Faculty Development and the Teaching of Sustainable Leadership: Complexities, Challenges, and Opportunities

• In Event: Interactive Roundtable Discussions & Member Community Information Tables
  In Interactive Roundtable: Leadership Education Interactive Roundtable Discussions

Short Description

Universities have been challenged to take a leadership stance on sustainability. However, most leadership faculty did not graduate from programs that emphasized or prepared them to teach about sustainable leadership. Roundtable participants will discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with faculty development and the teaching of sustainable leadership.

Detailed Abstract

As sustainability has ascended to the forefront of business and political discussions, the push for universities to take a public leadership stance on issues of sustainability has also increased (Boley, 2011; UNESCO, 2007). Frequently universities have addressed this push by encouraging academic programs to integrate sustainability into their curriculums (Boley, 2011). However, sustainability is a spectrum and there are differing extents to which sustainable practices can be applied, particularly when looking at different disciplinary contexts. In some academic programs sustainability is “covered” by bringing in guest classroom speakers or creating a lecture series. In other programs sustainability is addressed in a single, stand-alone course. At the furthest end of the spectrum are programs that weave sustainability throughout the breadth of their curriculums or actively partner with community stakeholders to educate citizens about sustainability.

The specifics of sustainability education integration into the curriculum are usually left to the discretion of instructors (Boley, 2011). As such, the degrees to which faculty teach students about sustainability varies greatly. At the very least, most faculty will introduce students to the; a) general principle of sustainability - creating a world that meets present needs but also does not impede the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (UNESCO, 2007), and b) three broad dimensions of sustainability - societal, environmental, and economic (Dale & Newman, 2005).

For faculty in leadership studies programs, though, sustainability education goes beyond simply teaching students about sustainability principles and concepts. Leadership studies faculty also examine the connection between sustainability and leadership development with their students. Middlebrooks, Miltenberger, Tweedy, Newman, and Follman (2009) asserted this is an important connection stating that “Examining the process of developing sustainable leaders has only gained momentum as the emphasis shifts from individual philosophies to organizational change” (p. 34).

To effectively teach and empower students to lead organizational change requires that faculty themselves are sustainable leaders who have an in-depth understanding of the multi-faceted, complex dimensions of sustainability. However, “few educators are being taught how to teach about sustainability, most of them are learning in the field, but in the process mistakes are made” (Velazquez, Mungia, & Sanchez, 2005, p. 386). Most leadership studies advanced degree programs are no different than other disciplines; they either do not or only briefly address sustainability. In lieu of formal training many faculty create their own pathways to learning about sustainability, often undertaking independent studies in order to become comfortable with teaching the material. Additionally, much like global warming has become fodder for good versus evil, sustainability has been lumped to distinguish positive or negative characteristics. Thus, faculty learning about sustainability must decide what they “believe” about its multiple facets. Having made these belief decisions faculty are in a position to lead and influence their students. Wals and Jickling (2002) agree stating “teaching about sustainability includes deep debate about normative, ethical, and spiritual convictions” (p. 227). Finally, curriculum that explores the relationships between modern leadership theory and sustainability should not just be theory-based; it should provide an application component as well. As such, faculty must take a leadership role to identify organizations and community partners that will provide students with opportunities to develop personal and professional applications of sustainable leadership.

While students need to understand how to lead in the face of the complex, global challenges of sustainability, so do the faculty who teach them. The purpose of this roundtable then is to generate a discussion based on the following questions:
1) In what way(s) do your universities generally address sustainability?

2) Is sustainability integrated into your leadership studies curriculum? If so, how?

3) What are (or might be) best practices for connecting the study of sustainability and leadership?

4) How do your leadership studies faculty become sustainability experts and what level of support do they receive from your universities to do so?

5) What are some of the complexities and challenges associated with developing faculty to teach sustainable leadership?

6) What opportunities exist in these turbulent times to develop faculty to teach sustainable leadership?

Participant

• Deborah N. Smith, Kennesaw State University