO Paul Vallas.Led by Research for Action (RFA), a Philadelphia non-profit, the research team includes investigators from the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education and the Wharton School, the Philadelphia Education Fund, Swarthmore College, Rutgers University, the Consortium on Chicago School Research, and other organization

Volunteer Recruitment and Sustainability Assessment: United Youth Courts of Alaska -- Final Report

In response to a request from United Youth Courts of Alaska, we conducted an assessment of volunteer recruitment and sustainability during the Seventh Annual Statewide Youth Court Conference held in November 2003 in Anchorage, AK. We conducted three simultaneous focus groups with a total of 22 youth court volunteers to assess the advantages and disadvantages of volunteering for youth courts and the benefits and costs of continuing to volunteer for youth courts. In particular, we asked youth court volunteers about ways to improve recruitment and sustainability. All youth court volunteers clearly enjoyed their volunteer experience and planned to continue volunteering. In order to recruit and maintain skilled volunteers, focus group participants recommended to: (1) Provide potential volunteers a more accurate description of youth courts, (2) Revise the training course, (3) More proactively curtail the volunteers’ use of drugs and alcohol, (4) Enhance parental involvement in fundraising and non-court activities, (5) Publicize how to get involved in youth courts, and (6) Reward volunteers with tangible incentives. Although none of these recommendations will surprise youth court directors, we hope that this independent evaluation will confirm their beliefs and provide justifications for progress and change. Most youth court volunteers expressed an interest helping their youth court to achieve these goals.University of Alaska Anchorage Center for Community Engagement & Learning / Corporation for National and Community ServiceAcknowledgements / Executive Summary / Final Report / Need for Successful Recruitment and Sustainability / Evaluation Design / Limitations / Evaluation Results / Recommendations / Conclusion / Evaluation Resources / Appendices A. Parental Consent Form B. Youth Assent Form C. Focus Group Question