TEAMING FOR SUCCESS
COLLABORATION LEADS TO SUCCESS ON ANY GIVEN DAY at Guilford College, you may find students with dirt under their nails who have just come from the farm, catch them loading produce on the Mobile Oasis farmers market, or find them sitting in class learning about the science of wine or food and the law. All of this is a part of the interdisciplinary Sustainable Food Systems program, a new major introduced in 2016 that brings to life an integral part of The Guilford Edge: Teaming for Success. The unique curriculum was the result of teamwork on the part of Marlene McCauley, Charles A. Dana Professor of Geology and Sustainable
ABOVE: MARLENE MCCAULE Y IN THE F I E L D . L E F T: K Y L E D E L L W I T H A G R O U P O F S U S TA I N A B L E F O O D S Y S T E M S M A J O R S . / PHOTOS BY JENNA SCHAD
Food Systems, and Kyle Dell, Associate Professor of Political Science, Associate Academic Dean and Environmental Science Department Chair, together
recognition for the College in the
with other faculty and consultants. It
academic realm. Kyle and Marlene
started with Marlene’s brainstorm to
produced a paper, Building a
create a practicum that made use of
Collaborative Effort of Training and
the College’s garden. “It seemed like a
Education in Sustainable Food Systems
colossal waste to me that we had the
for the 22nd Century through Urban
farm out there and no one was using it
Agriculture Programs, that won first
for classes,” Marlene says. “I developed
place in best practices at the Small
the practicum, and then Kyle and I were
Business Institute annual conference
[...] envisioning one day it would grow
and Director of the Center for
in 2017. They also wrote, along with
into a major.”
Environmental Farming Systems at
Gail Webster, a chapter entitled “The
N.C. A&T State University. “Dr. Liang
Sustainable Food Systems Major at
studying best practices from other
was interested in our curriculum, and it
Guilford College: Food, Environment,
institutions and pooling their own
complemented the work she was doing
and the Community,” published
knowledge and experience from years of
at A&T,” Marlene says. “We realized as
in Quakers, Creation Care and
working together in the environmental
we were developing our curriculum that
Sustainability, Volume 6.
sciences field. “Kyle and I are always
there’s no need to reinvent the wheel
“Working between disciplines has
pushing each other a little further and
here, so we have collaborated to share
always been a predisposition of people
making each other think about things in
classes, and make sure to publicize
who come to Guilford,” Kyle says. “We’re
new and different ways,” Marlene says.
guest speakers and special events at
building off the culture that was already
both places.”
in place to find success in the future.”
The pair began attending conferences,
Then, the two met Dr. Chyi Lyi Liang, Kellogg Distinguish Professor
The team’s work has also brought
— K. Alley W W W. G U I L F O R D . E D U | 1 7
