Each year a member of the University of Michigan's faculty with expertise in sustainability offers to serve as a contact, resource, and support for SLE students. Throughout the academic year the Faculty Fellow attends and hosts events providing opportunities to get to know each other in casual, small-group settings. The first SLE Faculty Fellow was Professor Ray De Young (SEAS: Behavior, Education, & Community), who visited SLE several times and shared information with students about his research on the many benefits of spending time in natural settings. Last year Professor Sara Soderstrom (LSA: Organizational Studies & Program in the Environment) enjoyed lunch with students several times and shared her expertise on sustainability and organizational change.

This school year SLE is honored to have Dr. Jose Alfaro join our community, Assistant Professor of Practice with the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS). Dr. Alfaro works with the SEAS Sustainable Systems program, where he uses computer modeling to understand complex systems including policy and decision-making related to development and sustainability. He is also founder and faculty director of Sustainability Without Borders, an international program that connects students with community-based sustainability projects around the globe. He will bring his extensive experience in partnerships for sustainability with governments, NGO's, businesses and other community partners to the SLE community in the 2019-2020 school year.