U of A among first to earn Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability

By Jade Norden, University Marketing and Communications

Sept. 22, 2026

Three people outdoors planting plants in the ground — University of Arizona students plant native grasses on Tumamoc Hill to encourage the re-establishment of native plants. The effort is an example of how the university integrates sustainability into hands-on learning, research and community engagement.

The Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability recognizes universities for integrating sustainability into its teaching, research, operations, career preparation and community engagement.

The University of Arizona is being recognized for weaving sustainability throughout its teaching, research, operations and community partnerships, becoming one of the first 14 institutions to receive the Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability.

The classification, hosted by the University of Colorado Boulder in partnership with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education, recognizes U.S. higher education institutions that embed sustainability into their broader mission.

Trevor Ledbetter, senior director of the Office of Sustainability, said the achievement reflects how sustainability is integrated throughout the U of A.

“As an institution, we are a community leader, thought leader and educator, so we need to be able to walk the walk when it comes to sustainability work,” Ledbetter said. “This classification is an exemplification of the fact that we are doing that work.”

The designation underscores the U of A’s long-term commitment to environmental science, climate resilience and sustainability, said Sharon Collinge, director of the Arizona Institute for Resilience.

“The classification provides a very valuable recognition of the work that people have been doing for a long time at the University of Arizona,” Collinge said. “It’s a strong signal to new and existing faculty, staff and students that this is the place they should come if they care about sustainability.”

The U of A’s location in the Sonoran Desert helped shape the application’s focus. With more than 300 days of sunshine each year and a hot, semi-arid climate, the university highlighted its sustainability work surrounding three interconnected challenges: heat, health and water.

"The classification stays with us for six years, so in many ways this is just the beginning of coming together to do more good work and to share work on sustainability across the university, with our regional community colleges and with our community partners,” said Andrea Romero, vice provost for Faculty Affairs. “We are excited and hopeful about our future work together to improve issues related to heat, water and health in this region."

The work highlighted in the application also demonstrates how sustainability supports the university’s strategic imperatives of Success for Every Student, Research that Shapes the Future, and Engagement with Our Communities to Create Opportunity.

Turning sustainability into student experience

Sustainability is part of the student experience through coursework, research, leadership and paid experiential learning.

The Office of Sustainability pays students who participate in its programs, helping reduce financial barriers to those opportunities. Its Campus Sustainability Fund is one example.

From 2021 to 2024, the fund awarded approximately $1.87 million in grants to 55 student-led sustainability and resilience projects. Students serve on a committee that reviews proposals, allocates funding and assesses impact.

Through CSF, students develop skills in grantmaking, project management and strategic planning, while advancing sustainability efforts across campus and the community.

Patrisia Gonzales shares a bowl of food during a community gathering in a colorful meeting room. — Patrisia Gonzales, advisor for the Rooted Remedios project, leads a workshop during an open house event.

The application highlighted a recent project, Rooted Remedios, that created a community-based medicinal garden centered on Indigenous knowledge, healing practices and intergenerational dialogue.

The Arizona Institute for Resilience provides students with additional paid opportunities through its Earth Grant and Resilience Internships and Student Experiences programs.

Earth Grant supports undergraduate teams working on sustainability projects with community organizations, while RISE allows students to conduct sustainability- and resilience-related research and projects at community organizations or university research labs. Over the past four years, the programs have connected several hundred students with these opportunities.

“It’s been a really valuable experience for students to participate in these programs and be paid,” said Collinge. “Often, if internships are unpaid, it’s hard for some students to access them.”

Across these opportunities, students build experience in leadership, research, communication, project management and community engagement – skills that support both academic success and future careers.

Turning research into resilience

The Arizona Institute for Resilience houses 15 interdisciplinary centers and initiatives focused on topics including climate adaptation, Indigenous resilience, heat mitigation and water-energy systems. AIR connects researchers with partners across education, government, Native Nations and international networks to develop solutions to climate challenges.

“AIR is very closely aligned with the Office of Sustainability in terms of research, education and community engagement,” said Collinge. “What we're really trying to do is provide the knowledge and research that informs communities' ability to adapt to environmental change.”

One example is the Climate Assessment for the Southwest, which works with local governments and nonprofit organizations to assess climate vulnerabilities and develop tools for adapting to challenges such as drought, wildfire and extreme heat.

CLIMAS’s urban heat island mapping has supported communities across Arizona and New Mexico, providing data that has informed cooling infrastructure investments and long-range planning.

Developing solutions with communities

The U of A partners with governments, schools, nonprofits, Tribal Nations and businesses to advance public health, address extreme heat, strengthen environmental resilience and promote water stewardship, translating research into action.

Panel discussion at the 2026 Southern Arizona Heat Summit, with speakers seated at a table and a presenter at a podium. — A panel at the 2026 Southern Arizona Heat Summit explored how extreme heat disproportionately impacts vulnerable communities across the region.

The Heat Resilience Initiative, an initiative under AIR, connects public health, urban planning and technology with Tribal and community leadership to develop solutions addressing extreme heat.

Through events such as the Southern Arizona Heat Summit, the initiative brings together agencies, nonprofits, researchers and community members to develop strategies such as city roadmaps and cooling interventions.

The initiative’s heat scorecard allows communities to compare heat mapping data and identify gaps. Tucson and Tempe have used the tool to guide updates to cooling infrastructure, transit access and neighborhood design. The tool is expanding to Baltimore, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Houston and Seattle.

The Indigenous Resilience Center, a program under AIR, takes another approach to partnership, centering on Indigenous knowledge and priorities.

IRes co-develops strategies with Tribal Nations around food, water and energy resilience. Its work includes projects that support traditional-food production and soil health on Tribal lands.

“The model for all of AIR is to co-develop solutions with our local governments, community partners, private sector organizations, working together collaboratively,” said Collinge.

A university wide effort

The U of A was part of the 2025 classification pilot program, which brought together 20 higher education institutions to help shape the framework, application process and review criteria.

A team from the Office of Sustainability, colleges and offices across the university helped develop the U of A’s application. The team included employees from the Office of the Provost, Office of Research and Partnerships, College of Education, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences and more.

Person checking a wildlife trail camera on a tree in a rocky, wooded outdoor area. — RISE intern checks a camera trap on the Santa Rita Experimental Range, contributing to a nationwide camera trap study called Snapshot USA.

Arizona Institute for Resilience

“Bringing this diverse group of people together really allowed us to scan the whole campus,” Collinge said. “It made for a much stronger application, because there were so many projects and programs to choose from.”

Between January and August 2025, the team gathered data, assessed U of A programs and compiled a comprehensive report on the university’s sustainability practices, research initiatives and community engagement efforts.

“There are so many things that are happening at this institution that folks just don't know about because we are so large, but are doing absolutely incredible and phenomenal work,” said Ledbetter. “It was really rewarding to be able to shine the spotlight on some of those programs.”

Together these efforts show how sustainability work throughout the university connects research, students’ experiences and community partnerships.

More on sustainability

Learn more about the U of A’s sustainability programs and initiatives in the employee news stories below.

Read more stories on sustainability and the environment on the U of A news website.