GREEN REPORT CARD for the Top 100 endowed colleges & universities

Parents Forum
1

<p>While researching college endowments, I came across this interesting group….
<a href="http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>About the Institute:

[quote]
The Sustainable Endowments Institute is a special project fund of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 2005, the Institute is engaged in research and education on the sustainability of higher education endowments.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>The Institute studies the endowment and sustainability practices of the “100 leading colleges and universities” which have the highest endowments. Note that because of this endowment value cut-off, only a handful of LACs make the list.</p>

<p>The institute “grades” colleges & universities in 7 sustainability categories:</p>

<p>Administration

[quote]
The Administration category addresses primarily formal-, administrative-, or trustee level
action regarding sustainability. This includes policies or commitments to
sustainability that are usually made in the institution’s mission statement or master plan,
but can also be through committing to local, national, or international agreements.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Climate & Energy Change

[quote]
The Climate Change & Energy category focuses on initiatives to improve energy
efficiency and conservation, and on efforts to obtain energy from renewable sources.
This may include conservation campaigns that encourage college community
members to monitor their energy consumption; retrofits of appliances or power
plants to make use of energy-efficient technology; conducting a carbon emissions
inventory and committing to emissions reduction goals; and making use of renewable
energy, either through direct purchases of renewable energy credits or through onsite
installation of clean energy resources.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Food & Recycling

[quote]
The Food & Recycling category looks primarily at dining services and its policies
and practices relating to sustainability….. The category also
examines campus-wide programs on recycling and composting.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Green Building

[quote]
The Green Building category looks at the policies and practices of schools’ adoption
and use of high-performance green building design. This includes the adoption of
campus-wide green building policies or guidelines, and the incorporation of green
building design features into retrofits of existing buildings.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Endowment Transparency

[quote]
The Endowment Transparency category looks at how colleges control information
about endowment investment holdings and shareholder proxy voting records. In
accordance with the academic tradition of fostering a free flow of information,
universities are encouraged to apply similar openness to endowment investments.
Access to endowment information is necessary within a college community to foster
constructive dialogue about opportunities for clean energy investment, as well as
shareholder voting priorities.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Investment Priorities

[quote]
The Investment Priorities category focuses on three areas: prioritizing investments to
maximize profit, investing in renewable energy funds, and investing in community
development loan funds.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Shareholder Engagement

[quote]
The Shareholder Engagement category examines how colleges conduct shareholder
proxy voting. As investors, colleges have an opportunity to actively consider, as well
as vote on, climate change and other sustainability-related shareholder resolutions.
Forming a shareholder responsibility committee to advise the trustees allows schools
to include students, faculty, and alumni in research and discussion of important
corporate policies on sustainability. In addition, such committees offer exceptional
educational opportunities at the intersection of policy, business, and sustainability.

[/quote]
</p>

2

<p>The Institute published a 2007 “Green Report Card” including an overall rating list and write-up on every one of the studied colleges & universities; the latter includes a description and rating per category per college/university, so there is lots and lots of information here:
<a href="http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/sustainability/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/sustainability/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The executive summary is at a minimum worth the read, IMHO.</p>

<p>I’ve sorted the Top 100 list below by overall grade (sorry, they didn’t sort like this, but I couldn’t resist):</p>

<p>Dartmouth College A-
Harvard University A-
Stanford University A-
Williams College A-
Middlebury College B+
University of Michigan B+
Yale University B+
Brown University B
Columbia University B
Duke University B
Smith College B
Swarthmore College B-
University of California B
University of Pennsylvania B
University of Wisconsin B
Vassar College B
Amherst College B-
Bowdoin College B-
Cornell University B-
Massachusetts Institute of Technology B-
Princeton University B-
Tufts University B-
University of British Columbia B-
University of Minnesota B-
University of Toronto B-
University of Washington B-
Berea College C+
Carleton College C+
Carnegie Mellon University C+
Case Western Reserve University C+
Georgetown University C+
Grinnell College C+
Johns Hopkins University C+
McGill University C+
Northwestern University C+
Oberlin College C+
Pennsylvania State University C+
Pomona College C+
Syracuse University C+
University of California, Los Angeles C+
University of Iowa C+
University of Tennessee C+
University of Texas C+
Wesleyan University C+
Emory University C
Georgia Institute of Technology C
Hamilton College C
Macalester College C
Michigan State University C
New York University C
Ohio State University C
Purdue University C
Southern Methodist University C
Texas A&M University C
Tulane University C
UNC at Chapel Hill C
University of Florida C
University of Illinois C
University of Louisville C
University of Maryland C
Washington State University C
Wellesley College C
Boston College C-
California Institute of Technology C-
George Washington University C-
Kansas University C-
Lehigh University C-
Northeastern University C-
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute C-
Rice University C-
University of Cincinnati C-
University of Delaware C-
University of Kentucky C-
University of Missouri C-
University of Oklahoma C-
University of Richmond C-
University of Rochester C-
Vanderbilt University C-
Washington & Lee University C-
Washington University in St. Louis C-
Baylor University D+
Lafayette College D+
ndiana University D+
Rockefeller University D+
University of Chicago D+
University of Nebraska D+
University of Virginia D+
Baylor College of Medicine D
Boston University D
Texas Christian University D
University of Alabama D
University of Arkansas D
University of Pittsburgh D
University of Southern California D
Wake Forest University D
Princeton Theological Seminary D-
Trinity University (Texas) D-
University of Notre Dame D-
University of Tulsa D-
Yeshiva University D-</p>

3

<p>Williams: <a href="http://www.williams.edu/resources/sustainability/index.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.williams.edu/resources/sustainability/index.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Colgate: <a href="http://groups.colgate.edu/greenstrides/default.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://groups.colgate.edu/greenstrides/default.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Middlebury: <a href="http://www.middlebury.edu/administration/enviro/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.middlebury.edu/administration/enviro/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Yale: <a href="http://www.yale.edu/sustainability/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.yale.edu/sustainability/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Pomona: <a href="http://www.pomona.edu/cpm/sustainability.shtml%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.pomona.edu/cpm/sustainability.shtml&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Vanderbilt: <a href="http://www.vanderbilt.edu/sustainvu/main_feature.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.vanderbilt.edu/sustainvu/main_feature.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Emory: <a href="http://www.emory.edu/sustainability.cfm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.emory.edu/sustainability.cfm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

4

<p>Papa Chicken:</p>

<p>This set of criteria which combine to produce a single grade ranging here from A- to D- is worse than the USN&WR ranking system in its subjectivity and mixing of apples and oranges. It is quite possible to conceive of a college that has no transparency whatsoever about investments (or invests in ventures that are objectionable to many but yield great financial rewards--think about the controversy over Harvard's investment in some companies that do business in the Sudan) yet is highly commended for its environmental awareness (again, think Harvard).
So what does this tell us that Harvard has a higher ranking than Yale of Princeton (or the overwhelming majority of institutions on this list?)</p>

5

<p>middlebury's striving to be carbon neutral by 2015</p>

6

<p>It is great to see that this issue is being taken up by so many schools. I know that Bennington, in April, will begin construction on a Biomass Heating System, converting 85% of its heating needs from fossil fuel to renewable biomass. The conversion will supply the campus with heat sourced from wood chips—a byproduct of local logging, lumber, and forest management—providing a renewable source of energy</p>

7

<p>Hmmm...the institute is based in Cambridge...</p>

<p>Marite-- I agree that any type of grading like this where significant subjectivity is used has major limitations. "Sustainability" has different meanings to different people, and some may weigh transparency more heavily (as I do, and I think you do too) and some may get their kicks from recycling. Arguably, like US News, the benefit of this type of analysis is in the details, perhaps as a starting point for those interested in this subject or a way to think about the components and what makes up a school's sustainability model. Yes, saying that an "A-" is better than a "B" is crazy, but learning about Carnegie Mellon's policy that all new buildings must be LEEDS certified may be of interest to some.</p>

<p>while I'm stoking the fire, here's a few subscores for the Endowment Transparency category....with the exception of a few, pretty low marks here...</p>

<p>Amherst D
Bowdoin F
Brown B
CalTech F
carleton F
Columbia B
Cornell F
Dartmouth A
Duke F
Emory D
Georgetown F
Grinnell F
Harvard C
Johns Hopkins F
MIT F
Middlebury C
Northwestern F
Pomona D
Princeton D
Rice F
Stanford C
Swarthmore B
U Cal Berkeley B
U Chicago F
U Michigan B
U Penn F
UVA F
Vanderbilt F
Wash U F
Wellesley F
Wesleyan F
Williams A
Yale D</p>

8

<p>Connecticut College isnt mentioned, but it was recently named the "greenest" school in the NESCAC.
<a href="http://aspen.conncoll.edu/news/3405.cfm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://aspen.conncoll.edu/news/3405.cfm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://greenliving.conncoll.edu/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://greenliving.conncoll.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

9

<p>this appears to be a primary college group in the sutainability arena...the Asssociation for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education:
<a href="http://www.aashe.org%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.aashe.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

10

<p>Oh, come on, Oberlin has built its entire new science complex as a self-sustaining entity, with settling ponds to provide energy within it, 100% recyclable building materials for every square inch including inside the walls, and conducts cutting-edge research on sustainability there. They just conducted the first "Green Graduation" for an LAC last spring. Half of the students eat in "Co-operatives," rather than the usual dorm dining systems, and the coops use local produce to support nearby farmers and save energy on transportation.
That should count for something, along with more abstract policies of how they invest their endowment. I saw Oberlin recently on a "top 10" for Green campus.
So what gives with this C+ mark? Bosh.</p>

11

<p>paying3tuitions-- you illustrate the subjectivity point....Oberlin's category "grades" for the green initiatives you mentioned are quite good, but they were dinged for endowment transparency, investment priorities, & shareholder engagement.</p>

<p>have a look: <a href="http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/sustainability/profile52.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/sustainability/profile52.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

12

<p>Have a look:
<a href="http://www.oberlin.edu/sustainability/portfolio/portfolio.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.oberlin.edu/sustainability/portfolio/portfolio.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I would argue that raising and educating a generation of student leaders who are constantly made aware of sustainability in ways that matter to college students has a lot of meaning. The endowment transparency is important to trustees and alumni, but perhaps PC compared to the hands-on experience of college students.</p>

<p>I am glad you brought this list to CC, however, even if I disagree vigorously with its rubric.</p>

13

<p>This report card was actually released several months ago and was a topic of conversation at Oberlin last semester. You can get some sense of student reaction from an article at <a href="http://www.oberlin.edu/stupub/ocreview/2007/03/16/news/Senate_Responds_to_Poor_Su.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.oberlin.edu/stupub/ocreview/2007/03/16/news/Senate_Responds_to_Poor_Su.html&lt;/a>. Certainly the ranking of Oberlin was not based on the latest policy, but that doesn't make the school immune to criticism. For instance, the "science complex" paying3tuitions describes is in fact the environmental studies building; the science center, which is newer, is utterly unimpressive in its efficiency. That said, the college has committed to building to LEED standards in the future, and current policies are pretty good.</p>