Warren Wilson College Secures $350,000 Grant for Climate Stewardship

The three-year funding, provided by the Lilly Endowment-backed project at Wake Forest University, supports a program titled "Cultivating Climate Character." It builds upon the college's response to the 2024 storm, where students and faculty moved recovery efforts from the classroom into the landscape. This initiative treats the health of democratic life and the natural environment as inseparable, leaning heavily on Indigenous approaches to reciprocity and storytelling.

Project leaders Scotti Norman and Siti Kusujiarti intend to integrate these values through three specific tracks: a storytelling fellowship, inclusive leadership programming, and expanded community work opportunities. By moving beyond traditional academics, the college aims to ground its "Progressive Promise" model in the physical reality of the Swannanoa Valley. According to Norman, the goal is to foster a sense of belonging through bottom-up engagement, ensuring that students view their education as a tool for addressing societal challenges rather than a detachment from them.