MISSION STATEMENT

  The theme of the GSP at MSU is “designing for resiliency”, whereby students will define and assess resiliency through a transdisciplinary lens that incorporates environmental, social, historical, and economic aspects of Gulf Coast communities. In better understanding the issues within and connections between these disciplines, students will learn to assess the ability (or inability) of a community to respond to the threat and impact of natural and human disasters. The GSP will train students to communicate and work collaboratively in a constantly changing atmosphere of diverse thoughts, ideas, personalities, and ambitions. It is these skills and perspectives that are necessary for the generation of true change agents, as positive change requires both an understanding of the issues as well as the skills necessary to strategize and implement viable solutions.

  By focusing on resiliency, our GSP is not anchored to just the Gulf Coast geographic region but to the issues associated with the larger region. As local communities can and do respond in unique ways to natural disasters based on regional economic, social, and physical aspects, it is important for future change agents to understand the dependence of resiliency on financial restraints, resources, and opportunities. In the end, social innovation and interdisciplinary strategies are key to the development of viable and sustainable plans for resilience, and the MSU GSP aims to build on these aspects and begin training the next generation of change agents with the background and skills needed to build a better and more resilient future for everyone.