‘Where earth, water, and sun meet purpose’: Miami University’s Sharon and Graham Mitchell Sustainability Park dedicated
Our hope is 'that it encourages current and future generations of Miamians to renew their commitment to sustainability and to the stewardship of our shared home,' Sharon Mitchell said
‘Where earth, water, and sun meet purpose’: Miami University’s Sharon and Graham Mitchell Sustainability Park dedicated
Our hope is 'that it encourages current and future generations of Miamians to renew their commitment to sustainability and to the stewardship of our shared home,' Sharon Mitchell said
"It all comes back in a circle"
“We are extraordinarily grateful to Sharon and Graham Mitchell for their principal gift” that made the park happen, Miami University President Gregory Crawford said.
“We also thank them for their time, treasure, and talent over the many years that they have stayed connected to their alma mater and changing the landscape of this university.”
The park features two solar arrays — Western Solar North and South — with more than 3,300 ground mount solar panels that will produce around 2,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity annually. The Western Solar North array sits on top of Miami’s Western Geothermal Well field. Completed in 2014, the wellfield consists of 690 geothermal wells, each 600 feet deep.
“We believe we are the first in the country, maybe even the world, to have solar panels on top of a geothermal wellfield,” President Crawford said.
More than a decade and half ago, Miami made an investment in geothermal infrastructure, President Crawford said. Sharon Mitchell was chair of the Board of Trustees when that investment was approved —”so it all comes back in a circle,” he said.
The park also features walking paths, seating areas, lighting and informational signage. Trail connectors from the walking paths lead to nearby Miami University Natural Areas trails.
“May we be wise. May we show respect.”
ašiihkiwi nipi kiilhswa keekiweewaaci. aalime kati nipwaahkaayankwi iišileniyankwi
The earth, water, and sun give life. We must be wise about how we act.
The words above in the Myaamia language are inscribed on the park’s main gateway and used throughout the park in some of the informational signs.
“They are an invitation to remember that we all belong to something much greater than ourselves, and that that belonging carries responsibility,” Nichole Prescott said in the dedication’s invocation. Prescott, the assistant vice chancellor for Academic Affairs for the University of Texas System, received her master’s degree in History from Miami in 2000 and is a member of the Miami University Foundation Board of Directors. She is a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma (Myaamia) and actively participates in the culture and language revitalization efforts of her people.
“What strikes me about this park is that it is asking the same things those words have always asked: in a different language, with different tools, but the same thing. That continuity matters,” Prescott said.
“It tells us that tradition and innovation are not antithetical. At its best, innovation is simply tradition finding a new way to fulfill its oldest purpose, to care for what gives us life, and to leave it better than when we found it for all the generations to come.”
‘Sharon and Graham understood that. They chose to invest in this place, they chose to be accountable. Accountable to this earth, to this institution, to our students, and to the generations who will walk these paths long after we’re gone,” she said.
“May we be wise. May we show respect. And may this place be a reminder of both of these things.”
Filled with gratitude and hope
“The sustainability park is truly extraordinary. We could not have imagined a more beautiful outcome when we were planning it,” Graham Mitchell said.
“Standing here today in this beautiful park we are filled with both gratitude and hope. Our hope is that this place becomes a space of reflection, connection, and inspiration for all who visit,” Sharon Mitchell said.
“And more importantly, that it encourages current and future generations of Miamians to renew their commitment to sustainability and to the stewardship of our shared home.”
Sustainability at Miami University
Miami University is a signatory of Second Nature’s President’s Climate Leadership Commitment -Climate Commitment and is committed to carbon neutrality on its Oxford campus by 2040 (Miami 2040 Climate Action Plan). Miami is decarbonizing its campus through energy systems transformations, including geothermal exchange and solar energy, and has achieved a 50% reduction in utility-based carbon emissions since 2008. Miami’s 36 LEED Silver-and Gold certified buildings account for 36% of the gross square footage of buildings on the Oxford campus. Miami received its third AASHE STARS (3.0) Gold rating in summer 2025 in recognition of sustainability achievements and is named on the Princeton Review’s 2026 Guide to Green Schools. For more information, visit MiamiOH.edu/Sustainability.
