{"686351":{"#nid":"686351","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Community Spotlight \u2013 Rebecca Watts Hull","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERebecca Watts Hull wants to transform what students learn and how faculty across campus connect, innovate, and inspire action for a sustainable future. The assistant director for Faculty Development for Sustainability Education Initiatives in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ctl.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Teaching and Learning\u003C\/a\u003E brings a collaborative spirit that\u2019s made her an invaluable partner to Georgia Tech\u2019s Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems (BBISS) and to faculty interested in showing the real-world relevance of sustainability in their classrooms.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHer path to Georgia Tech was shaped by years of hands-on experience in nonprofit environmental advocacy, driving partnerships among medical professionals, scientists, and educators to protect air quality and children\u2019s health. \u201cI kept asking myself why it is,\u201d she says, \u201cthat in a city like Atlanta, with all these higher education institutions and one of the largest concentrations of nonprofit organizations in the country, there weren\u2019t more partnerships between nonprofits and academia.\u201d Watts Hull says she was confused since the two groups \u201coften care about and are aiming to advance the same things.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2013, while teaching a continuing education course on sustainability leadership at Emory University, Watts Hull realized that sustainability in higher education was taking off. She pivoted to pursue a Ph.D. at Georgia Tech in history and sociology, and later joined Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/georgia-tech-announces-institutionalization-plan-serve-learn-sustain\u0022\u003EServe-Learn-Sustain\u003C\/a\u003E (SLS) program, established to build bridges between the university and community partners.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/strategicplan.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Estrategic plan\u003C\/a\u003E elevated sustainability as a core value, Watts Hull served on the \u201cAmplify Impact\u201d team to help shape the strategy and implementation of the plan. An immediate result was the creation of her role within the Center for Teaching and Learning, specifically around sustainability and the United Nations\u2019 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). \u201cOur aim is to equip students to become true change makers, who can advance the SDGs and fulfill Georgia Tech\u2019s mission of improving not only technology, but also lives and communities,\u201d she explains.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECentral to her approach are partnerships with other units, including BBISS, which unites faculty and researchers across the Institute who are focused on sustainability. Watts Hull leads the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ctl.gatech.edu\/transformative-teaching-with-sustainability-and-the-sdgs\/\u0022\u003ECommunity of Practice on Transformative Teaching with the SDGs\u003C\/a\u003E, an initiative in its third year. \u201cIt\u2019s a space where faculty can learn from each other how to teach sustainability in different disciplines,\u201d she says. In addition, participants engage in outreach, sharing cross-disciplinary strategies and creative classroom approaches at Georgia Tech events and conferences.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWatts Hull says incorporating sustainability into courses not only enhances students\u2019 overall learning and motivation but also helps faculty find renewed meaning and enjoyment in their teaching. \u201cWell-designed, real-world projects help students see the importance of what they\u2019re learning, and they stay engaged,\u201d she notes. \u201cBut it\u2019s also true that faculty feel more inspired when they know their teaching matters for big, pressing challenges.\u201d One way faculty can engage is by applying for \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/blog.ctl.gatech.edu\/2025\/05\/19\/2025-2026-undergraduate-sustainability-education-innovation-grants-awarded\/\u0022\u003EUndergraduate Sustainability Education Innovation\u003C\/a\u003E grants. To date, 60 awards have been granted to faculty across campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESupporting student and faculty success is a family affair. Her husband, Jonathan, serves as associate vice chancellor for Student and Faculty Success for the University System of Georgia. \u201cOur work both relates to teaching and learning, so we enjoy sharing that in common,\u201d says Watts Hull, whose early community work included serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Uganda.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMost recently, the busy administrator has contributed a chapter to a 2025 book, \u003Cem\u003EHigher Education\u2019s Leadership in Climate Action and Sustainability,\u003C\/em\u003E where she highlights five strategies for scaling up faculty engagement in sustainability across the curriculum.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of her favorite pastimes is hiking in North Georgia, especially on Blood Mountain, the state\u2019s highest summit along the Appalachian Trail. \u201cThe view from the top is just spectacular,\u201d she says. It\u2019s a fitting parallel to the ongoing journey toward a more sustainable future at Georgia Tech, one step \u2014 and partnership \u2014 at a time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u2014Anne Wainscott-Sargent\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Championing Sustainability Education and Faculty Partnerships at Georgia Tech"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWatts Hull says incorporating sustainability into courses not only enhances students\u2019 overall learning and motivation but also helps faculty find renewed meaning and enjoyment in their teaching.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Rebecca Watts Hull wants to transform what students learn and how faculty across campus connect, innovate, and inspire action for a sustainable future."}],"uid":"27338","created_gmt":"2025-11-11 16:45:07","changed_gmt":"2025-11-11 20:37:35","author":"Brent Verrill","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-11-11T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-11-11T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678592":{"id":"678592","type":"image","title":"Rebecca_Watts_Hull_Pic_cropped.jpg","body":null,"created":"1762879539","gmt_created":"2025-11-11 16:45:39","changed":"1762879539","gmt_changed":"2025-11-11 16:45:39","alt":"Rebecca Watts Hull and her husband Jonathan pose at a scenic overlook on a hiking trip.","file":{"fid":"262647","name":"Rebecca_Watts_Hull_Pic_cropped.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/11\/11\/Rebecca_Watts_Hull_Pic_cropped.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/11\/11\/Rebecca_Watts_Hull_Pic_cropped.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3476641,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/11\/11\/Rebecca_Watts_Hull_Pic_cropped.jpg?itok=RRXisl4h"}}},"media_ids":["678592"],"groups":[{"id":"244191","name":"Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems"}],"categories":[{"id":"132","name":"Institute Leadership"}],"keywords":[{"id":"188360","name":"go-bbiss"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"194566","name":"Sustainable Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:brent.verrill@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EBrent Verrill\u003C\/a\u003E, Research Communications Program Manager, BBISS\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["brent.verrill@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}