The Sustainability Faculty Fellows Program is Currently on Hiatus

» See previous year’s fellows.

We are taking some time to reflect on the program’s goals and methods.

Program Overview

UVM Sustainability Faculty Fellows program (SFF), started in 2007, is a long-standing collaboration of the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Sustainability Curriculum Review Committee, and Shelburne Farms. In AY 18-19, the program become affiliated with the Greater Burlington Sustainability Education Network, recognized by the UN as a Regional Center of Expertise on education for sustainability.

In the program, faculty, academic and sustainability staff from a variety of disciplines have joined together to develop a learning community engaged in a year-long exploration of sustainability, systems thinking, and pedagogy. This year we will build on this foundation in the context of our present moment of rapid climate disruption and social instability. The
program will also include opportunities to:

  • Respond to the call of climate action and justice
  • Connect with UVM staff and faculty who are committed to sustainability and equity
  • Reflect on the relationship between the climate crisis and our (and students’) emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being

Program participants have:

  • Discussed definitions of sustainability
  • Through the lens of equity, diversity, and social justice, connected our work to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (with a focus on Goal 13 Climate Action and Goal 3 Human Health and Well Being)
  • Worked on individual projects (some examples are listed below) with the support of cohort members and others in the Greater Burlington Sustainability Education Network

There are concrete benefits to being a Sustainability Fellow. First and foremost, fellows have the space and a supportive community to work on a year-long project that furthers their vision for sustainability in higher education. We are not prescriptive about what this work “looks” like. It will vary from person to person, depending on your role in your institution. For example, a UVM sociology professor could focus on integrating the UVM General Education Sustainability Learning Outcomes into a course on social movements, a Champlain College department chair could focus on developing a curricular map and assessment plan, a UVM student advisor could focus on mentoring student activists, and a sustainability staff person could focus on developing partnership with faculty and students for achieving institutional goals.

Becoming a fellow means committing to attending:
A networking luncheon
A two-day January Institute to reflect and plan
A one-day retreat to reflect, share, and extend our work

Please direct any questions to Wendy Verrei-Berenback at wverreib@uvm.edu (email link).

APPLY ONLINE: The application period is now closed.

2019-’20 Sustainability Faculty Fellows Coordinating Committee

Jennifer Cirillo, Director of Professional Development, Shelburne Farms
Simon Jorgenson, Assistant Professor, Education, Sustainability Curriculum Review Committee
Ingrid L. Nelson, Assistant Professor, Geography, Co-Faculty Associate, Cultural Crossroads Learning Community
Paul Suk-Hyun Yoon, Senior Advisor for Inclusive Excellence. Division of of Equity and Inclusion
Wendy Verrei-Berenback, Assistant Director, Center for Teaching & Learning
Walter Poleman, Senior Lecturer, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources (Sabbatical); Co-coordinator of Greater Burlington Sustainability Education Network, UN Regional Center for Expertise on Sustainability