A commitment to sustainable energy has brought solar panels and new opportunities for students to Creighton, Dr. Michael Cherney of the Creighton Physics Department said.
Through the efforts of the Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., Lennis Pederson, Fred Salzinger and others, Creighton has received over $2 million in grants. Cherney said the grants support training programs, research and a demonstration facility for sustainable energy. The Omaha Public Power District has also been an enthusiastic partner, according to Cherney.
“It has really become about the community as well as Creighton,” Cherney said. “It’s more than just a showcase for Creighton University.”
OPPD can use the facilities to show what sustainable energy can do and all the different ways it can be used, Cherney said. Metropolitan Community College also uses the facilities to teach an installation class. Cherney said that the project has become about being a green campus and a commitment to collaborative learning with other schools. There are plans to include the Peter Kiewit Foundation at UNO in the future.
“All the solar panels you see along Burt Street will be maintained by students. Everything can be taken apart and replaced by students in the classes. It truly is an outdoor classroom,” Cherney said.
In 2011 there will be a new Bachelor of Science and new Bachelor of Arts degrees available in “New Technology Energy.”
“When we sat down and started writing the degrees we realized how closely they fitted into the Jesuit values and education goals,” Cherney said. “The program will really be aware of the student as an individual.”
The students will have a chance to really be involved in an integrated learning experience that collaborates with the outside community. Cherney said the classes will be taught by many different people, all experts in their area of study.
“In the 20 years I have been here I have not been as excited about anything as this. It’s really in line with the Jesuit values, the students’ needs and the topic area,” Cherney said.