Buckley Center renamed SPIKE Center for Sustainability Education
Left to right: Vice Chancellor for Sustainability Andrew Mayock, alumnus and donor Spike Buckley, and Chancellor Justin Schwartz at the signing ceremony.
The Buckley Center for Sustainability Education at CU Boulder, launched last summer with a transformative $10 million gift from alumnus Spike Buckley, has been renamed the SPIKE Center for Sustainability Education to reflect dynamism and its growing role as a hub for sustainability learning and leadership on campus and beyond.
Established with a $10 million, venture-style investment to accelerate sustainability education at CU Boulder, the center was created to integrate sustainability concepts across courses and disciplines; support faculty innovation in sustainability teaching; and empower students with experiential learning, civic engagement and leadership opportunities. The center serves as an accelerator to expand sustainability curriculum, advance faculty impact and prepare students to address the urgent environmental challenges of our time.
“This support has allowed us to build a dynamic, collaborative space that will help students and faculty bring sustainability into every corner of campus,” said Andrew Mayock, vice chancellor for sustainability at CU Boulder. “Renaming the center honors the vision and continued commitment of John ‘Spike’ Buckley as this work continues to grow.”
With the new name in place, the center is also unveiling updates to its suite of programs, which will now be branded under the SPIKE umbrella to strengthen identity and coherence across initiatives. These include:
- SPIKE Faculty Fellows
- SPIKE Curriculum Ambassadors
- SPIKE Faculty Affiliates
- SPIKE Student Emissaries
- SPIKE Student Scholars
“Our SPIKE programs are designed to empower learners at every level, from first-year students to advanced scholars, to bring sustainability into their work, communities and careers,” said Max Boykoff, faculty executive director of the SPIKE Center. “By connecting teaching, curriculum and experiential learning through the SPIKE Center to partners in research and practice, we are helping CU Boulder not just respond to the climate crisis, but to transform how education equips people to shape a more just and resilient future.”
The renaming coincides with a phase of strategic expansion for the center as it deepens partnerships across campus units and with community, state, national and international collaborators. The SPIKE Center continues to advance CU Boulder’s leadership in sustainability education by supporting course development, teaching collaborations, and new tools and modules that help integrate sustainability into curricula across academic programs.
CU Boulder’s ongoing focus on sustainability education builds on a strong institutional legacy of environmental leadership, from early achievements like launching the nation’s first campus recycling program, to maintaining a STARS Gold rating for sustainability excellence.
Looking ahead, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Sustainability and the SPIKE Center for Sustainability Education invite faculty, students, staff and community partners to engage in shaping the next phase of sustainability education, helping to educate the climate leaders of the future and advance solutions for a thriving, equitable and sustainable world.
Get more details on programs and opportunities to get involved.