Sustainability & Engaged Scholarship Fellow, Swarthmore College

Posted by Swarthmore College on June 4, 2018

Swarthmore’s Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility is currently accepting applications for the position of Sustainability and Engaged Scholarship Fellow. This position is full-time for a 12-month term with a possibility of renewal. Your schedule will consist of 35 hours per week with a start date of as close to July 1, 2018.

This position will assist the Executive Director and collaborate closely with the Office of Sustainability, Environmental Studies, and other campus departments on a variety of activities and initiatives, including (but not limited to) encouraging broader student engagement with sustainability on campus and the continued to development of campus as a living lab for sustainability learning and research, coordinating activities associated with the President’s Sustainability Research Fellowship Program (PSRF), and supporting the development of a new prospective program at the intersection of environmental resilience, social justice, and community engagement.

PSRF is a 9-month course and internship organized jointly by the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility, the Office of Sustainability, Environmental Studies, and the Office of the President. Approximately twelve undergraduate students are engaged in a yearlong academic course and associated paid internship working to solve campus sustainability challenges in partnership with staff, faculty, and the local community. Students effect tangible change on campus while building skills in project management, leadership, communication, presentation, environmental systems, change management, and research and analysis.

The College has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2035 and 80% waste diversion by 2022, and preserving the 200-acre Crum Woods as a pedagogical, recreational, and ecological resource for the campus and surrounding community. The College is also a leader in carbon pricing among higher education institutions. The Fellow will work closely with the various Ecosphere committees on campus including Crum Woods Stewardship, Sustainability, Carbon Charge, and a variety of working groups.

The Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility, with support from the Office of Sustainability, has convened preliminary discussions regarding the development of a program envisioned to be at the intersection of environmental resilience, social justice, and community engagement. These discussions have included the President’s Office, the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Building, the Black Cultural Center, Peace and Conflict Studies, and Environmental Studies. Over the coming academic year the Fellow will provide administrative support and contribute to the design and implementation of a strategy to engage the campus and broader community in envisioning how such a program could meet the mission of the College, support engaged scholarship, and serve the needs of community partners.

Qualified candidates must possess a Bachelor’s degree and knowledge of (or willingness to learn about) sustainability, community-based learning (CBL) pedagogy and community-based research (CBR) procedures, local community dynamics, and Swarthmore College policies and procedures. Candidates must have the ability to collaborate with students and staff as part of various teams; be sensitive to issues of diversity; and demonstrate interest in issues relating to sustainability, community-based learning and research, and community engagement. Candidates should have the capability to serve as a liaison between the College’s growing sustainability programs and both internal and external constituencies. Excellent skills in verbal and written communications and organization are also required.

Successful incumbent must possess advanced computer literacy and skills required, including knowledge of Word, Excel, e-calendar systems (i.e. Google Galendar), webpage maintenance, and internet proficiency. Candidate must have demonstrated strengths with interpersonal communications and high degree of professional decorum.

Preference will be given to recent graduates who possess a deep familiarity with Swarthmore College, and in particular a familiarity with the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility and its mission of civic education and partnership with local communities and the Office of Sustainability and its mission of integrating sustainability into teaching, learning, research, and operations of the campus.

Swarthmore College actively seeks and welcomes applications from candidates with exceptional qualifications, particularly those with demonstrable commitments to a more inclusive society and world. Swarthmore College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

http://careers.swarthmore.edu/cw/en-us/job/493676/sustainability-engaged-scholarship-fellow