| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 62.69 |
| Liaison | Christina Olsen |
| Submission Date | Aug. 20, 2024 |
British Columbia Institute of Technology
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
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):
- The Association for Advancement in Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). https://www.aashe.org/
- Universitas Indonesia GreenMetric (UI Green Metric) World University Rankings. http://greenmetric.ui.ac.id
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):
Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) SDGs Accord Community of Practice
CICan’s vision of better futures for people and communities is guided and inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Colleges and institutes are playing a critical role in Canada’s progress towards these goals and CICan is leading the way as a signatory of the SDG Accord. CICAN hosts the SDG Accord Community of Practice, a network of Canadian colleges and institutes that meet monthly to share best-practices on how they are advancing the SDGs.
https://www.collegesinstitutes.ca/what-we-do/our-priorities/advancing-sustainable-development-goals/
CityStudio
CityStudio Vancouver was founded in 2011 to accelerate sustainability in higher education and provide students with direct opportunities to work in and with the city on urban challenges. It is an innovation hub that brings together city staff, students, faculty and community to co-create experimental projects that make Vancouver more sustainable, liveable, joyful, and inclusive. Born in response to Vancouver’s plan to become the greenest city in the world by 2020, CityStudio was created with the support of founding partners, Simon Fraser University (SFU) and the City of Vancouver. Since then it has grown into a collaboration between the City of Vancouver, SFU, BCIT, University of British Columbia (UBC), Langara College, Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECUAD) and the Native Education College (NEC).
http://citystudiovancouver.com/
BC Hydro Energy Wise
BCIT actively participates in the BC Hydro Energy Wise Network – a provincial network that helps engage people at higher education and other organizations to save energy. BC Hydro provides training, networking opportunities, campaign toolkits, and customized coaching and incentive funding to help with energy reduction. The BC Hydro Energy Manager program has monthly webinars on energy efficiency and project case study topics. They also meet twice a year for a 2-day forum. All the energy managers from higher education institutions in British Columbia participate as do those from the health authorities and school districts.
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):
Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) and the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics (WFCP) hosted the World Congress 2023 April 23-25, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It brought post-secondary leaders from around the world together to discuss, share, and expand on the theme of collective intelligence. All sessions were future oriented, solutions based and addressed one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). BCIT had four employees presenting in three different sessions:
- Knowledge keepers, gate keepers, and score keepers: Indigenizing colleges in Canada.
- Predictors of academic success in undergraduate nursing education: A narrative review.
- Transforming leadership: The emergence of systems leadership to Address Complex, Multidimensional Challenges with a focus on the SDGs.
1. Knowledge Keepers, Gate Keepers, and Score Keepers: Indigenizing Colleges in Canada.
Presented by Kory Wilson, Executive Director and Tami Pierce, Associate Director, Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships.
This session was co-presented by three post-secondary institutions – BCIT, Sault College and Northern College, who each addressed the problematic and challenging aspects of Indigenization, Decolonization, and Reconciliation (IDR) in post-secondary institutions. By challenging stagnant policies, outdated processes, and racist practices – whether intentional, systemic or unconscious – that lead to performative actions at best, and replicate systems of oppression at worst, they explored high-impact actions and practices that may disrupt the status quo and lead to meaningful, sustainable systemic change. Truth-telling and the reality of systemic change can be difficult and it is a must for all post-secondary organizations.
2. Predictors of Academic Success in Undergraduate Nursing Education: A Narrative Review
Presented by: Harroop Sharda, Research Lead, Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program.
Academic success in undergraduate nursing education is a multi-faceted issue calling for an increase in research attention. The global nursing workforce shortage contributes to the growing complexity of health care systems. Nurses comprise the majority of human health resources in health care systems. Gaining an in-depth understanding of the multiple factors which influence undergraduate nursing student academic success is an important initial step to identifying gaps and opportunities. The findings of this review revealed that demographic factors related to ethnicity, linguistic diversity, age, gender, and employment status influenced academic success. The findings related to demographic factors demonstrate there is a need for interventions that reduce barriers to achieving academic success for students affected by these factors. Additional findings indicate psychological, personality, academic, social and environmental factors also influence academic success.
3. Transforming Leadership: The Emergence of Systems Leadership to Address Complex, Multidimensional Challenges with a focus on the SDGs
Presented by: Steve Wilson, Director, Centre for Digital Transformation & Smart Campus Strategy.
The SDGs, each represent complex multi-dimensional challenges. Achieving progress on these goals requires a different approach from the traditional hierarchical and linear methodologies to implementing transformation. Instead, it requires innovative and adaptive approaches that engage broad groups of distinct stakeholders to advance progress toward a shared vision for systemic change. This approach is called systems leadership. Although systems leadership is still in an early stage of development, it offers a potentially valuable tool for addressing the complex, multi-dimensional challenges. Insights gained from recent initiatives suggest that systems leaders need to develop and apply three key capabilities: their understanding of the system that shapes the challenge they seek to address; their ability to champion and support collective action among relevant stakeholders; and their ability to listen, learn and lead towards coordination and empowerment. Systems leadership can therefore be described as comprising of three components including the individual, the community and the system. Starting with an introduction to systems leadership and a recent case study, he then shifted to the audience, and invited comments, questions, insights, to share experiences with others. Systemic change needs to be a dynamic, inclusive ongoing process. The most resilient systems are those that can quickly identify and respond to society’s challenges. It follows then that systems leadership provides the common ground for building and maintaining resilient, sustainable societies that can keep learning, adapting and transforming in pursuit of increased prosperity, towards a brighter sustainable future for everyone.
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):
BCIT became a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Accord in 2022. The SDG Accord is a high-profile international initiative developed to allow the higher education sector to demonstrate its commitment to playing its part in meeting the SDGs and sharing best practices. It is a partnership initiative, endorsed by the United Nations and many other global partners including Colleges and Institutes Canada.
A key requirement of the Accord is to openly and annually account for progress and to share BCIT’s experience and learning from implementing the SDGs. Signatories are required to submit one or more case studies to share good practice, celebrate and/or outline barriers of how their institution is integrating the SDGs. BCIT submitted our first SDG Accord report in spring 2023 and included three case studies. Our data was compiled with that of other signatories to produce the SDG Accord Annual Report for 2023 and was presented at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development with BCIT listed as a reporting signatory.
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):
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:
BCIT has a relationship with Kwantlen Polytechnic University located in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia (BC). Kwantlen has five campuses located in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia and offers bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates and citations in more than 140 programs.
Kwantlen has registered for the STARS Reporting Tool and are working towards their first STARS submission in 2024. BCIT staff provided an external audit of their first STARS submission. The audit provided Kwantlen staff an opportunity to get better acquainted with the STARS process and learn from the BCIT STARS team. BCIT staff will continue to work with Kwantlen as they pursue their first STARS rating.
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:
BCIT employees served as peer reviewers for Langara College located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Langara submitted their first STARS report in 2021 and earned a silver rating.
Langara College was established as an independent public college under the Provincial College and Institute Act. The College is also known as snəw̓eyəɬ leləm̓, house of teachings, a name given to them by the Musqueam First Nation, on whose unceded traditional territory they are located. Today, Langara is one of BC's leading undergraduate institutions providing University Studies, Career Studies, and Continuing Studies programs and courses to more than 23,000 students annually.
Optional Fields
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.