(From left) Robert A. Underwood, president emeritus of University of Guam; Seok-eon Song, president of Jeju National University; Elsa Manarpaac, president of Western Philippines University; Frankie M. Eliptico, interim president, Northern Marianas College; Thomas W. Krise, president of the University of Guam; Theresa Koroivulaono, president of the College of the Marshall Islands; Mary A.Y. Okada, president of Guam Community College; Dale Webber, pro vice chancellor and principal, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus; and David Lassner, president, University of Hawaii.

The presidents of eight island colleges and universities made several collective commitments toward sustainability yesterday during a presidential summit prior to the start of the 10th University of Guam Conference on Island Sustainability at the Hyatt Regency Guam.

“All of our universities are uniquely well-suited to help society figure out how to meet the challenges that we’re facing in terms of sustainability,” said Thomas W. Krise, president of UOG.

University of Guam President Thomas W. Krise shares the outcome of the Presidential Summit on Island Sustainability among the panel of island university and college leaders who attended UOG’s 10th Conference on Island Sustainability. (From left) Seok-eon Song, president of Jeju National University; Elsa Manarpaac, president of Western Philippines University; Robert A. Underwood, president emeritus of University of Guam; Krise; Frankie M. Eliptico, interim president, Northern Marianas College; Mary A.Y. Okada, president of Guam Community College; and Theresa Koroivulaono, president of the College of the Marshall Islands.

The leaders present for the summit were from the University of Guam, Guam Community College, Northern Marianas College, the College of the Marshall Islands, the University of Hawaii, Western Philippines University in Palawan, Jeju National University in South Korea, and the University of the West Indies in Jamaica.

The university heads shared with one another the specific initiatives underway on their campuses to address sustainability issues — including renewable energy, rainwater catchment, and transportation projects — as well as the challenges in island sustainability that they continue to face, including waste reduction and food security. They then agreed upon the following list of commitments in terms of educational programming and university activity:

• Seek indigenous/island solutions to island problems
• Connect heads of research with one another
• Connect heads of workforce development with one another
• Create an inventory or website to connect best practices or solutions
• Exchange visits among institutions to foster future exchanges of faculty, staff, and students

“Universities were not built for themselves — they were built for their communities,” said Dale Webber, pro vice chancellor and principal of the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Jamaica. “We are islands apart, but we are all in this together.”

The Conference on Island Sustainability officially kicked off yesterday afternoon and will continue through Thursday.

A complete agenda can be found at www.uog.edu/cis2019/. Several portions of the conference are free to the public, including the “CIS Seed Talks: Ideas Worth Cultivating” tonight from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and the GAX Block Party from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday at the Guam Museum.