| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 70.78 |
| Liaison | Julia Carlow |
| Submission Date | July 25, 2024 |
American University of Sharjah
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Julia
Carlow Acting Head of Sustainability Sustainability |
Is the institution currently a member of a national or international higher education sustainability network?:
The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):
American University of Sharjah (AUS) has been an active member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) since 2019 and was the first university in the MENA region to receive an AASHE STARS rating. https://www.aus.edu/media/news/aus-becomes-the-first-university-in-the-mena-region-to-receive-stars-rating-for
Does the institution actively participate in a regional, state/provincial, or local higher education sustainability network?:
The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):
American University of Sharjah (AUS) is a founding member of the UAE Universities Climate Network (UCN), which comprises 33 UAE-based universities and higher education institutions working together to drive engagement among youth and academia in the lead up to COP28 and beyond. The Universities Climate Network supports a more inclusive and participatory environment for young people to be leaders in climate action. Continuing the positive legacy established at previous COPs, the Universities Climate Network mobilizes young people through meaningful dialogue and amplifies the key role that universities play in nurturing innovation and providing young voices platforms to express their views and to contribute to policy shaping discussions that are most important to their needs. AUS is co-leading the Campus Decarbonization Pillar for the UCN.
https://www.cop28.com/en/universities
American University of Sharjah has been an active member of the Sustainable Campus Initiative (SCI), hosted by the Environmental Agency - Abu Dhabi since 2014. This is a local university network which aims
- to support university students in assessing and continually addressing their environmental impact on their campuses through campus audits
- to assist university students in identifying and addressing an issue of sustainability in the community by undertaking a Sustainability Action project ( SAP)
- to provide a platform for youth to network within the country through a monthly Green Youth Majlis
- to facilitate collaboration with global and regional youth sustainability networks through youth events and conferences
https://www.ead.gov.ae/en/Join-the-Movement/Youth/Become-a-Sustainable-Campus
Has the institution presented at a higher education sustainability conference during the previous year?:
A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):
A representative from the AUS Office of Sustainability presented at the International Association of Student Affairs Services (IASAS) Global Summit 2024, which took place in Daegu, South Korea, from May 21 to 25, 2024 and brought together student affairs leaders from around the globe to discuss "Education Institutions and Student Affairs Driving Sustainable Change". The focus of the 2024 Summit focused on exploring sustainable practices and initiatives that can be implemented within educational institutions to promote environmental, social, and economic responsibility with a focus on universities as laboratories for sustainable change like NetZero, climate action, sustainable cities, and micro-mobility.
Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to an external higher education sustainability resource center or awards program?:
A list or brief description of the sustainability resource center or awards program and submission(s):
American University of Sharjah submits a yearly Green Campus Audit (GCA) and a Sustainable Action Project (SAP) for the Sustainable Campus Initiative (SCI).
Submitted Projects in academic years 2018/19 and 2019/20 both won best GCA.
Has the institution had employees or students serving on a board or committee of a sustainability network or conference during the previous three years?:
A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):
A staff member of AUS Sustainability is currently appointed to the AASHE Advisory Council. This is a two year term, which initially started in January 2021 and has since been renewed for a second term.
Does the institution have an ongoing mentoring relationship with another institution through which it assists the institution with its sustainability reporting and/or the development of its sustainability program?:
A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:
A representative of the AUS Office of Sustainability has participated in the AASHE 2023-2024 Mentorship & Peer Collaboration Program.
Has the institution had employees or students serving as peer reviewers of another institution’s sustainability data and/or STARS submission during the previous three years?:
A brief description of the peer review activities:
Optional Fields
American University of Sharjah (AUS) has been partnering with NYU Abu Dhabi since 2019 to co-host a yearly student-led conference on climate action, the "Higher Education Climate Dialogues" (HECD). Mentored by members of the AUS Office of Sustainability, the conference aims to provide a platform for youth collaboration on climate action in the UAE and enable meaningful conversations between higher education, the government and the private sector. The most recent HECD took place at AUS on May 04, 2024.
In the lead up to COP28, AUS students officially co-hosted the 18th Conference of Youth (COY18), the largest youth conference on multilateral UN climate processes, together with students from NYUAD and the Arab Youth Center. Serving as a space for capacity building and policy training to prepare young people for participation at COP28, COY18 empowers youth, formally bringing their voices to help shape the intergovernmental climate change policies to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), under which COP is running, and contributes directly into climate negotiations via the official youth policy paper. COY is considered the official gathering of interested youth and YOUNGO members—the official children and youth constituency of UNFCCC.
https://www.aus.edu/media/news/aus-to-co-host-global-conference-of-youth-as-part-of-cop28
Website URL where information about the institution’s inter-campus collaborations is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.