November 21, 2024

Dear Colleagues:

It gives me great pleasure to announce the appointment of Dr. Courtney Schultz as the new Director of the School of Global Environmental Sustainability (SoGES), effective January 15, 2025. Dr. Schultz has successfully led Colorado State University’s Climate Initiative, strategically cultivating its impressive state and national reputation in a relatively short period of time since the initiative’s launch in 2023. She is the perfect leader to move forward SoGES’ important work in sustainability and climate education, research, and engagement at CSU.

In addition to her current role as Director of the CSU Climate Initiative, Dr. Schultz is a Professor of Natural Resource Policy in Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Director of the Public Lands Policy Group, and has served as a Presidential Fellow in Climate Change Analysis with the Office of the Vice President for Research. In all she has accomplished as a leader, researcher, and educator in her career, she has set a bar for excellence both at CSU and in national conversations on sustainability in a land-grant environment.

In her role as SoGES Director, Dr. Schultz will be charged with the development and implementation of a strong actionable vision for the future of the School and its role both at CSU and in the national and international arenas in sustainability and climate change. She also will lead the integration of the School with the Climate Initiative and assess potential integration and alignment with other intellectually adjacent centers and efforts.

Dr. Schultz is a dynamic, visionary leader with broad experience in global environmental sustainability and with deep knowledge of climate change and its impact on the sustainability of our planet and all its life systems. I am excited to see what she will achieve in this new role. SoGES was founded in 2008 to confront global changes in the environment by providing the cross-college infrastructure to better integrate and more fully capitalize on the University’s historic strength in socio-environmental research and education.

I have many people to thank in the successful outcome of the search for a new SoGES director to succeed the late Dr. Diana Wall who was the School’s inaugural director and one of the world’s most internationally respected environmental scientists. First of all, I am grateful to Peter Backlund who has served as SoGES Interim Director since Dr. Wall’s unexpected passing last spring. Transitioning to the interim role from his position as the Associate Director of SoGES, Peter provided much needed continuity and trusted leadership as we searched for the next director.

I also want to thank Dr. Jan Leach who chaired the search committee and those who served alongside her in conducting a very thoughtful, collaborative, and successful process. And of course, I am grateful to our campus community members who participated in this search through meeting with our finalists, attending public fora, and providing feedback.

Sincerely,

Marion

Marion K. Underwood, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice President
Colorado State University