Piedmont Project Highlights
The Piedmont Project launched in 2001, and since that time, this interdisciplinary summer development program has given scores of faculty members and administrators the tools, connections and inspiration to infuse sustainability and environmental issues into the classroom and beyond. In 2004, the Piedmont Project was expanded to include a one-day workshop for graduate students, and Emory now hosts a workshop to demonstrate how the Project works to leaders from other universities.
For more than 20 years, the Piedmont Project has served 302 participants, including 292 faculty members. In 2024, 79.10% of Emory departments offered sustainability courses, and thousands of students a year are engaged in the new or renovated courses taught by Piedmont Project faculty.
From 2015-2025, we plan to ensure that the number of sustainability-related courses available will continue to increase, and the Piedmont Project is critical to achieving that goal.
Piedmont Project Benefits
- Each Piedmont project cohort represents a variety of departments, programs, and schools, which strengthens creativity and builds campus community.
- Learning about concrete examples from the Atlanta region fortifies a sense of place and supports imaginative connections for the courses.
- Examples of creative teaching efforts from the program include: A collaboration between the Russian and Theater department in which students read Chekhov outdoors, a team-taught course called “Water in Science, Philosophy, and Literature”, and a Chinese course that assigned students to create pamphlets in Chinese about sustainability at Emory
- Participating faculty members reported a growing awareness of sustainability which led them to new research pursuits, publications, and lifestyle changes. Read publications from faculty to learn about their Piedmont Project experiences.
How It Works
- Each summer, 20 faculty applicants are accepted to participate in the four-part program designed to help faculty develop new courses or new course modules. The Piedmont Teaching Assistant Training and Teaching Opportunity Program (TATTO) is a one-day version of the program designed for 10-20 graduate students.
- Piedmont Project participants develop syllabi and then come together for a field trip at the end of the summer to share their experiences.
- The Piedmont Project has been funded by Emory Innovative Teaching grants and the Provost’s Office, and is currently supported by deans of the undergraduate and professional schools.
- The application for the 2027 Piedmont Project will open from December 2026 to March 2027. Stay tuned by checking our website again later or following Emory Office of Sustainability Initiatives newsletter! Want to know more? Browse syllabi/statements from past participants.