The Undergraduate Sustainability Education Committee (USEC)
The Undergraduate Sustainability Education Committee is comprised of school representatives and is charged with developing a comprehensive sustainability curriculum and implementation strategy, including cross- and discipline-appropriate approaches in close collaboration with the respective units. The USEC directs the allocation of Institute Strategic Plan (ISP) funds to support curriculum development and to document and share sustainability and SDG education successes. This work is carried out in alignment with other ISP initiatives such as Transformative Teaching and Learning.
“The USEC is proud to support GT’s mission: ‘developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition,’ which depends on social, environmental and economic sustainability. We promote cross-and disciplinary curricular and extra-curricular activities fostering the next generation of leaders, while supporting with applied research our communities within Atlanta, GA and across the world.”
RFP for Undergraduate Sustainability Education Innovation Grants
The Georgia Tech’s Undergraduate Sustainability Education Committee (USEC) has just released the third Request for Proposals for Undergraduate Sustainability Education Innovation Grants. These grants advance progress toward the ambitious sustainability education goals outlined in the Sustainability Next Plan, part of Georgia Tech’s Strategic Plan initiatives, and the education portion of the Institute’s new Climate Action Plan. The third group of grantees will have many opportunities to learn from other faculty already engaged in teaching with sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This RFP invites applicants to include at least one of the following four areas within sustainability education:
1) community-engaged teaching & learning;
2) cross-disciplinary and transdisciplinary learning;
3) experiential learning tied to Georgia Tech’s Living Campus initiative; and
4) sustainability education research that evaluates the impact of sustainability education integration on student learning.
Project budgets up to $10,000 will be considered and funds may be used for course release, student support, materials, course or conference travel, and other expenses allowable with state funds.
An information session will be offered on Tuesday, April 30, 1 – 2 PM
USEC News
Georgia Tech attends Teaching and Learning Conference
A Brief History of the USEC
Established in 2022, the Undergraduate Sustainability Education Committee works to implement the educational goals of the Sustainability Next initiative of the Georgia Tech Institute Strategic Plan. In Spring 2023, the committee awarded 21 Undergraduate Sustainability Education Innovation Grants, as well as 9 more in Fall 2023, all of which will lead to the integration of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into courses taken by nearly every student at Georgia Tech. The committee works in concert with the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) to provide professional learning opportunities for instructors seeking to incorporate Education for Sustainable Development into their teaching.
In Fall 2023, the USEC launched the comprehensive overview of all courses taught in the Georgia Tech cColleges that directly and indirectly teach social, environmental, and economic sustainability.
A Unifying Framework: United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries — developed and developing — in a global partnership. The UN SDGs underpin our framework for catalyzing action and advancing the public good at a global scale. A Unifying Framework: United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Through Georgia Tech’s affiliation with the University Global Coalition, sustainability thought leaders collaborate with higher education leaders from across the globe to advance the SDGs through education, research, service, and campus operations. In 2020, we launched the 17 Rooms initiative at Georgia Tech to familiarize the campus community with the SDGs. The inaugural event convened local leaders and identified partnerships and practical steps to accelerate progress on each UN SDG. Several of the resulting recommendations from this collaboration were integrated into the Sustainability Next Plan.
Georgia Tech also co-founded and currently co-leads Regional Centres of Expertise (RCE) Greater Atlanta, officially acknowledged by the United Nations University. RCEs support the multi-stakeholder implementation of the SDGs at the regional level through education and training. RCE Greater Atlanta brings together universities and colleges from across the Atlanta region with nonprofit, community, government, and business partners. It approaches all SDGs through an equity and justice lens, building on the city’s rich history as the home of the Civil Rights Movement.
USEC Sub-Committees
Strategy and Development
The Strategy and Development sub-committee develops a mid- and long-term strategy for the USEC in reflection of social, political, environmental, legal, policy, technological, and economic trends that might impact Undergraduate Sustainability Education at Georgia Tech. The subcommittee will investigate and target funding opportunities to foster education focused on sustainability.
Communications
The Communications sub-committee develops communication and marketing assets for the USEC in close feedback with the Campus Portfolio Manager Sustainability Next. The team informs people of education in current and future sustainability education and related activities on-campus and off-campus.
Circular Coordination
The Circular Coordination sub-committee is comprised of faculty members and develops strategies for comprehensive curricula that include both common threads and discipline-dependent content for specific majors.
Innovation Grants Management
The Innovation Grants Management sub-committee is comprised of faculty members who develop the call for grant proposals, create evaluation rubrics, and organize the evaluation and selection of the proposals to fund. The committee also monitors the progress of the awardees’ projects.
Faculty Development
The Faculty Development sub-committee is comprised of subject matter experts and instructors who teach sustainability-focused courses. They organize workshops, discussions, and lectures to improve teaching and learning sustainability.
Sustainability Education Research
The Sustainability Education Research sub-committee is comprised of faculty who are interested in research fostering sustainability education. They conduct literature studies, seek research funding, prepare proposals for funding, and help others to design the course assessments.