Listen to a conversation between a student and the university's new president.

Listen to a conversation between a student and the university's new president.

S: Thanks for taking the time to see me. The ideas you shared in your first speech as the university's president are exciting.P: Thank you, and I'm glad you took my invitation seriously. I want to hear from students as much as possible. So what do you think of the local internship program I'm introducing?

S: I hope to take advantage of it.P: Good. There's such a variety of industries in our area which creates endless opportunities for students. We're forming partnerships with dozens of companies right now. We'll be launching the program before summer.S: Interning is really the best way to prepare students for careers, or help us decide on a career, which is sort of where I'm at right now.P: Well, helping you decide is one of the university's core missions, as is boosting the local economy by providing a well prepared workforce.S: I remember that from your speech. What I really want to know, though, how come you barely mentioned the environment? Most students I know, most of us want our campus to use renewable energy exclusively and make the switch as soon as possible.P: We're researching how best to do this. It's definitely a priority.S: But what's stopping us from going 100% solar now, solar panels have gotten more efficient, and solar energy is cheaper than fossil fuels in some cases. The dormitories have rooftop solar already. What about the rest of our buildings? I mean, the local community college built a solar farm on its campus. Can't we do that too?P: That's something we're looking into. Let me ask this, how do you see solar energy fitting in the internship program I outlined in my speech?S: Um, there must be solar companies around here. We could partner with them and other clean energy providers for internships or training, like for engineering majors, engineering students could learn to design and build solar farms like the one at the community college. P: Excellent idea. I'm with you 100%.S: Then why didn't you say anything about that during your speech?P: Because our environmental plan isn't settled yet. We're not ready to make public commitments. But trust me, we are not ignoring this.S: Is making the campus grid positive being considered?P: By grid positive, you mean generating more energy than we consume and then supplying the excess energy back to the power grid?S: Yeah, maybe some of our professors have the expertise.

P: Yes. In fact, Professor Nugent from our physics department is already addressing several of these issues as a member of the Renewable Energy Committee. But you know what is terribly missing? S:What?P: Student representation on the committee, and you seem like the perfect candidate, interested? S: I'd be honored.