State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced the second cohort of SUNY’s Sustainability Faculty Fellows, which included Farmingdale State College (FSC) Architecture and Construction Management Professor and Registered Architect Orla Smyth LoPiccolo M Arch, PDip (CM), CPHD, and Business Management Professor Jing Betty Feng, PhD. 

This year’s Sustainability Faculty Fellows will build on the success of last year’s program and will continue to work to assist faculty across the system in incorporating sustainability and climate topics into a wide range of courses.

In total, 12 fellows representing 10 SUNY campuses were selected to strengthen curricular programs on climate and sustainability for students and faculty across SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities.

Chancellor King and SUNY Board Trustee Stanley Litow had a chance to personally congratulate Smyth LoPiccolo and Feng during a recent visit to FSC’s campus. 

“SUNY is leading the way in helping New York State achieve its climate and sustainability goals,” said Chancellor King. “Through the work of SUNY’s Sustainability Faculty Fellows, we are inspiring our students to build a resilient and sustainable future. Our students are eager to lead the way in tackling global challenges like climate change, and I am proud of the work of our dedicated faculty members to prepare the next generation of climate-conscious individuals.”

“SUNY is committed to providing our students with the tools they need to be knowledgeable about climate change and sustainability, and we are proud to be a leader in New York State’s sustainability efforts, said Trustee Litow and the SUNY Board of Trustees. “We applaud the faculty members selected to be Sustainability Faculty Fellows for their leadership in this field.”

Announced in September 2025, the inaugural cohort of Sustainability Faculty Fellows worked to advance climate literacy in the curriculum throughout the SUNY system by providing webinars and resources, including support for the discipline-specific incorporation of sustainability topics in readings, case studies, and problem sets.

The second cohort of Sustainability Faculty Fellows will continue to advance climate literacy and knowledge of sustainability topics throughout the SUNY system by developing pedagogical resources and providing support for faculty as they develop and teach courses across a broad spectrum of disciplines and levels of study from Microcredentials through doctoral programs. 

For this year, the Fellows will also work to provide support for SUNY faculty who are teaching future teachers to meet the New York State Education Department’s requirement for the inclusion of climate education in the P-12 curriculum. The Fellows were selected following an open call for nominations.

“I am delighted to be named a SUNY Sustainability Faculty Fellow again, along with Dr. Nick Henshue of the University at Buffalo,” said Smyth LoPiccolo. “I greatly enjoyed being part of this very productive group last academic year, and I look forward to continuing our work with all of the Fellows. Sustainability touches every discipline and our daily lives like a web, connecting the decisions we make in our classrooms, professions, communities, and homes. I am excited to build on the work we began last year and to help advance sustainability across SUNY as we work toward our new goals.”

“Higher education plays a critical role in preparing students to address economic, social, and environmental sustainability challenges at every level, from local communities to the global stage,” said Feng. “My ongoing teaching and scholarship explore the intersection of sustainability and AI in organizations. After serving as a SUNY AI Fellow last year, I chose to continue as a SUNY Sustainability Fellow because I see tremendous potential in integrating these fields across disciplines to advance the public good and help shape a more sustainable future.”

The Sustainability Faculty Fellows initiative builds on SUNY’s continued work to advance leadership in sustainability and climate solutions for the future.

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