University of Oregon Sustainability Fellowship for Community-Engaged Learning

The Sustainability Fellowship supports faculty in doing community-engaged learning or participatory action research, connects faculty with community partners, and provides fellows with a network of colleagues who seek to incorporate issues of sustainability into their curricula.

Sustainability Fellows and Community-Engaged Learning

Up to ten faculty receive a $1000 award after completing the Sustainability Fellows workshop. Through discussions and activities, site visits, and guest presentations, the workshop helps fellows develop partnerships with local agencies and organizations and engage deeply with pedagogy and teaching that is inclusive, engaged, and research-led. Some groups who have met with the workshop are:

• City representatives from the Cities of Eugene and Springfield
• FOOD for Lane County and Arc of Lane County
• Long Tom Watershed Council
• McKenzie River Trust
• Beyond Toxics
• Better Eugene-Springfield Transportation (BEST)
• The University of Oregon Campus Planning and Facilities Management, Holden Center for Leadership and Community Engagement, Student Sustainability Center, Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies, and Teaching Engagement Program. 
• St. Vincent De Paul
• And others based on interests of selected fellows

Fellows receive an additional $2000 award for summer work preparing to implement new pedagogy during the school year that will incorporate local sustainability issues and community-engaged learning. Sharing program-related syllabi or other materials and a brief closing reflection will be due in June 2025. Sustainability Fellows will also meet for lunches or receptions during the academic year to discuss their experiences and roadblocks, build community, and engage with previous cohorts.

Faculty come from all disciplines, ranks, and experience levels. We especially encourage faculty with no previous experience integrating community partnerships into curricula or doing participatory action research to consider the fellowship. Interdisciplinary team applications are also encouraged and accepted, as are applicants from previous fellows.

Benefits to Sustainability Fellows: 

• Develop partnerships for community-engaged learning and participatory action research. 
• Introduce and challenge understandings of sustainability through site visits, guest-lectures, shared readings, and discussions.
• Build a network of faculty – across disciplines and seniority – that supports integrating local issues into their courses.
• Support and promote the work of Sustainability Fellows and their students through multiple public channels.
• Earn up to $3,000 award for participation ($1,000 for initial participation in the summer workshop and $2,000 for a redesigned course materials. Faculty are responsible for covering any expenses related to partnerships or student learning).

The Sustainability Fellowship program is made possible by funding through the PNW Just Futures Institute, grant-funded by the Mellon Foundation, and a grant from the UO Duck Store, a non-profit serving the book and supply needs of the University of Oregon.

If you are interested in the Sustainability Fellows program, please contact Sarah Stoeckl at sstoeckl@uoregon.edu. 

UO's Common Reading Teaching Guide

In 2021-22 year the Sustainability Fellows program was pleased to partner with First Year Programs and the Student Sustainability Center to lead creation of a teaching guide for Common Reading text Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. View the finished guide and other information related to the book on the Common Reading program's Braiding Sweetgrass page. For more information contact Sarah Stoeckl, sstoeckl@uoregon.edu, or the Common Reading program staff, commonreading@uoregon.edu.