University of New Hampshire
ER-14: Incentives for Developing Sustainability Courses

UNH Sustainability Academy has four faculty fellows in biodiversity, climate, food and culture. Faculty are paid via course buyouts, % of salary covered (say 2-3 months), payment for graduate assistants or other teaching/research help, etc. UNHSA faculty fellows help integrate sustainability into curricula at UNH, among other duties. Fundraising is on-going to support more faculty through endowed chairs, more faculty fellows, junior faculty lines, etc. Beginning in 2011, the UNH through the Sustainability Academy will be developing an undergraduate dual major in sustainability, and faculty will be paid and given course buyouts to participate in the faculty learning community developing and teaching courses that will be part of the new dual major. Faculty will be given professional development training, interact with sustainability experts brought to campus, attend and participate in AASHE's national conference (all expenses paid), given technology to enhance their sustainability teaching (such as mobile devices like iPads), and more. UNHSA also brings together faculty from across campus to work with them to develop courses and academic programs. A recent success has been the development of UNH's EcoGastronomy Dual Major Program. Integrating UNH's strengths in sustainable agriculture, hospitality management, and nutrition, the new Dual Major in EcoGastronomy -- the first of its kind in US higher education -- offers a unique academic program emphasizing the interdisciplinary, international, and experiential knowledge that connects all three fields. And as a dual major, the program provides a complement to any primary major. The program is a unique partnership between the Whittemore School of Business & Economics and the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, in collaboration with the University Office of Sustainability. Please visit the EcoG web page for more information about this outcome: http://www.unh.edu/ecogastronomy/index.html

The UNH Sustainability Academy partners with other offices and departments on campus to provide incentives by offering funding for faculty members and staff (cost-sharing with departments on salaries and benefits; stipends and faculty fellowships; course "buyouts" to free time; money to travel to conferences; etc.), professional development training and institutes, technology to enhance classroom teaching, interaction time with sustainability experts brought to campus, and more in order to help develop new sustainability-related or focused courses.

Other contact is John Aber, UNH Provost and Executive Vice President.