2008 Woodie Awards
The campus of Eden
Students to visit Eden Campus in South Africa, which offers lessons in eco-friendly trades
by Brittney Hansen
Issue date: 2/14/08
Section: Campus News
A group of two dozen Minnesota State students and three faculty members will be traveling to Eden Campus in South Africa for 18 days in May.
The campus was founded by social entrepreneur Steve Carver in 2006 and is an eco-friendly campus created out of an abandoned retirement home donated by the Knysna Municipality at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains in Karatara, approximately five hours east of Cape Town, South Africa.
Students at Eden Campus receive certification in marketing accredited by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) after completing a two-year program in sustainable new enterprise development such as eco-tourism, agriculture or construction.
Eden Campus students attend formal classes as well as participate in running the campus and co-managing eco-enterprises on and off the campus. These include mountain bike rentals, guided mountain bike tours, and growing herbs and vegetables to be sold at market.
"The goal is for rural community transformation. We did not want to create something for students to come get their degree, go off to the big city and get a job. That's not what these students want, it's not what their communities want," said Scott Fee, construction management professor. The need that was clear was that they wanted ways to create wealth within their communities, he added.
Fee and Carver met in 1987 as exchange students in Brisbon, Australia, through the Rotary Club. They have remained in contact for the last 20 years and Carver invited Fee to get involved. Fee is one of three faculty members in charge of organizing the trip.
The majority of students going on the trip are graduate students in the industrial and organizational psychology department, which takes a study abroad trip every other year. This happens to be an off-year for the trip, but Fee said many students expressed interest in the program.
"I think after seeing the impact that this school has made on the other people that have been there, how enthusiastic they are toward the program I can't imagine that we wouldn't be enthusiastic as well," said Josh Wittrock, first year industrial and organizational psychology graduate student.
As industrial and organizational psychology students, many were intrigued by the idea of building an eco-friendly campus and community.
"It's something that's a whole new concept in South Africa," Wittrock said. "They're really building something out of nothing and I think that this model could be used in many other places, many other parts of South Africa and as a whole and could really make an impact for generations to come," Wittrock said.
"I think it's cool because [the school] hasn't been developed hardly at all, so what we do actually could have an impact on it," added Ashley Johnson, first year industrial and organizational psychology graduate.
Many students were also eager to experience a change in scenery and culture.
"I think that we have a different perspective on how things should be and how things should run," Wittrock said.
Bill Gerber, another first year IO psychology graduate student, said he hopes to gain a new perspective.
"If you've lived in America you're whole life, going to Africa, it's this whole other way of life and a whole other value system," he said. "Their daily lives are completely different than what we experience every day and to just come back here with a whole new way of looking at things."
MSU students will each be given an Eden Campus student as a pen pal to build a relationship before leaving the U.S., and while at Eden Campus, they will work on campus to help change and improve the campus environment, as well visiting the home communities of the Eden students.
"Our students will visit the townships that these students come from and really see something that very few people get to go and visit as a tourist from the states to South Africa," Fee said.
Brittney Hansen is a Reporter assistant news editor
The campus was founded by social entrepreneur Steve Carver in 2006 and is an eco-friendly campus created out of an abandoned retirement home donated by the Knysna Municipality at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains in Karatara, approximately five hours east of Cape Town, South Africa.
Students at Eden Campus receive certification in marketing accredited by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) after completing a two-year program in sustainable new enterprise development such as eco-tourism, agriculture or construction.
Eden Campus students attend formal classes as well as participate in running the campus and co-managing eco-enterprises on and off the campus. These include mountain bike rentals, guided mountain bike tours, and growing herbs and vegetables to be sold at market.
"The goal is for rural community transformation. We did not want to create something for students to come get their degree, go off to the big city and get a job. That's not what these students want, it's not what their communities want," said Scott Fee, construction management professor. The need that was clear was that they wanted ways to create wealth within their communities, he added.
Fee and Carver met in 1987 as exchange students in Brisbon, Australia, through the Rotary Club. They have remained in contact for the last 20 years and Carver invited Fee to get involved. Fee is one of three faculty members in charge of organizing the trip.
The majority of students going on the trip are graduate students in the industrial and organizational psychology department, which takes a study abroad trip every other year. This happens to be an off-year for the trip, but Fee said many students expressed interest in the program.
"I think after seeing the impact that this school has made on the other people that have been there, how enthusiastic they are toward the program I can't imagine that we wouldn't be enthusiastic as well," said Josh Wittrock, first year industrial and organizational psychology graduate student.
As industrial and organizational psychology students, many were intrigued by the idea of building an eco-friendly campus and community.
"It's something that's a whole new concept in South Africa," Wittrock said. "They're really building something out of nothing and I think that this model could be used in many other places, many other parts of South Africa and as a whole and could really make an impact for generations to come," Wittrock said.
"I think it's cool because [the school] hasn't been developed hardly at all, so what we do actually could have an impact on it," added Ashley Johnson, first year industrial and organizational psychology graduate.
Many students were also eager to experience a change in scenery and culture.
"I think that we have a different perspective on how things should be and how things should run," Wittrock said.
Bill Gerber, another first year IO psychology graduate student, said he hopes to gain a new perspective.
"If you've lived in America you're whole life, going to Africa, it's this whole other way of life and a whole other value system," he said. "Their daily lives are completely different than what we experience every day and to just come back here with a whole new way of looking at things."
MSU students will each be given an Eden Campus student as a pen pal to build a relationship before leaving the U.S., and while at Eden Campus, they will work on campus to help change and improve the campus environment, as well visiting the home communities of the Eden students.
"Our students will visit the townships that these students come from and really see something that very few people get to go and visit as a tourist from the states to South Africa," Fee said.
Brittney Hansen is a Reporter assistant news editor
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