This is the 27th and last Director’s Note that I will be circulating to our community as I step away from the role of director this month. I believe I have been the longest-serving director in SENR’s 50-year-plus history, and I have been honored and have so enjoyed serving our community in this role. I have loved hearing from many of you over the years and hope that you have found these monthly communications from me informative. We’ve tried to improve our engagement with alumni, with this note being one example. You should also see an increase in SENR’s presence on social media in the coming months, and I hope you’ll follow along. I’ll love seeing you share your successes with us through these platforms long after I’ve stepped away as director.

Next month, you will hear from Eric Toman, who will be stepping up to serve as the interim director of SENR. I’ve linked here a release circulated by our college regarding Eric. I’m so excited that he has agreed to take on this leadership role, and I know he’ll do great. SENR continues to have significant momentum, and Eric and I will do everything to sustain it through this transition.

So, what’s next for me? I am excited to be returning to the regular faculty and continuing my career at Ohio State. I look forward to teaching our introductory course in sustainability in the spring, and I also plan to reactivate my research and Ohio State University Extension/outreach efforts related to community, environment, climate, and development. One hypothesis or assumption I have is that Ohio might begin to see beneficial, growing climate-induced migration and advantageous business relocation, both of which could impact environmental and community quality. I’m hoping to apply my expertise to help locations in Ohio adapt to these various climate-induced challenges.

In closing, thank you, everyone, for supporting me as I served as director of SENR. I look forward to remaining a member of our great community. Best wishes.

Jeff Sharp
Professor, School of Environment and Natural Resources