Emory University
ER-14: Incentives for Developing Sustainability Courses

Emory began the Piedmont Project in 2001, which offers a program of incentives to infuse sustainability across the curriculum to faculty from every unit of the university. The program accepts up to 20 applicants a year, provides a stipend of $1,000, and requires a 2-day May workshop, summer independent time to develop a new syllabus or new course module, an August field trip and lunch to share results of the summer’s work, and a follow-up dinner a year later to discuss continuing growth in understanding about sustainability. Faculty have participated from both of Emory’s liberal arts undergraduate colleges, the graduate school of arts and sciences, and all six professional schools (Business, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, and Theology). Departments involved include languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese, and Russian), mathematics, chemistry, biology, physical education and dance, sociology, anthropology, psychology, political science, history, economics, English, comparative literature, liberal arts, journalism, women's studies, religion, philosophy, classics, art, theater, and music. Faculty syllabi are posted on the Piedmont Project website. The Piedmont Project has continued for ten years and a survey in 2006 determined that several thousand students a year are affected by the new or renovated courses. Over 120 faculty have participated, and impacts are felt in a renovated medical school curriculum, new teaching techniques, faculty research programs, and new interdisciplinary collaborations. The adoption of sustainability as a core principle of the University during the 2005 strategic planning process, is widely regarded as attributable to the breadth of participation in the Piedmont Project.

Each program participant receives a $1,000 stipend, workshop assistance, and summer independent time to develop a new syllabus or new course module related to sustainability. Participants also attend an August field trip and lunch where they share results of their summer work, and a follow-up dinner a year later to discuss continuing growth in understandings about sustainability.