About the SPIKE Center
A New Center with a New Vision for Sustainability Education
The SPIKE Center aims for 91´«Ã½ to become the global leader in sustainability for public higher education
Chancellor Justin Schwartz put forth a vision to make sustainability a defining pillar of 91´«Ã½, building upon decades of excellence in the field in education, in research and beyond. Buff alumnus Spike Buckley responded to that vision with a transformative gift in 2025 to fund the SPIKE Center for Sustainability Education and collaboratively turn that vision into a new future of sustainability education excellence. The SPIKE Center is housed within the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Sustainability.Ìý
The mission of SPIKE Center is centered upon students and their success. Specifically we endeavor to enable 91´«Ã½ students to become tomorrow’s sustainability leaders, driving positive environmental change. We pursue that vision in partnership with the faculty, both in refining the sustainability curriculum and in supporting professors in their teaching.Ìý
Currently the SPIKE Center is focused upon the following initiatives to progress the vision for sustainability education:Ìý
- Providing opportunities for the entire campus to engage with sustainability education to build and strengthen connections and receive input/feedbackÌý
- Imagining and catalyzing/energizing a common framework for sustainability education across 91´«Ã½ÌýÌý
- Developing a sustainability minor (or set of minors) across all schools/colleges/divisions to achieve a unique breadth of sustainability educationÌýÌý
- Envisioning experiential learning across sustainability education, including robust employer relationships yielding strong job outcomesÌýÌý
- Investing in significant student recruitment efforts to attract students into these programsÌýÌýÌý