UT’s Office of Sustainability (OS) and Data to Insights (D2I) team teamed up to develop a Sustainability Course Directory that collates campus-wide academic data including course information, enrollment numbers, degree and flag requirements, and course sustainability content into a public database. The Course Directory was published in January 2022 and is accessible to the public. This database is being used to determine the number of UT students currently receiving sustainability education and where there are gaps. With this information, we collaborate with faculty and academic leadership to target sustainability course development towards degrees and programs that will fill gaps and have the greatest impact. Analysis of this data supports understanding how many students already take sustainability education courses related to their degree fulfillment, which will help us achieve the Academics goal (below) set forth by the UT Austin President’s Sustainability Steering Committee. Additionally, as a verification step, OS and D2I conduct a degree audit of all graduating students to determine the sustainability courses students in any given degree or college are taking. In lieu of a campus-wide sustainability degree requirement, which is a top-down approach, this information informs how OS and faculty and students collaborate to target popular courses within specific degree programs for a more bottom-up approach. Initially an effort to report on STARS AC1, the effort has evolved and become internalized into a collaborative curriculum development program.
Presenters
Jim Walker, Director of Sustainability, University of Texas at Austin
Jim collaborates on sustainability initiatives across campus and with surrounding neighborhoods and the City of Austin. This includes facilitation of the President’s Sustainability Steering Committee, campus planning initiatives, supporting resource conservation efforts and various Green Fund projects. He received his Master’s in Community and Regional Planning from UT Austin last century, has worked on sustainability issues in Austin for over 20 years and will always share a cup of coffee to brainstorm the next cool idea.
Brianna Duran, Campus Environmental Center Coordinator, University of Texas at Austin
Brianna coordinates the student-led Climate Leaders Program, an experiential learning program focused on climate action planning. She also manages sustainability staff engagement programming. A Wisconsin-native, Brianna found her calling for environmental sustainability during a study abroad program in the Ecuador wilderness. After completing a master’s degree in environmental science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Brianna developed and managed educational programs for a variety of organizations including a stint on the Waste Minimization team for the city of Auckland, New Zealand. Brianna is passionate about empowering students and staff to be leaders in sustainability at UT and beyond.