The Sustainability Faculty Scholars program identifies, supports, and recognizes faculty who are interested in incorporating or enhancing a focus on sustainable principles and practices in their courses, and exploring a range of pedagogies to develop this theme. We encourage applicants to consider sustainability broadly. Focus may fall under any of the “three pillars” of environmental, social, and economic sustainability or under one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Participants are selected through an application process. There are generally eight faculty in each cohort. Each participant identifies a course that they would like to create or modify to include sustainability component, relevant to their discipline. Through the scholars program, the faculty member is provided with support for course development, including relevant sustainability resources and pedagogies. Ideally, their new or revised course is taught the following academic year. Applicants must be full-time, permanent faculty members. Faculty selected to participate will receive a $1,000 stipend upon completion of program requirements.

Faculty selected as scholars will learn together from a series of workshops that focus on sustainability, relevant pedagogies and syllabus design, including presentations from returning scholars. They will also have access to a moodle site with syllabi, teaching materials and other relevant resources. Additional opportunities include formal and informal activities in spring, summer and fall with past scholars and other members of the Elon community. These activities include field trips, lunch-and-learns and other planned programming.

The program was developed by Janet MacFall, Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology; Michael Strickland, Lecturer in Environmental Studies and English; Pam Kiser, Watts/Thompson Professor, Professor of Human Service Studies and Distinguished University Professor; and Peter Felten, Assistant Provost and Executive Director of the Center for Engaged Learning.

The program has had participants from diverse disciplines including art, biology, business administration, business law, communications, computing sciences, engineering, English, exercise science, geography, health and human performance, history, leisure and sports management, physics and sociology. Here are a few examples of faculty and their courses that have integrated sustainability.

Contact Scott Morrison, Faculty Fellow for Sustainability and Associate Professor of Education, with any questions.

Faculty members doing sustainability-related work, Sustainability Scholars and otherwise, may be able to identify funding sources on the Faculty Funding site.

Applications

Applications for the 2023-2024 Scholars program are now closed.

The program is open to permanent full-time faculty from every discipline. Applicants from diverse backgrounds and those interested in sustainability and justice intersections are particularly encouraged to apply during the next application period.

2023-2024 Scholars

 

Past Scholars

2022-2023

 

2021-2022

 

2020-2021

 

2019-2020

 

2018-2019

 

2017-2018

 

2016-2017

 

2015-2016

 

2014-2015

 

2013-2014

 

2012 -2013

 

2010

 

2009

 

2008