2025 will be UT’s “Year of Energy,” President Jay Hartzell declared in his 2024 State of the University address. Against the backdrop of a rapidly warming planet and a global energy crisis, Hartzell’s announcement suggests UT’s evolving role in sustainability education. UT Austin joins the trend of universities looking to tackle sustainability through a new lens: curriculum and student research initiatives.
Many universities are increasingly integrating sustainability into academics, leadership programs and campus initiatives, reflecting a growing demand for sustainability knowledge in the workforce. As institutions shift to provide students with the skills necessary to drive sustainable solutions across industries, it suggests a critical need to ensure a more resilient future. UT has created several new sustainability-related majors, minors and leadership programs designed to prepare non-STEM students to address complex sustainability issues such as transportation to consumer choices.
Jim Walker, director of sustainability at UT, said he sees sustainability initiatives in institutions such as UT as a necessary and inevitable shift.
“You’ll see (more sustainability initiatives) across higher ed nationally,” Walker said. “As those global challenges emerge, higher education is always trying to figure out what kind of research and what young people need to know about the world they’re going to be growing up in to be a good, effective leader.”
As challenges emerge, universities adapt to provide the resources students need to be effective in the workforce. Sustainability is a natural shift in this process, Walker said, as it has and likely will continue to become an increasingly pressing concern globally.
“With that mindset, you can look at any discipline — business, law, engineering or chemistry — and bring that lens to learning objectives in any degree,” Walker said.
Academics: Sustainability-focused majors and minors
Walker highlights several existing programs that encourage this integration: the Bridging Disciplines programs in environmental sustainability, a new major in climate systems science at the Jackson School of Geosciences, a new minor in sustainable energy within the Cockrell School of Engineering and a global sustainability leadership minor in the McCombs School of Business.
To ensure all students have access to sustainability education, UT maintains a comprehensive Sustainability Course Directory, featuring sustainability courses across 30 disciplines.
Elena Talarico Ribeiro is a senior majoring in sustainability, geography and international relations to pursue environmental policy.
“I’m really interested in carbon footprinting and ESG initiatives. I think sustainability is just a good stepping stone for the problems of today,” Ribeiro said. “It’s (about) truly understanding the scope of how everything is connected (to) the environment and the responsible management of the environment.”
Extracurriculars: Leadership and Research Opportunities
Beyond coursework, UT offers leadership and research opportunities centered on sustainability, such as the Climate Leaders Program that trains students in carbon footprint measurement, stakeholder engagement and emissions reduction strategies. Launched in 2022, the program provides students with hands-on experience in developing greenhouse gas reduction strategies for campus units.
“Education is a key aspect of creating large-scale impact in terms of sustainability,” said Hari Mamparambath, a business analytics junior and member of the Climate Leaders Program.
Mamparambath said he joined the program because he wanted to make a difference on a broader scale, and highlighted the importance of integrating sustainability education into non-STEM majors like finance.
“Coming into (McCombs), I’d heard about sustainability, but you hear a lot of jargon — greenhouse gas emissions, reduction strategies,” Mamparambath said. “To truly understand what it means, you need to dive deep and educate yourself.”
Mamparambath said that knowledge is critical for shaping the values of organizations and teams, advocating for a “value-centered approach” to sustainability in business. Elizabeth Kinerk, a recent UT graduate with a BSA in honors biology, echoed this sentiment, noting that sustainability is crucial in fields beyond the traditional environmental sciences.
“Sustainability affects the products we purchase, how we get places, it’s all incredibly important,” Kinerk said.
She credits her involvement in the Climate Leaders Program with preparing her for a career in energy consulting.
“It set me up for so much success, and it introduced me to this whole world of energy consulting that I didn’t even know existed before,” Kinerk said.
Looking towards the future:
While initiatives like the Global Sustainability Leadership Institute and its associated minors, as well as passionate faculty members who champion the cause, show the progress UT has made, Ribeiro said the University needs to better inform students of the resources and opportunities available to them.
“Sustainability is something you have to go out and find at UT,” Ribeiro said. “It’s not something built into many courses. Unless (you) decide to take an environmental engineering class … sustainability (doesn’t come up).”
Ribeiro advocates for a broader integration of sustainability topics across disciplines, pointing out that some majors allow students to graduate having never been exposed to sustainability-focused coursework. As UT updates its comprehensive plan in the coming years, Walker sees an opportunity to enhance the university’s sustainability strategy.
“We’ll encourage faculty to keep looking for new opportunities to define for themselves what sustainability means in their courses,” Walker said.
Despite challenges, Walker remains optimistic about the University’s progress.
“I’m really happy about the progress that’s happening on the curriculum side,” Walker said. “We see a lot of natural growth happening.”
With sustainability at the forefront in the coming year, students and faculty hope sustainability can be applied to any profession to drive innovation.
“With UT’s motto, ‘What starts here changes the world,’ sustainability is one of the things we all have to keep in mind as we go into the workforce,” Ribeiro said. “We have to start learning how to use our resources and do things in a manner that allows for future generations to also have access to these resources.”
