EARTH University (Universidad EARTH, ''Escuela de Agricultura de la Región Tropical Húmeda'') is a private,

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

university that offers one program of study: an undergraduate ''

licenciatura A licentiate (abbreviated Lic.) is an academic degree present in many countries, representing different educational levels. It may be similar to a master's degree when issued by pontifical universities and other universities in Europe, Latin A ...

'' degree in agricultural sciences. The university invests in students – predominantly from

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived ...

the Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

– working to become leaders of positive

socio-economic Socioeconomics (also known as social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how modern societies progress, stagnate, or regress because of their l ...

and environmental change for their home countries and the world at large through a techno-scientific education emphasizing

Social entrepreneurship Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, start-up companies or entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to a wide range of ...

History

In the 1980s, EARTH University was developed through a partnership between a group of Costa Ricans, the

United States Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible f ...

(USAID), the

W.K. Kellogg Foundation The W. K. Kellogg Foundation was founded in June 1930 as the W. K. Kellogg Child Welfare Foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer Will Keith Kellogg. In 1934, Kellogg donated more than $66 million in Kellogg Company stock and other investments to ...

and the Costa Rican Government. The cornerstone of the first campus building was laid on 2 April 1989 and after years of fundraising, campus planning and curriculum development, the first class was inaugurated on March 26, 1990. The first graduation ceremony was held in December 1993.

Admissions and student body

Currently, EARTH has about 400 students enrolled from 41 different countries. 51 percent of the student body is women and 81 percent is from rural communities. Each enrolling class comprises about 100 students chosen from about 1,300 applicants. Most students receive scholarships to cover all or part of the $29,000 tuition. EARTH-La Flor Campus Classroom

Campus

The campus on a property in Guácimo includes educational facilities, a library specializing in agricultural and environmental topics, laboratories, a rainforest reserve with primary and secondary forests, and a farm dedicated to agricultural and cattle production. The second campus, EARTH-La Flor, was donated to the university in 2005 by the family of

Daniel Oduber Quirós Porfirio Ricardo José Luis Daniel Oduber Quirós (August 25, 1921 – October 13, 1991) was a Costa Rican politician, lawyer, philosopher, poet, and essayist. He served as the President of Costa Rica from 1974 to 1978. He is credited with the ...

, a previous president of Costa Rica. EARTH-La Flor is .

Education

EARTH University approaches education based on two principles: # Student-centered: Students – individually and collectively – explore real challenges firsthand and become active participants in accumulating knowledge and generating understanding, as opposed to passively receiving information. # Experiential: Students are engaged in weekly field experiences, business operations, and a third-year international internship, allowing them to test and build upon the knowledge they have been acquiring.

Tree planting

EARTH Plants the Future was a

tree planting Tree-planting is the process of transplanting tree seedlings, generally for forestry, land reclamation, or landscaping purpose. It differs from the transplantation of larger trees in arboriculture, and from the lower cost but slower and less r ...

project organized by the university and its graduates as part of its twentieth anniversary celebration. They planned to plant at least 200,000 trees, including

almond trees The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genu ...

, espavé,

mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus '' Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Un ...

or Guanacastes in more than 26 countries where its alumni reside for

World Environment Day World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated annually on 5 June and encourages awareness and action for the protection of the environment. It is supported by many non-governmental organizations, businesses, government entities, and represents the ...

on 5 June 2010.Sembrarán más de 200.000 árboles
''Prensa Libre'', 2010-03-06.

References

External links

Official website

EARTH University Foundation website
{{authority control Universities in Costa Rica Educational institutions established in 1990 1990 establishments in Costa Rica