Faculty Opportunities with SPIKE Center, February 2026
The SPIKE Center for Sustainability Education (SPIKE) launched in fall 2025, and we are building out multiple opportunities for faculty engagement. Below is a working list of some of the possibilities that have gone “live” and are forthcoming for faculty engagement and support. We do not have full-time website support or other staff in place to help us spread the word; so, we appreciate faculty sharing this information with those that ask.
Launched:
· Faculty Curriculum Ambassadors are appointed by Deans and working on identifying the strengths and areas needed for development in our campus curriculum and global rankings on pedagogy and sustainability, such as new minors. This SPIKE effort is coordinated by the SPIKE Faculty Associate Director of Curriculum, Prof. Warren Sconiers.
· SPIKE Faculty Affiliates are faculty who wish to be listed on the SPIKE website as faculty actively teaching on sustainability so that students, colleagues, and partners can more readily identify the wide range of people invested in sustainability education at 91ý. SFAs are teaching, research and tenure-track/tenured faculty actively and/or interested in teaching and developing pedagogy and/or student experiences related to sustainability. We encourage faculty across campus to apply by completing the form
Applications are reviewed and voted upon by the SPIKE Center Leadership Team monthly. Applicants are notified of approval or decline shortly thereafter.
· SPIKE Faculty Fellows are selected from applications to the program by members of the SPIKE Center Leadership Team to foster a learning community for an annual training and bolster sustainability research on campus. The inaugural theme is Environmental and Climate Justice. The theme for AY 26-27 is Information Integrity. The call is circulating widely and will be posted on the website once we have a website administrator hired; for now, contact our office for the call: spikecenter@colorado.edu
· SPIKE Faculty Training Participants in the Sustainability Across the Curriculum Training will be chosen from applicants to support pedagogical development and educational networking in sustainability. This year, it will be hosted May 5-6, 2026. The call is circulating widely and will be posted on the website once we have a website administrator hired; for now, contact our office for the call: spikecenter@colorado.edu
Coming soon:
· SPIKE List Serv will be available for those who request to sign up for announcements about events and opportunities to be delivered to one’s inbox. If you want to be added, contact: spikecenter@colorado.edu
· SPIKE Faculty Sustainability Education Seed Grants: competitive grants for which faculty (TT and non-TT) may apply. to support sustainability education. Details still to be determined.
Related new faculty opportunities for advisors, fellows, and public events on sustainability research may be found at the Research and Innovation Office (RIO) Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) website: /researchinnovation/research-strategy-development/sustainability-research-initiative