Program Overview

University of Oregon Sustainability Fellowship

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.

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).

Program Details

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.

Eligibility and Application

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

Program Structure

Up to ten faculty from the University of Oregon and Heritage University participate in a three-day development and connections workshop in June. 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.

Community Partners

Some groups who have met with the workshop include:

• City representatives from the Cities of Eugene and Springfield
• Mount Pisgah Arboretum
• BRING
• 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 DreamLab, Sustainability City Year Program, Willamette River Natural Area and Fuller Land Land, Environmental Leadership Program, 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

Additional Opportunities

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. The program also partnered with First Year Programs and the Student Sustainability Center to lead the creation of a teaching guide for Common Reading text Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.