Fielding Global Ecological and Social Justice Service Year Proclamation

Dear Fielding Community Members,  

Welcome to 2023! To commemorate our 49th Anniversary, the President’s Sustainability Advisory Council has designated 2023 as our Fielding Global Ecological and Social Justice Service Year throughout the world. 

President Katrina S. Rogers, Ph.D.

 The purpose of this designation is to collect stories of Fielding community members engaged in service in their communities. We know from scholarly research that it only takes a small number of people to create the conditions for positive social change. When people take collective action, their communities benefit.   

Fielding Graduate University is a community that acts to secure the sustainability of our biodiverse ecosystem, health equity, society, and culture. Our colleagues on the President’s Sustainability Advisory Council would like to inspire acts of kindness and service in the interests of social and ecological justice.  

Fielding is a higher education institution committed to the overall development of student-practitioners who have a raised awareness and consciousness of their kinship with all living and non-living entities of this earth. We will continue to center sustainability on the ethics of Indigenous knowledge and approaches to learning, relating, and collaborating with all environmental partners who have a vested interest in just and sustainable communities. This includes Indigenous Elders; diverse communities; artists; storytellers; researchers; students; and plant, animal, and mineral life. Our framework envisions a future where representation is broad and forward-thinking while honoring the past and building a just, equitable, and vibrant future. This encompassing view aspires to a more socially just and inclusive future for all.  

 We will begin with January Global Session in Santa Barbara at an in-person event during the School of Leadership Studies’ Session Week. Listed below are scheduled events: 

Friday, January 13, Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort 

From Chumash to Conquistadors to Environmental Activists – Santa Barbara’s Untold Story  

Richard Appelbaum, Ph.D.; David Blake Willis, Ph.D.; Allison Davis-White Eyes, Ph.D.; Frederick Steier, Ph.D.   

9:30 a.m.—3:30 p.m. PST  

Contact: Rich Appelbaum, Ph.D., rappelbaum@fielding.edu, or David Blake Willis, Ph.D., dwillis@fielding.edu  

Social Impact Day  

Keith Ray, Ph.D.; Joan Goppelt, Ph.D.; Trevor Maber, Ph.D.; Michael McElhenie, Ph.D.; Jarrod Schwartz, MSOD; Mary Jean Vignone, Ph.D.  

9:30 a.m.—3:30 p.m. PST  

Contact: Mary Jean Vignone, Ph.D., mjvignone@fielding.edu  

Saturday, January 14, Santa Barbara 

Clean the beach with Santa Barbara Channelkeeper! 

David Blake Willis, Ph.D., and Fielding’s Staff Council 

9 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. PST 

Meet at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort lobby 

Contact: staffcouncil@fielding.edu 

On March 10, the day of Fielding’s 49th Anniversary, we will host a Global Call across the World to share our stories of service. Please join us! Stay tuned for details via fielding.edu.  

What to do next:  

Whenever you volunteer in your community this year, send us a paragraph at media@fielding.edu about your experience. Please include photos. Stories will be posted on our website, social media, and other communications channels.  

Examples of service:  

• Activities such as cleanup days, neighborhood bird counts (such as Project Feeder Watch), invasive plant removal, and creating a natural lawn.  
• Volunteering for any nonprofit organization. Examples could include homeless shelters, animal shelters, food banks, literacy volunteers, organizations that focus on specific illnesses, local environmental groups, and so on.  

In solidarity,  

President Katrina S. Rogers, Ph.D.