Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Annual Report (SAES-422) Project Number & Title: NCCC065: Indicators of Social Change in the Marketplace: Producers, Retailers, and Consumers. Period Covered: October 2012 to October 2013 Date of Report: December 22, 2013 Annual Meeting Dates: November 1-2, 2013 Participants: Rita Kean  University of Nebraska, Melody LeHew  Kansas State University, Leslie Stoel  Ohio State University, Joan Ellis  Washington State University, JuanJuan Wu  University of Minnesota, Jane Hegland  South Dakota State University, Nancy Miller  Colorado State University, Minjeong Kim  Oregon State University, Mary Lynn Damhorst  Iowa State University, Brenda Sternquist  Michigan State University, Jana Hawley  University of Missouri, Jaeha Lee  North Dakota State University, Cynthia Jasper  University of Wisconsin, Holly Bastow-Shoop  North Dakota State University, Scarlett Wesley  University of Kentucky Brief Summary of Annual Meeting Minutes: See attachment for meeting minutes Accomplishments: Short-term Outcomes: Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Business (ESRAB) members moderated and coordinated a workshop: Use and Application of the Sustainable Apparel Index (November 2012). ESRAB organization was established and supported by NCCC065 and continuously offers programing and support for Social Change in the Marketplace scholarship. It is expected that the Sustainable Apparel Index workshop, attended by 35 scholars, will stimulate research in the area of industry transition toward sustainable practices. Two NCCC065 members (Jane Hegland and Holly Bastow-Shoop) coordinated an ITAA 2012 workshop titled: Leaning Towards Leadership.Topics and activities were designed to develop and strengthen the session attendants ability to confidently and effectively lead others. The book, Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way, was used as a framework. Three NCCC065 members (Mary Lynn Damhorst, Molly Eckman, and Jane Hegland) delivered a special session topic: "The buck starts here: Funding our research through government sources" at the International Textile and Apparel Association in November 2012. At this session NCCC065 members and recent grant recipients shared information about best practices and provided recommendations for grant submissions to NSF, USDA, and the Department of Education. NCCC065 member (Melody LeHew) conducted research on sustainability education best practices as part of large-scale initiative 3-year funded project  USDA/NIFA Higher Education Challenge grant program. Secondary data was collected for the top eight programs as identified using Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Educations (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking and Rating System (STARS). Faculty members and current students from two of the top eight programs were interviewed. Results disseminated at a venue outside of the discipline: the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) conference June 2013. Another member (Joan Ellis) disseminated results of work at a conference outside of the textile and apparel discipline, the Association for Experiential Education. This is an effort to broaden the impact of the NCCC065 initiatives. NCCC065 member (Nancy Miller) served as a National Science Foundation  Science of Organizations Program proposal reviewer. She also served as reviewer (and founding scholar) for the Entrepreneurship Research Journal. Mary Lynn Damhorst has taken on the role of Equity Advisor in the College of Human Sciences. The position, which focuses on equity in faculty searches and development of women and underrepresented minorities in STEM and other positions, extends programs developed from a university ADVANCE grant from the National Science Foundation. Working with several colleagues, she received a Provosts Women and Diversity Grant to conduct a diversity climate survey in the Human Sciences College. Another member (JuanJuan Wu) was awarded the ESRAB Award for Research at the ITAA annual conference in 2012, as a co-author. NCCC065 members (Jana Hawley) department hosted a faculty workshop on sustainability in cotton supply chains. Twenty faculty members from across the country participated in the workshop focused on teaching sustainability throughout the cotton product life cycle. Funded by Cotton, Inc. The departments undergraduate programming focuses on leadership, global supply chain, sustainability, and creativity. Each of these contributes significantly to developing future workforce for the apparel and textile industry that understands continual attention to positive social change. Two NCCC065 members (Jana Hawley and Melody LeHew) established a tri-institutional research team (Oklahoma State University, Kansas State University, and University of Missouri) focused on investigating challenges and identifying solutions related to sustainable consumption. The first research project, called Fashion Detox, was completed. Results have been disseminated at ITAA annual conference and several manuscripts are under development. One member (Melody LeHew) was appointed as Co-Chair of the universitys Sustainability Strategic Planning Committee charged with creating a plan for ensuring that the sustainability common element is woven throughout university, college, and departmental strategic plans. Several members of NCCC065 (Joan Ellis, Leslie Stoel, Minjeong Kim) proposed and participated in an ITAA Special Topics Session (October 2013) titled: Research Sampling: Building a Forward Vision. Evaluation data were gathered from participants, with very positive comments including suggestions for future sessions that they would like the group to offer. A series of sustainability across the supply chain seminars titled: Cotton Awareness Seminar Series, was co-developed by one member (Joan Ellis) as part of a Cotton Incorporated grant award.