Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 80.73
Liaison Austin Eriksson
Submission Date Oct. 3, 2024

STARS v2.2

California State University, Northridge
PA-10: Sustainable Investment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.25 / 3.00 Ira Unterman
AVP for Resource Management
University Advancement
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Positive sustainability investment

Total value of the investment pool:
218,350,134 US/Canadian $

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) 0 US/Canadian $
Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) or the equivalent 0 US/Canadian $
Socially responsible mutual funds with positive screens (or the equivalent) 0 US/Canadian $
Green revolving funds funded from the endowment 0 US/Canadian $

If any of the above is greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the companies, funds, and/or institutions referenced above:

The university is not invested directly in any specific companies - a majority of the investments are in mutual funds.


Percentage of the institution's investment pool in positive sustainability investments:
0

Part 2. Investor engagement

Sustainable investment policy 

Does the institution have a publicly available sustainable investment policy?:
Yes

None
A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
POLICY_Investment_2022-10-13.pdf

None
The sustainable investment policy:

In 2021 CSUN updated its Investment Policy Statement which now includes the following language:d. The investment strategies of the portfolios will seek to align and advance the University’s values of equity, diversity and inclusion, and environmental sustainability.

The policy in its entirety can be found here: https://www.csun.edu/sites/default/files/Policy_Investment_2021.pdf


None
Does the institution use its sustainable investment policy to select and guide investment managers?:
Yes

A brief description of how the sustainable investment policy is applied:

They are aware of the CSU policy as well as the fossil fuel divestment from the CSU CO.


Proxy voting 

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?:
Yes

None
A copy of the proxy voting guidelines or proxy record:
FINANCE_Proxy_Policy_Updated_2016-02-09.pdf

None
A brief description of how managers are adhering to proxy voting guidelines:

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE FOUNDATION 
 
POLICY ON PROXY VOTING 
 
Proposed for Adoption: February 9, 2016 
 
 
California State University, Northridge Foundation will exercise its rights as a shareholder and 
in compliance with its role as a fiduciary to vote its proxies on proposals put forth by 
management and shareholders to ensure the objectives of the investment are maintained and 
enhanced. On matters of corporate governance, the Foundation will vote in line with the 
broader programmatic objectives of accountability, transparency, incentives for 
appropriate institutional reforms, and full disclosure of company performance. Given its 
investment objectives, the Foundation will maintain its commitment to the investment through 
support for the Board and management at the soliciting company.  In cases in which the 
Foundation receives multiple solicitations for proxies for a particular shareholder meeting, the 
Chief Financial Officer will evaluate the requisite information, including opinions from 
independent shareholder proxy services, and consult with the Chair of the Finance and 
Investment Committee prior to exercising the Foundation's proxy.  On business matters such as 
mergers, the CFO will consult with the Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee and the 
Investment Advisor prior to exercising the Foundation's proxy. 
 
Proxy voting will be the responsibility of and will be managed by the Chief Financial Officer 
(CFO).  The CFO will report to the Finance and Investment Committee all votes cast at the 
quarterly committee meetings. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Shareholder resolutions 

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?:
No

Examples of how the institution has engaged with corporations in its portfolio about sustainability issues during the previous three years:
---

Divestment efforts and negative screens

Does the institution participate in a public divestment effort and/or have a publicly available investment policy with negative screens?:
Yes

A brief description of the divestment effort or negative screens and how they have been implemented:

The university will not buy stock directly in fossil fuels.


Approximate percentage of endowment that the divestment effort and/or negative screens apply to:
100

Investor networks 

Does the institution engage in policy advocacy by participating in investor networks and/or engage in inter-organizational collaborations to share best practices?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:

CSUN is a member of the Intentional Endowments - Climate Beta Program (CBP)


Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable investment efforts 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.