John Roe Sustainability Curriculum Development Awards
The Dr. John Roe Fund for a Just and Sustainable Future honors the late Penn State mathematics professor John Roe, who was passionate about sustainability and the outdoors and worked tirelessly to incorporate these values into his teaching.
There are two award tracks funded through the Dr. John Roe Fund for a Just and Sustainable Future. The first recognizes students who cultivate opportunities to advance the Sustainable Development Goals while demonstrating personal integrity and an unwavering commitment to fostering justice and to strengthening partnerships.
The second track, the John Roe Sustainability Curriculum Development Awards, is offered this year in collaboration between Penn State Sustainability, the College of Liberal Arts Contemplative Colloquium, and the Rock Ethics Institute. It calls for the creation of five new courses focused on mindfulness and sustainability. The Dr. John Roe Fund for a Just and Sustainable Future seeks to advance a curriculum that promotes sustainability in practice, including contemplative practices, awareness of the living world, and compassionate, kind, and peaceful action.
Call: Faculty are invited to design a new course or significantly revise an existing course. The course’s contents and learning outcomes must support the development of awareness, understanding, analysis and action about mindfulness, the use of mindfulness practices, and engagement with the relationship between human beings and the more-than-natural world. Other topics or critical areas covered by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and similar frameworks are welcome. Courses can me in any discipline.
Faculty who are awarded a curricular development grant are expected to:
- 1. Develop a new course or significantly and permanently revise a course
- 2. Teach the course as revised in the 2024-2025 academic year
- 3. Shepherd the new or revised course through Penn State’s Faculty Senate for permanent status.
Priority will be given to the development or revision of courses that teach a large general education audience or are a requirement in an undergraduate major. At this time, graduate courses are not being considered.
Compensation: Faculty will receive $3,000 in supplemental pay.
Use the application below to apply for this award.
Questions? Contact Peter Buck, Associate Director of Climate and Sustainability Education at Penn State Sustainability: PeterBuck@psu.edu
The Roe Fund curricular development application is open until Friday, April 12th at 5 pm. Applications that are not received by the deadline are ineligible for consideration during this award cycle.
