Macalester College
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses

In February 2014, Macalester College received a $650,000 grant from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation to promote academic sustainability initiatives involving faculty, staff, and students. From 2014-2017, along with additional funds from the College, the grant will support: (1) a student sustainability fellows program in which students will engage in classroom work and community-based activities; (2) student-faculty research collaborations advancing sustainability scholarship; (3) student entrepreneurial projects focused on sustainability; (4) an annual summer workshop to help faculty develop connections between sustainability, shared value, and Macalester's curriculum; (5) faculty course development grants to incorporate sustainability into existing courses or propose new courses on sustainability; (6) faculty participation in sustainability dialogues to promote incorporation of sustainability into courses; and (7) a shared value practicum designed to bring together faculty, staff, and students with community participants to explore how sustainability issues affect both Macalester and the larger community.

Faculty participating in the Cargill grant activities will have the opportunity to interact with consultants who can help them develop sustainability-related perspectives in their courses. As well, many of the grant activities promote collegiality both on campus and in the larger community with faculty, staff, students, and local/international experts. Beyond those professionally fulfilling incentives, faculty can obtain funds to develop courses, engage in collaborative research with students, and to participant in various grant activities. Thus, the incentives represent both financial and professional motivators.