Stewardship & Sustainability Faculty Workshop

This workshop for BYU faculty is sponsored by the Sustainability Office, the Stewardship Lab, and Global Environmental Studies.

The workshop will include meals, socializing, and two outdoor activities. A stipend of $1,000 will be provided upon completion of the requirements by the end of the summer. A follow-up meeting will occur in the following fall semester.

2025 Schedule

May 5: Evening social (on campus)
May 6: Day 1 sessions (off campus)
May 7: Day 2 session (off campus)

Objectives

1. To inspire faculty to understand more comprehensively the call to stewardship in the Restored Gospel
2. To provide faculty with resources for ongoing education about major environmental problems, including anthropogenic climate change, decline in biodiversity, overconsumption and resource depletion, water scarcity, deforestation and land degradation, plastic and chemical pollution, air and water quality issues, and other public health challenges
3. To demonstrate a complete view of stewardship through the interconnected natural, built, social, and spiritual environments 
4. To examine sustainability in practice within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, BYU, and participants' daily lives
5. To challenge faculty to incorporate principles and practices of sustainability in a redesigned course or courses they teach or in a research project they would propose

Requirements

1. Apply by Wednesday, April 9.
2. Complete readings associated with the workshop.
3. Attend and actively participate in the two-day workshop.
4. Provide a description of a revised syllabus or research project by the end of the summer.

Criteria for selection

1. Commitment to do the reading prior to the workshop, to actively participate in the workshop, and to complete the proposed course redesign or to initiate the research proposal by the end of the summer
2. Demonstrable benefit of participation to students and colleagues in the faculty’s department

Modules

Doctrinal and Literary Foundations of Stewardship (3 hours)

This module will explore contributions to thinking about stewardship in the Restored Gospel, from a discussion of talks by General Authorities to an overview of scholarly literature. Points of commonality with other Christian and other religious traditions will be presented, as well as books, essays, and movies that outline principles of stewardship and environmental ethics as they relate to doctrine of the Restored Gospel. 

The Challenges of Stewardship (3 hours)

This module will examine environmental crises of our day—climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and others.

Stewardship in Action (3 hours)

This module will explore what the Church and BYU are doing to implement principles of sustainability at the institutional level, followed by a discussion of personal and civic duty regarding stewardship of the natural world. 

Stewardship in Teaching and Research (3 hours)

This module will present different models of teaching and researching stewardship in a variety of disciplines, including those represented by colleagues in various colleges on campus. Participants will be paired up with senior faculty mentors. 

Resourcing

• Stipends are covered by the funds from the Environmental Ethics Initiative, housed in the Kennedy Center.
• Meals, venue costs, and transportation costs are covered by the Sustainability Office.

Questions?

Please direct questions to sustainability@byu.edu. Further details are forthcoming.