CHC classes: HC 241 Environmental Problem-Solving; HC 277 Thesis Orientation
Hometown: Toukar and Dakar, Senegal, West Africa
Song on repeat: “One Love” by Bob Marley
What's in the fridge: Tofu and fresh vegetables
Guilty pleasure: Dark chocolate pistachio ice cream
Coffee or tea: Both, and please serve the tea with mint
Why I teach at the CHC: The neat community of students, faculty and staff.
I try to: Pay greater attention to the environment and champion sustainable living. What happens in the cities of Dakar and Banjul is quite similar to things that happen in Oregon around development and the environment. I want students who go on this trip to see the real vision of West Africa.

When Clark Honors College Instructor of Natural Sciences Jean Faye reminisces about his home country of Senegal, his memories usually steer toward three key aspects: the adverse impacts of climate change on the local population, Senegal’s status as the leading democracy in Africa, and how students who have taken a journey back with him come to understand and value the cosmopolitan ambiance of a prosperous nation.

“In many ways, Senegal is a place that tears down the stereotypical notions of what the continent of Africa represents in the minds of many westerners,” says Faye, who is in his first year at the Clark Honors College. “This is a place where students gain insights into the progress made by West Africans on critical issues that have the potential to make the world a better place.”

Faye is a core faculty member at the CHC and holds a Ph.D in environmental sciences, studies and policy from the UO. Prior to joining the CHC, he served as an assistant professor at Centre College in Kentucky.

At the Honors College, he teaches courses such as Africa’s Environment, Health and Development – designed to help students understand how to approach climate change, the over-reliance on natural resources, and how nations exploit Africa’s environmental riches.

His research focuses on the Sahel region, and he collaborates with students to investigate indigenous land use and farming practices that enhance climate change resilience and food security.  

This summer, Faye will guide a group of 12 CHC and other UO students to West Africa where they will have the opportunity to participate in hands-on environmental research and job shadows with scientists, doctors and non-government organizations that address climate change. The program, “Environmental Change and Community Development: Senegal and The Gambia,” is open to rising sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Participation in the four-week academic excursion to Senegal and The Gambia will earn students eight credit hours and fulfills social science and environmental science colloquium requirements for the CHC. Students who are from outside the Honors College should check with their advisors for the type of credit they can get.

“My hope is that students see the experience of how the work is done by doctors at a local hospital,” Faye says. “I want them to see how a few people work to keep the beaches clean, to protect wildlife, to understand the world of natural resources and how it impacts indigenous people. I want them to see what leaders are doing to improve health and livability.” 

Faye’s most recent academic trip to Senegal happened in January 2024, involving a program at Centre College where he led a group of students for three weeks. While there, students engaged in both job shadows and cultural exploration, attending various cultural events. They met academic leaders and others involved with maintaining medical and healthcare facilities.

Ella Crumpton, now a Centre College junior who is on the pre-med academic track and majoring in chemistry, says the trip to Senegal and The Gambia gave her a fresh perspective on traveling overseas.

“For some reason, I was a little hesitant at first with going to West Africa,” she recalls. “I remember thinking this was going to be super different from the places I was used to, and I had never traveled out of the country before then.

“But with my area of study, this turned out to be the most gratifying experience I have had when it comes to travel. I just got back this past fall from studying abroad in France and I can honestly say the West Africa trip was so much better.”

Crumpton says the visits to medical facilities and being able to shadow doctors was fulfilling, along with seeing both urban and rural places where everyone “was so welcoming.”

Her favorite highlight of the trip? Visiting an infectious disease research center in The Gambia. “I definitely came away with the feeling that this trip gave me so much more knowledge about public health than anything I had ever seen,” she says now.

Dennis Galvan, dean and vice provost of the UO’s Division of Global Engagement and a professor of political science, encourages Honors College and other students to sign up soon for Faye’s summer course. He sees the trip as something that will transform the student experience in college.

“I studied abroad as an undergrad in Senegal, and it completely changed my life,” he says. “We want our students now to experience the whole world’s rich diversity. And this program is a shining example of getting to know a completely different region where little known and exciting work is being done on climate change, inclusion and keep democracy working. I hope that many of our students will get to discover the wonders of West Africa with Jean Faye.” 

The deadline for signing up for the study abroad course is March 15, 2025. For more information, contact Faye at jfaye@uoregon.edu or fill out an application to sign up for the trip.