395 First-ever Tennessee Environmental Education Summit set for April 27-28 at MTSU

Date: April 19, 2006
Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Summit contacts: Cindi Smith-Walters, 898-5449
Karen Hargrove, 898-2660
Cynthia Allen, 904-8133

(MURFREESBORO) — A wide array of experts from across the state and beyond will gather April 27-28 in the Fairview Building off Greenland Drive for the first-ever Tennessee Environmental Education Summit with the Tennessee Environmental Education Association.
The invitation-only summit will allow key leaders from both environment and education backgrounds to discuss the environment and its role in education, the future direction of environmental education in Tennessee, common concerns and challenges and more, event organizers said recently.
The organizers said they expect 75 key representatives from both environment and education backgrounds across Tennessee to attend. Participants will include state agencies, state-level administrators, natural resource agencies, higher education, K-12 and nonprofit groups.
The keynote address at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 21, will be made by Paul Sloan, deputy commissioner, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation since April 14, 2005.
At 2:45 p.m., Tami Coleman, coordinator, Projects CENTS (Conservation Education Now for Tennessee Students) at the state Department of Education, is expected to discuss national environmental education curriculum projects that are active in Tennessee and the recruitment and training of workshop facilitators.
Other April 27 summit presenters will include Dr. Padgett Kelly, professor, biology and mentor of the MTSU Center for Environmental Education team, who will discuss the history of environmental education in Tennessee; welcome remarks by both Drs. Cindi Smith-Walters of the Center for Environmental Education and Sidney A. McPhee, university president; and Linda Jordan, science coordinator for the state Department of Education, who will discuss No Child Left Behind.
The Friday, April 28, session starts at 9:15 a.m. with Vera Vollbrecht and Ken Voorhis discussing non-formal environmental education opportunities and challenges. Vollbrecht is president-elect of the TEEA; Voorhis is executive director of Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont.
At 10:45 a.m., Jane Eller, executive director, Kentucky Environmental Education Council, will discuss what’s happening in other states. Karen Hargrove, coordinator, the MTSU Center for Environmental Education, will provide closing remarks.
###
Media welcomed.