Sustainability Teaching and Research Network

UT holds sustainability to be a core part of its mission and the Office of Sustainability is a central engine in incorporating issues of sustainability across “university policies, practices and curricula.” The university has taken important steps toward meeting these goals, yet these efforts are often isolated with little cross-campus conversation or exposure. My goal is to establish a network that serves as both an incubator and clearinghouse for sustainability-related teaching and research. The university has a wealth of teaching and research efforts related to sustainability, but much of this happens in silos, scattered across campus. Developing a network to bring these efforts under one roof is an invaluable resource to faculty and students interested in pursuing sustainability issues. The project is structured around the following elements: creating a database listing UT faculty and courses focusing sustainability; generating shared cross-disciplinary understanding of what constitutes sustainability; developing sustainability-related teaching resources; and establishing a campus-wide teaching award to honor faculty who are incorporating sustainability into their teaching in innovative and effective ways.