| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.59 |
| Liaison | Victor Udo |
| Submission Date | Sept. 23, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Bucknell University
PA-9: Sustainable Investment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.83 / 4.00 |
John
Luthi Director of Investments Investments Office |
Does the institution wish to pursue Option 1 (positive sustainability investment)?:
Total value of the investment pool:
Value of holdings in each of the following categories:
| Value of Holdings | |
| Sustainable industries (e.g. renewable energy or sustainable forestry) | 0 US/Canadian $ |
| Businesses selected for exemplary sustainability performance (e.g. using criteria specified in a sustainable investment policy) | 0 US/Canadian $ |
| Sustainability investment funds (e.g. a renewable energy or impact investment fund) | 9,818,153 US/Canadian $ |
| Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) or the equivalent | 0 US/Canadian $ |
| Socially responsible mutual funds with positive screens (or the equivalent) | 222,107,022 US/Canadian $ |
| Green revolving loan funds that are funded from the endowment | 0 US/Canadian $ |
A brief description of the companies, funds, and/or institutions referenced above:
The holdings in sustainable investment funds include strategies focused on developing and operating renewable energy, sustainable forestry, and sustainable farming investments. The holdings in socially responsible funds includes commingled actively managed equity strategies that incorporate positive screening techniques, active company engagement, and have made commitments to incorporate social responsibility across their strategies and investment processes as signatories to the Principals for Responsible Investment (PRI) organization.
Percentage of the institution's investment pool in positive sustainability investments:
Does the institution wish to pursue Option 2 (investor engagement)?:
Does the institution have a publicly available sustainable investment policy?:
A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
The sustainable investment policy:
"Consistent with the University’s strategic sustainability initiatives, the University will evaluate prospective and existing investments with a combination of achieving investment objectives, preserving intergenerational equity, compliance with applicable state and federal codes, and evaluation of environmental, social, and governance factors on a case‐by‐case basis. [Excerpt from the Statement of Operating Guidelines for the Investments Committee of the Board of Trustees]"
Does the institution use its sustainable investment policy to select and guide investment managers?:
A brief description of how the policy is applied, including recent examples:
We include an evaluation of a manager’s approach to incorporating environmental, social, & governance risk factors into their strategies and investment processes. This analysis is codified as a distinct section in every investment memo that we produce and contributes to our selection process for adding new managers across our public equity, private equity, real estate, and credit portfolios. In addition, our ongoing monitoring of investment managers includes specific ESG questions and discussions that are driven by the specific strategies / approaches and nuances of each asset class.
Has the institution engaged in proxy voting, either by its CIR or other committee or through the use of guidelines, to promote sustainability during the previous three years?:
A copy of the proxy voting guidelines or proxy record:
A brief description of how managers are adhering to proxy voting guidelines:
We do not currently have a formal proxy voting policy in place, but we do maintain a process of collecting the proxy voting records for our managers and reviewing them individually as part of our ongoing monitoring process for those external managers.
Has the institution filed or co-filed one or more shareholder resolutions that address sustainability or submitted one or more letters about social or environmental responsibility to a company in which it holds investments during the previous three years?:
Examples of how the institution has engaged with corporations in its portfolio about sustainability issues during the previous three years:
We have not directly filed any shareholder resolutions, however our external investment managers have engaged with companies on social and/or environmental issues over the past 3 years.
Does the institution have a publicly available investment policy with negative screens?:
A brief description of the negative screens and how they have been implemented:
Approximate percentage of the endowment that the negative screens apply to:
Does the institution engage in policy advocacy by participating in investor networks and/or engage in inter-organizational collaborations to share best practices?:
A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:
Over the past year we have done considerable research into pursuing becoming formal signatories to an organization or investor network. Our current collaborations include sharing of ideas and best practices through peer networks as well as participation in conferences which includes attendance at sustainability focused conferences as well as participation on an ESG best practices panel at a broad investor conference.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.