For Immediate Release


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		Director, Public Information
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Pitzer College's LEEP Program Wins National Award

Claremont, Calif. -- June 5, 2000 -- Pitzer College's Leadership in Environmental 
Education Partnership (LEEP) recently received a Silver Medal for excellence from the 
Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
In the past three years, LEEP has enabled about 400 children from elementary 
schools in Claremont and Pomona to study environmental and ecological issues at The 
Claremont Colleges' Bernard Biological Field Station, an 85-acre parcel that contains a 
variety of habitats and species. Under the guidance of college students and faculty, 
elementary school children conduct environmental science projects at the station's 
outdoor lab, engage in cooperative problem solving and participate in activities that build 
environmental responsibility.
The CASE Circle of Excellence Awards Program identifies and rewards 
excellence in the areas of alumni programming, philanthropy programs, institutional 
relations, electronic and new media and periodicals and publications. Pitzer's LEEP 
program received the Silver Medal in the School and College Partnerships category.
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"In what was a very competitive category, LEEP was a particularly strong 
example of doing something that builds a strong bond between a college and the 
community it serves," said Roland King, vice president of Public Relations for the National 
Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. King was a judge for the awards 
program. "[LEEP] had a high degree of community impact, it dealt with a societal 
problem and had well-documented results."
LEEP was created and implemented at Pitzer College in 1998 by Paul Faulstich, 
associate professor of environmental studies, and his wife, Susanne. Both are alumni of 
Pitzer College.
"I was thrilled to find out about the award but not entirely surprised," said 
Faulstich, who directs the program. "The LEEP program partners with wonderful and 
committed individuals and schools."
As part of LEEP, a course at Pitzer called "Theory and Practice in Environmental 
Education" trains college students to develop and teach an environmental education 
curriculum. 
"The most rewarding part has been watching students, both elementary and 
college, develop another level of enthusiasm for learning, and to see how the natural 
world lights a spark within them," Faulstich added.

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