Unity College President Dr. Melik Peter Khoury has announced a partnership with Ocean Conservancy that will provide non-credit skills advancement for Ocean Conservancy employees.

“We historically have focused primarily on credit bearing, degree seeking students. This is an evolution in partnership with organizations that already have employees who might not be looking for degrees but are in need of training that provides micro-credentialing,” said Unity College President Dr. Melik Peter Khoury.

This new venture with Ocean Conservancy contributes to ongoing education in the crucial work to advance equity and justice in conservation and sustainability. Both Unity College and Ocean Conservancy have made this commitment an institutional priority.

“This course gives employees at organizations and companies an opportunity to expand their knowledge base and add to growing skillsets concerning ocean justice,” said Dr. Khoury.

Within this micro-course, badge earners at Ocean Conservancy will view short films, read case studies, complete assessments, and reflect on their own experiences and identities in relation to the topic of Ocean Justice. These activities are contained in the course, which users must complete to earn the credential.

“We are excited to create Micro-Courses for Ocean Conservancy that have shared value and empower participants to continue asking the tough questions, challenge the status quo, and envision new possibilities,” said Unity College Distance Education Director of Partnership Development Douglass Studdiford.

“This partnership is really a unique opportunity to educate a large population with a timely, meaningful topic, ocean justice. Unity College and Ocean Conservancy share the common goal of reaching a diverse population who are committed to the pursuit of science-based solutions and applying them to protect our oceans as an equitable space and resource for all,” said Studdiford.

“Ocean Conservancy is incredibly excited about this partnership, as Unity College shares our passion for solving complex environmental problems. This course builds on our ongoing work to reorient and center equity and ocean justice – which we define as the fair and equitable distribution of both the benefits of the ocean’s bounty and the responsibilities for its complex care,” said Ocean Conservancy Director of Ocean Climate Justice Francisco (Paco) Ollervides.

“After completing the Ocean Justice Micro-Course, we hope students will have a better understanding of how access to the ocean and its resources can be equitably distributed among all people. It is only fitting that Unity College’s Distance Education program, designed to increase educational accessibility and opportunity, is our partner for this endeavor,” said Ollervides.

“This is a continued evolution as we work to mainstream the environmental sciences and sustainability into the very fabric of our society,” said Dr. Khoury.

This new course is in development for Ocean Conservancy right now. The organization plans to begin employee training using Unity College’s platform in spring 2022.