Auburn University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

The purpose of the Academic Sustainability Advisory Committee (ASAC) is to serve in a guiding and advising capacity to the Director of Academic Sustainability Programs (ASP), in the form of consultations and input via regular group meetings of committee members who consist of faculty representatives from all major undergraduate academic units on campus, as well as administrators of related programs, and student representatives. The committee shall advise about all aspects of ASP activities, including curriculum development, faculty training, support of sustainability-related research, coordination with the Office of Sustainability and the AU Facilities Division, and supervision of the Minor in Sustainability Studies. The Director of ASP shall inform the committee members at least once each year in a formal group meeting about recent trends and status of all major program activities, and invite feedback and suggestions for improvement of the programs. This advisory committee is designed to be highly interdisciplinary and to include the representation of all major academic disciplines on campus, with the goal of building and maintaining a strong, cross-disciplinary framework for the Academic Sustainability Programs that serve all faculty and students at Auburn University. Faculty members represent their respective colleges and schools.

Dr. Sarah Hamilton, Academic Sustainability Program Director and committee chair; Dr. Miriam Wyman, Minor in Sustainability Studies instructor; Dr. Giovanna Summerfield, Professor and Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts; Dr. Caralise Hunt, Professor and Associate Dean, School of Nursing; Dr Christopher Anderson, Professor, School of Forestry & Wildlife Sciences; Dr. Chandana Mitra, Associate Professor, College of Science & Mathematics; James Spiers, Associate Professor, College of Agriculture; Dr. Keith Rahn, College of Architecture Design & Construction; Dr. Sean Forbes, Associate Professor, College of Education; Jeffrey Fergus, Associate Dean and Professor, College of Engineering Kate Thornton, Associate Professor, College of Human Sciences; Dr. Tiffany Sippial, Director of the Honors College; Lorraine Wolf, Undergraduate Research Director; Dr. Salisa Westrick, Professor, School of Pharmacy; Dr.Ya-xiong Tao,Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine; Dr. Jonathan Fisk, Associate Professor, College of Liberal Arts; Mike Kensler, Office of Sustainability Director;

Our Mission: To create an ethic, practice, and culture of sustainability at Auburn in service to improving lives, communities, and natural systems in Alabama and beyond.

What we do
The Office of Sustainability is a catalyst, facilitator, and resource for administrators, faculty, staff, students, and alumni to develop shared commitment, shared responsibility, collaboration, transparency, and accountability to fulfill Auburn's sustainability commitments.

The Office fosters a culture and practice of sustainability on campus that is expressed in the University's instructional, research, outreach, and operational activities. The Office also offers sustainability-related education and training, as well as planning and decision-making workshops and seminars for business, government, civic, and other groups.

Our approach
Sustainability is about creating a better future. As a result, our work is aspirational and focused on articulating and creating the future we want. We are committed to a servant leadership approach in working for the common good. Persistence and expectation of progress are essential to our work.
Our primary focus is not problem solving. Problems are solved in the context of creating a positive, productive future.
Our fundamental values reflect faith in people and acknowledge the universal human desire to contribute to something larger than ourselves, to do and create something meaningful and lasting.
We work to enable others to realize their agency, their ability and power to be co-creators of the future. We engage people in specific, relevant efforts that make a difference in achieving a more sustainable society.

The Office of Sustainability advocates for sustainability programs, policies, practices and initiatives across campus, and conducts ongoing educational campaigns to generate understanding of sustainability and its relevance to every individual and unit on campus. Accomplishments that we contributed to include: After struggling to raise awareness and appreciation for the SDGs, we joined the Sustainable Development Solutions Network U.S. Chapter in January 2019 which raised the visibility of SDGs on campus and we produced a report of Auburn's engagement with specific SDGs that highlight specific teaching and research that address specific SDGs; Created an in-vessel composting program; Student Government Assn established a sustainability director position within the executive cabinet to specifically enhance and support campus sustainability initiatives; Established the Sustainability Auburn Alumni Affiliate group within the Alumni Association to build a community of support and networking for Auburn alumni interested in sustainability; Gogue Performing Arts Center constructed and achieved LEED Gold certification; Creation of an aquaponics partnership between Campus Dining and School of Fisheries that uses tilapia tank water to grow vegetables that are served in salads in campus dining venues and in fish tacos made from harvested tilapia. Installation of solar powered EV charging portal. We are also pursuing large scale solar energy opportunities to be adopted asap.

Under the direction of the Chief Operating Officer, the Director will be an advocate for sustainability practices and facilitate interaction, integration and collaboration among various groups on and off campus including outreach events. The Director will also identify, promote and monitor sustainability initiatives including overseeing and implementing the Climate Action Plan (CAP); managing the supervision of the sustainability office, administering and having oversight for the budget, and conducting and managing assessments. The Director works in conjunction with the Director of Academic Sustainability Programs, administrators, staff, students, faculty and community organizations on sustainability issues. The Director functions as a visionary leader, fostering a culture of sustainability, and as an organizational strategist to create a strategy to integrate sustainability into the operational functions of the University, network with and facilitate internal and external resources to accomplish that goal, and evaluate the needs of the University community. Responsibilities further include: defining goals, developing performance metrics and long range plans for sustainability; creating and planning seminars, conferences, newsletters and workshops related to sustainability; building effective partnerships with local organizations; preparing budgets and monitoring expenditures.

The Communications & Outreach Manager plans and manages co-curricular and other sustainability programs, is responsible for communications and outreach functions, and provides administrative support for the Office; serves as an advocate for the advancement of sustainability within Auburn University. Essential functions include, but are not limited to: planning, coordinating, and implementing co-curricular sustainability programs and projects; effective communications and outreach by the Office, including website development and management, social media, publishing electronic and printed materials including monthly newsletter, reports, topical and other materials; writing stories for internal and external media; managing development and scheduling of regular and special events; providing administrative functions for the Office including equipment/supplies ordering and other administrative duties; making verbal presentations; managing office interns; assisting with strategic planning, budget development and tracking; serving on committees and attending meetings representing the Office of Sustainability.

The Program Manager plays an important role in developing, managing, and delivering programs for the Office of Sustainability. Responsibilities include: assisting in planning, developing, and managing programs and projects; tracking, gathering, and reporting responsibilities for various reporting requirements such as a greenhouse gas inventory, STARS, etc; writing reports and providing written materials for office publications; serving as an advocate for the advancement of sustainability within Auburn University; making verbal presentations; advising, collaborating, and communicating with other campus offices, faculty, staff, and students, and working with them to develop projects, policies, and procedures that promote sustainability; providing administrative functions for the Office including monthly budget reconciliation and tracking, scheduling, invoice processing, and other administrative duties; budget preparation and tracking; intern recruitment; contributing to website development and maintenance; supervising interns and part-time student workers; serving on committees representing the Office of Sustainability.