John Farnsworth’s estate gift provides SCU with an ongoing stream of revenue for advancing sustainability initiatives close to his heart.
How does literature inform our understanding of nature, and what might these texts say about how the planet looks from different perspectives? How does it expand our understanding of the interplay between humans and the natural world?
While environmental studies are typically the realm of scientists and policymakers—and not literary critics—for retired SCU faculty member John Farnsworth, literature provides a valuable way to deepen our relationship with the natural world. In his most recent book, Nature Beyond Solitude, John visits a series of field stations, taking readers on a journey with scientists, citizen scientists, rangers, stewards, and grad students working in the field.
But John’s interest in the intersection between literature and environmental studies began years before. “In the same way an English scholar might specialize in Shakespeare, my interest has always been in nature writing,” he explains.
Early in his teaching career, he was asked to develop an advanced writing course for Environmental Studies majors, “which was a new discipline in that era,” and became the first faculty member to hold a joint appointment in the English and Environmental Studies departments.
John was also instrumental in establishing Santa Clara’s Center for Sustainability in 2008, which helps the University achieve climate neutrality, encourages responsible consumerism, builds a campus culture of sustainability, and utilizes the campus as a living laboratory for developing global solutions.
Yet, with each subsequent generation of students, demand for courses in environmental studies continues to climb. “Students arriving on campus today have a much broader understanding of—and interest in—environmental studies and sustainability issues than ever before,” John says.
Since John first launched a writing course for environmental science majors, thanks to his efforts to make environmentalism part of the curriculum, the University now offers more than 1,000 courses with sustainability as the theme.
John’s recent estate gift to establish the Carol and John Farnsworth Fund for the Center for Sustainability provides an ongoing stream of revenue that allows for critical financial flexibility in sustaining and growing the Center’s programs.
Working with students has always been John’s passion, and he was awarded the College of Arts and Sciences’ highest teaching award in 2016. However, after 21 years in the classroom, John retired to devote his energy to writing full-time.
In addition to Nature Beyond Solitude, John, a prolific author, published Coves of Departure: Field Notes from the Sea of Cortez in 2018, recounting his explorations of the Baja peninsula and the Sea of Cortez. He is currently working on another manuscript about the ecology of the Pacific Northwest. “Although I still relate to the environment as a lifelong student of natural history, I’m doing so with a newfound freedom that enables me to peer differently into the world around me,” he says.
Support from John and loyal friends like you helps SCU advance our distinctive Jesuit education by investing in student scholarships and access, faculty and teaching, and the state-of-the-art Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation—all made possible by Innovating with a Mission, the Campaign for SCU. To learn how you can use your estate plan to help SCU forge the next generation of ethical leaders, please contact the Office of Planned Giving at 408-554-2108 or giftplanning@scu.edu today.