An ad hoc committee under the Science and Technology for Sustainability (STS) Program, in collaboration with the Board on Higher Education and Workforce (BHEW), will plan and conduct a series of three public workshops focused on strengthening sustainability programs and curricula at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the United States. Each workshop will examine different approaches and drivers for a coherent competency- and skill-based curriculum in the growing number of higher education sustainability programs, in order to connect them to the issues addressed through such frameworks as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the priorities of end users, including the private and public sectors. Specific issues to be addressed in the workshops may include:

• Providing an overview of current practices and major advances in sustainability education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, both domestically and internationally, including trends in expansion across programs and disciplines and promising new approaches;
• Examining a comprehensive set of key competencies critical for sustainability education, and identifying knowledge gaps and critical barriers related to the effective development of common core competencies for interdisciplinary sustainability programs;
• Identifying strengths, gaps, priorities, and opportunities for university engagement with the SDGs, including accreditation of programs or national-level organizations to support and guide sustainability programs;
• Fostering partnerships between schools, universities, sectors, regions, and nations in sustainability higher education with enhanced recognition of the SDGs; and
• Discussing research agendas related to sustainability and the SDGs and the role of academic institutions to inform post 2030 processes.

Based on the content of the three workshops, the committee will produce a report that provides findings and recommendations for strengthening sustainability programs and curricula at the undergraduate and graduate levels that relate to the SDGs and other relevant sustainability frameworks. In addition, workshop proceedings in brief will be issued for the first two workshops.