Spring 2023 Fellows Program

The Co-Coordinators of the Sustainability Faculty Learning Community invite Sustainability Faculty Fellows and members of our campus community with sustainability experience to join a Fellows 2.0 Cohort to proactively lean into the environmental justice dimension of sustainability. We invite you to think expansively about the connections between environmental justice and our teaching, research, and programs.

We are also open to applicants who may not have experience in these areas but desire to lean into centering sustainability and environmental justice in their work.

+ Program Goals for Spring 2023

Our goals for this program are twofold: On an individual level, we aim to deepen our conception and articulation of sustainability and environmental justice as interconnected and explore how these intersections apply to our individual research, teaching, and programs. We also seek to build strong partnerships and deep discourse on campus in preparation for collaboratively envisioning transdisciplinary curriculum that addresses our most pressing issues today.

+ Do you know...

Our state and federal governments are prioritizing and investing in environmental justice communities. Do you know:

That the Inflation Reduction Act includes the allocation of $3 billion for Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grants to invest in environmental justice communities over the next 10 years?
About the Justice40 Initiative?
That 35% of recently passed New York State Environmental Bond Act totaling $4.2 billion is to benefit disadvantaged communities?
The percentage of our students who grew up in environmental justice communities in New York State?
That the campus of SUNY New Paltz and portions of the Village of New Paltz are currently considered as “potential environmental justice communities” according to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation environmental justice map and is included on the map of the “Draft Disadvantaged Communities” of the NYS Climate Justice Working Group?
That our campus is in close proximity to many regional environmental justice communities including but not limited to Newburgh, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, and Ellenville?

+ Program Description & Participation Requirements

To earn an extra service stipend of $250 we ask you to commit to the following:

Orienting + Connecting: Attend an Introduction to the Principles of Environmental Justice Workshop to be held on Thursday, March 9 from 8 am to 9:15 at the Faculty Development Center
Grounding + Rooting: Attend SUNY New Paltz as Environmental Justice Community Workshop (see the two NYS maps linked above). 8 am weekday date TBD.
Deep Listening + Exchanging Ideas: Attend three social justice and equity-focused campus events this semester (TBD dates, commonly held during the evenings) as well as post-event discussion group with Fellows.
Exploring + Collaborating + Visioning: Attend a two-day mostly on campus summer retreat on Wednesday, June 7 & Thursday, June 8.
Reflecting + Synthesizing: Submit a 3-page (minimum) reflection by June 16, 2023, on how the concepts explored in this program may influence your teaching, research, and program, and what ideas for future interdisciplinary approaches have emerged for you.

+ How to Apply + Final Written Reflection & Extra Service Stipend Paperwork

To earn the $250 stipend, please complete the following by June 16, 2023:

Submit a minimum 3-page double-spaced reflection to Lisa Mitten (mittenl@newpatlz.edu) on how the concepts explored in this program may influence your teaching, research, and/or programs, and what ideas for future interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability and environmental justice have emerged for you.

For full-time academic and professional faculty: UP-8 Extra Service Form, signed by your Chair/supervisor (please note that the SUNY ID number is NOT your N-number... it's a 6-digit number. You can access this 6-digit number in my.newpaltz.edu in the SUNY Self Service (the page right before you click on your time & attendance sheet) at the top right-hand corner of the screen)

For adjunct faculty: Part-Time Academic Appointment Request, signed by your chair/supervisor (please note that the SUNY ID number is NOT your N-number... it's a 6-digit number. You can access this 6-digit number in SUNY Self Service (the page right before you click on your time & attendance sheet) at the top right-hand corner of the screen)