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Sustainability Across the Curriculum

Championing Sustainability Education at the U: Jennifer Watt, PhD


Jennifer Watt, PhD, leads sustainability education efforts at the University of Utah as the director of sustainability education. Her role focuses on expanding and advancing sustainability-related educational opportunities across the university.

Key Responsibilities


Supporting Faculty
Dr. Watt offers programs and resources that help faculty integrate sustainability into their courses. This includes incentives and guidance for incorporating sustainability topics.
Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) Reporting
She oversees the tracking of sustainability achievements in academics, contributing to the university's STARS reporting.
STARS REPORTING
Collaboration
Dr. Watt works closely with campus leaders to align educational goals with the university's Climate Action Plan (CAP)
and
Strategy 2030.
President Watkins at the Air We Breathe Symposium in October 2019

Sustainability in Course Curricula


SUST Attribute:

The university uses a set of criteria to identify courses with the "SUST" attribute, making it easier for students to find classes focused on sustainability. Academic departments from a variety of disciplines offer sustainability-related courses.

 

Tracking and Reporting:

Tracking the SUST attribute helps the university meet external requirements, earn points in the STARS report and showcase the integration of sustainability into coursework.

Recent Initiatives


Faculty Research Project:

A recent project, funded by the Lemelson Foundation, allowed Dr. Watt to collaborate with the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering to integrate sustainability topics into ABET-accredited programs. This initiative will expand into other colleges in the future.

Faculty Focus Groups:

Dr. Watt and her team facilitate focus groups to gather insights from faculty on incorporating sustainability into curricula. Colleges interested in participating can contact her for more details.

Faculty Engagement


Dr. Watt is available to attend faculty meetings to discuss opportunities and incentives for integrating sustainability into teaching. To schedule a presentation, please contact sustainabilityeducation@utah.edu.