Chatham University
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

In addition to incorporating sustainability into the mission statement of the university, we have also demonstrated our commitment to sustainability by creating a new School of Sustainability and the Environment, which the Board approved in February 2009. The primary goal of the School will be to provide innovative, interdisciplinary education and research opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and professional students to better prepare them to identify and solve challenges related to sustainability and the environment. The School will be located at Eden Hall Campus, although its programs and activities will take place on all of the University’s campuses. The responsibility of the School’s dean will be to provide leadership of the School.

Beginning in Fall 2015, Chatham has instituted new guidelines for general education requirements for undergraduate students. The following mission objectives pertain to the overall university's mission of promoting sustainability and the environment: Sustainability and the Environment: -Students will articulate the effects that humans have on the environment and how this impacts issues of health and social justice. -Students will describe sustainable processes and systems and be able to apply that knowledge in the specific areas and societies under study.

Primarily Academic Affairs with the assistance of Falk School of Sustainability and the Office of Sustainability

Chatham has been planning academic and other related programs for sustainability since 2008. A plan of academic programs in sustainable food studies, sustainability, women's health and the environment, etc., will be created with the prioritization of hiring faculty who conduct research in these fields. The 2008 Eden Hall Campus plan includes faculty/researchers in the following disciplines: Policy (1); health (1); sustainability/stewardship (1); nutritional anthropology (1); agriculture (1); global (1); building (1).

Within the first 1-2 years of the Eden Hall Campus, Chatham will roll out 3-year bachelors degrees in Sustainable Living, Global Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Stewardship, Toxicology, and Ecotourism/Agritourism. These programs, along with the two existing bachelors programs in Environmental Studies and in Environmental Science, will share courses. Within years 3-4, programs in geoinformatics, public health, and renewable energy will also be available for the undergraduate level.

Academic Affairs and the Falk School of Sustainability

Chatham's Board of Trustees revised the university's mission statement in February 2015 and reads as follows: Chatham University prepares women and men to be world ready: to build lives of purpose and value and fulfilling work. In addition to appropriate professional skills and liberal arts learning, Chatham believes that world readiness means being an informed and engaged citizen in one’s communities; recognizing and respecting diversity of culture, identity and opinion; and living sustainably on the planet. Prior to revising the above statement, the President's Office released the "Visioning 2014: A Vision for Chatham's Academic Future." In the document, it was stated, "Given the growing awareness of Chatham as a leader in sustainability, and the importance of the topic to all individuals, including professionals in the future, it makes sense that all students should have some necessary exposure to sustainability and to Eden Hall. The Chatham community needs to decide what form(s) that experience will take."

Starting in Fall 2015, all undergraduate students will be required to engage in Eden Hall Practicum courses. These are designed to offer undergraduate students a hands-on Field Experience at the Eden Hall Sustainability campus. Faculty are encouraged to develop experiential courses with innovative content and formats that make use of the Eden Hall Campus environment (15 contact hours minimum, letter grade). Learning Outcomes: -After exploring the natural environment through experiential learning activities, students will be able to describe the geography, environment, culture, history and/or economy of the Eden Hall Campus. -After completion of an Eden Hall Practicum, students will be able to summarize the sustainable systems of Eden Hall and the main principles of sustainability.

Student Affairs, Office of Sustainability

Integrating sustainability into the fabric of the University will require a coordinated and sustained University-wide effort of a kind rarely seen before. Coordination and collaboration across all aspects of the University will be required because sustainability – more than any of the other Mission Initiatives -- touches upon nearly every area of the University: operations, curriculum, student life, research, and the University’s interaction with everyone from community members to policy makers. Chatham's Board of Trustees wrote in the "Visioning 2014" document: "Our most recent thinking, as shaped by connections and opportunities that have arisen since the Master Plan was created, is that the outreach components of the Campus should be a key priority for next phases of development. That would include online and on ground degree offerings, as noted before, but also outreach to K-12 students and the policy broader. For example, students who often experience nature deprivation could be engaged positively with the campus."

In Fall 2014, Chatham hired two full-time employees to coordinate public programming at the Eden Hall campus. Kelly Henderson was hired as the Sustainability and Education Coordinator for K-12 programming, and Angie Jasper was hired as Director of Cultural and Community Events hosted at the Eden Hall campus. Angie is responsible for the implementation of public programming related to sustainability for adults and families, and Kelly is responsible for school and camp programming using Eden Hall's natural environment to teach students about sustainability practices.

Falk School of Sustainability, University Communications, and the Office of Sustainability.

Chatham is a charter signatory of the American College and University President's Climate Commitment, and as such, has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2025.

To reach carbon neutrality by 2025, we have developed a Climate Action Plan, conduct annual audits of our greenhouse gas emissions, and continue our programs of reduction initiatives including LED lighting retrofit of all buildings on our three campuses, energy efficiency upgrades, etc. Link to our 2009 Climate Action Plan: http://rs.acupcc.org/site_media/uploads/cap/248-cap.pdf Link for further detailed information: http://rs.acupcc.org/search/abs=&q=Chatham%20University

Office of Sustainability, Climate Committee

As a signatory of the American College and University President's Climate Commitment and the International Sustainable Campus Network, we have recognized the importance of buildings on our ecological footprint, and as such, have committed all future building projects to meet a minimum of LEED Silver or higher.

Goals are set in accordance with our commitments to climate neutrality by 2025 through the ACUPCC, our commitment to the City of Pittsburgh to show a 20% reduction in GHG emissions by 2015, and our commitment to the various building challenges for the Eden Hall Campus. Building design aspects: Green building policy - - Green building standard targets: New (and renovated when possible) buildings to be built to meet LEED Silver standards, as buildings are planned. Eastside Campus was certified as LEED-CI Silver. Green challenges: Beyond LEED for Eden Hall Campus, Eden Hall to be built to meet various stringent green standards, ie: Living Building, LEED Platinum, and NetZero.

Chatham’s construction, renovation and operations are overseen by teams from the President’s Office, Facilities, Finance, and the Office of Sustainability. Planning for the Eden Hall Campus is managed by the Eco-Center Project Team, with members from the President’s Office and the Falk School of Sustainability, with input from Facilities and the Office of Sustainability, Faculty, and Trustees.

Addendum: Chatham's sustainability plan, "Building our Sustainable Future 2009," considers a dining services and dining infrastructure to support programs in urban food sources/security, sustainable urban land, sustainable agriculture, aquaculture, water resources, etc. Within this plan, and within the Eden Hall Campus Master Plan, land was designated for on-campus food production in partnership with Parkhurst Dining Services.

Chatham has been working on sustainable dining services since 2005, Currently Parkhurst Dining Services is implementing the following at Chatham University: -Compostable containers are used in our “on the go” program and for disposable catering -Spent fryer oil is converted to bio–diesel fuel (Parkhurst only uses trans fat–free canola oil – a healthier alternative) -Recycled paper is used for the majority of our marketing materials -Napkins are made from recycled paper and our compostable -Reusable mug program offered at Café Rachel and Eastside Café -We follow the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch guidelines for purchasing sustainable seafood -We compost all of our pre and post consumer food waste in Anderson Dining Hall -Trayless dining and reusable take out containers are provided to all students that live on campus as well as all faculty and staff -Bottle water free -On campus CSA pick up location with Penn's Corner Farm Alliance -No rBST in milk products -Cage free eggs -Purchasing of Eden Hall Campus produce and meat when available Future plans include maintaining and reducing waste ratios as our student body grows, improving our compliance with sustainable seafood certifications, increase rescued food donation with the local Pittsburgh non-profit 412 Food Rescue, and increase the percentage of sustainably sourced meat products. Eden Hall Campus has a goal of producing 30% or more of its own food.

Parkhurst Dining Services with assistance from the Office of Sustainability, as well as the Falk School of Sustainability

The Energy Working Group of Chatham's Climate Committee identified several high-priority projects that will show an actual reduction in our carbon footprint. The projects have been assigned a priority, based on costs, return on investment, and carbon reduction. Projects include LED retrofits, installation of photovoltaic power on all three campuses, motor control upgrades, and solar thermal installations.

1. By 2015, 10% reduction relative to 2007 baseline in Scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions 2. By 2020, an additional 20% reduction relative to 2007 baseline in Scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions

Office of Sustainability and Facilities

Addendum: Under the "Chatham College Campus Preservation Plan," published in 2004, Chatham developed a plan for the preservation of historic landscapes and properties. This includes protecting historic trees, vegetation, and gardens on our Shady Side Campus. In addition, the plan includes improvement to our campus arboretum which designates replanting vegetation (prioritizing native plants) compatible with historic designs. The 2012 Chatham University Tree Campus Plan's Purpose B states to "Develop and maintain a safe, attractive, and sustainable campus and Arboretum," and purpose C states to "Increase species diversity with a focus on native species." Within the Eden Hall Campus Master Plan (2011) Section 05: Natural Environment, the stated goals are to "protect the streams and waterways, protect and restore 200 acres of the forest for teaching, research, and demonstration, and protect arable land by preserving productive landscape." The Master Plan divided the campus into three environmental zones with specific assessment and recommendations for each zone: Green Zones - Preservation, Orange Zones - Arable Land and Agricultural Soils, and Grey Zones - Connections (Connect Campus Residents to Their Environment). Grey Zones are areas for future development and campus growth ("These areas are least critical to ecosystem preservation").

Chatham's Eden Hall campus is currently in the process of USDA Organic Certification for the student garden, Elsama fields, high tunnels, and all other areas of food production. The formal process of certification began in 2013. By 2016, Chatham will conserve genetic material for the heritage orchard at Eden Hall, expand and relocate the apiary on Eden Hall campus, preserve the historic Frederic Law Olmstead and Bernhard Froch grounds management, and add a community garden to Shady Side Campus.

Office of Sustainability, Department of Grounds, Chatham Arboretum, and the Falk School of Sustainability

As a very small institution, Chatham is taking the beginning steps of creating and implementing sustainable purchasing policies. We have begun with campus-wide policies covering paper purchasing, bottled water, and cleaning products.

Paper purchasing objectives are to maintain a minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled content in all office paper purchases. We reduced paper use through paper quotas for department and students Other than disinfectant products necessary to running a residential campus, Chatham has committed to green cleaning products and the removal of triclosan antibacterial soaps across all three campuses Bottled water was banned from purchase in 2010 from all departments (catering, athletics, etc.) and continues to be so.

Office of Sustainability and Finance Department

Within the Eden Hall Campus Master Plan, Transportation Section (p. 102) states: "Eden Hall Campus strives to be a climate positive community. Transportation, both within the campus and between the Shadyside campus and Eden Hall plays an important role in achieving this goal. As the campus develops over time, the need for transit options to/from Pittsburgh will increase. While shuttles are the most likely short term solution, longer term plans for commuter rail, expanded bus service, and car sharing programs are options that offer far more efficient solutions than single occupancy vehicles." Traffic Impact Study (p. 102): "A traffic impact study concluded that Eden Hall Campus at full capacity will have minimal impact on the surrounding road network if appropriate mitigation is provided." Site Circulation (p. 102): "A campus wide trail system will connect the major campus districts and accommodate convenient pedestrian and bicycle movement." In addition, p. 103 delineates a "Diagram of proposed pedestrian, bicycle, and shuttle circulation."

Bike Works bike shop's objectives are indoor locked bike parking for commuters, covered outdoor bike parking, and regular opportunities for bicycle classes and maintenance. In Spring 2014, Chatham collaborated with Bike Pittsburgh to host the first annual Women and Biking Forum. We have also committed to fleet conversion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as close to zero as possible by purchasing hybird vehicles when available, providing hybrid vehicles for all campus police and maintaining a bicycle police force, and we are exploring the available technologies in transportation such as biodiesel and electric. In support of this goal, charging stations were installed at Eden Hall in Fall 2015. The facilities fleet at Eden Hall will be primarily electric. Our objective of offering multi-modal support for faculty, staff, and student commuters includes a coordinated, interlocking program of car sharing, bicycle rental, free bus passes, and free shuttles between campuses.

Office of Sustainability and the Department of Public Safety

The following information is written into our 2009 Climate Action Plan: The Waste Minimization Working Group has been looking at ways to reduce the amount of Chatham trash headed to the landfills. The committee has identified several areas of focus. Some of these have more emissions data available than others, but all should work to reduce the emissions associated with our landfilled waste. Without complete information at this time, we hypothesize a 1-2% reduction each year in solid waste emissions. Composting Food Waste: Chatham will complete its first year of food waste composting in September 2009. Between September 2008 and May 2009, we composted 32.6 tons of food service waste. We do extremely well with composted food waste at Anderson Dining Hall, but there are still gaps at Café Rachel and the Weathervane Snack Bar. Café Rachel, in particular, has some logistical issues due to the location on campus and the weight of the recycling containers, as well as truck access for the hauler. Chatham has been working with an area nonprofit organization to look at ways to overcome some of these barriers. A report is expected by September 2009 from Pennsylvania Resources Council with their recommendations. Increased Recycling of Plastics, Cans, Glass: Chatham currently recycles 15% of its paper, cans, bottles and glass. As we increase the recycling rate, we expect to see reductions in the emissions associated with landfilling. This year, the winning schools in the RecycleMania competition were averaging 25-75% recycling rates. Meeting these recycling rates will require investment in recycling bins around campus, including in faculty and staff offices as well as increasing the number of bins in public areas. Paper Use Reduction: Chatham has switched to 30% recycled content paper for all stocked copiers and printers. We expect to see the savings from this switch when completing our inventory for next year. As an institutional measure, Chatham renegotiated a contract for copier and print services that specifies the default for printing be set to 2-sided,or duplex. (There are still some legacy printers that don’t have the capability, but as they age, their replacements will.) Switching to duplex printing will reduce paper usage on campus about 25%. In addition, in February 2009, Printing Services replaced old copiers with those capable of printing double-sided, and set that as the default for printing. Non-recyclable Waste Reduction: The Sustainability Office, in partnership with the Rachel Carson Institute and Student Affairs, is developing a plan for the establishment of a free store as a waste minimization option. The free store is a cyclical model, to be operated by work study students. The staff will collect used clothing, appliances, furniture, etc. from outgoing students as well as faculty and staff, for use by others. Items will be relocated to a designated area, the “store,” for others to reclaim at no cost. Establishing a free store year round will aid in curbing trash produced by the Chatham community. In addition, a free store on campus will promote environmental consciousness while simultaneously providing students a free and time saving alternative to purchasing new items. We will be able to monitor the waste kept out of the landfill through the inventory process (now under development). The system will track the volume of reusable and reused items. Our estimate for the amount that can be kept out of landfill is about 1 ton, calculated at ½ the average of other universities with more extensive space, larger population, and established programs have been able to do.

Our measurable objectives include: -Eliminate packaging or products that would require us to recycle as much as possible, including eliminating bottled water and disposable take out containers -In Fall 2014, Chatham expanded the E-Waste Recycling program by installing E-Waste Recycling stations on all three campuses to collect batteries, CDs, ink jet and toner cartridges, and cell phones (which are donated to Hope Line or Cellphones for Soldiers) An important strategy in our waste minimization efforts includes participating in the RecycleMania competition each year to encourage campus engagement. In the 2015 competition, our waste minimization rate was 38.467 lbs/person. By comparison, in 2010, our rate was 10.71 lbs/person.

Office of Sustainability, Finance Department, and Facilities

Under the Eden Hall Campus Master Plan: Water Systems Section (p. 110), the following plans are detailed regarding the university's water usage and reduction: Water and waste infrastructure are important educational components of Eden Hall Campus. While integrating biophilic water management systems into the built environment will certainly add interest and beauty, this strategy will also expose students, faculty, and visitors to the impacts that our behavior and technology have on the environment. Layering the proposed water systems to serve multiple functions, Eden Hall Campus will far exceed conventional approaches of maintaining “water supply” and “waste disposal” networks. Wastewater treatment, greywater treatment, rainwater harvesting, effluent reuse, effluent dispersal, and nutrient cycling are all components of the proposed infrastructure at Eden Hall Campus. Infrastructure must function well at all scales, from small start-up levels to the fully-developed campus level. The goal is to provide a flexible and adaptable framework that grows with the campus community and adapts to meet changing demands. Eden Hall Campus has the potential to use a natural systems approach and a modular, phased, and decentralized concept for water and waste cycling. Rainwater Harvesting: Rainwater harvesting can provide non-potable water for irrigation and mechanical systems. Potable water can be produced from rainwater using additional filters and disinfection technology. Natural Treatment Systems: Natural treatment systems, including constructed wetlands and sand filtration, can provide greywater and blackwater treatment. Effluent could be recycled for irrigation and groundwater recharge, and integrated treatment systems would provide beauty, open space, wildlife habitat, and living classrooms. Water treatment systems are planned to be dispersed throughout the campus and installed in accordance with phased development at the site. Instead of taking water and waste “away,” these systems will enable residents to have daily interaction with an important natural system. The water systems are physically modeled after forest floor, meadow, wetland, and pond edge habitats. These ecological zones will be incorporated into the proposed technological solutions for managing campus water and waste. Faculty, students and visitors will discover engaging lessons within these water systems and are encouraged to visit, explore, and advance these concepts found at Eden Hall Campus.

Chatham's objectives are: -To continue installing rain gardens on all campuses; with 6 currently in place and another 6 in planning stages. -Increase the installation of porous pavement whenever possible, including the retrofit of our Eastside parking lot in cooperation with the City of Pittsburgh. -Expand our rainwater capture program, including the underground rainwater storage at Eden Hall and the rain barrel program for smaller buildings. -In cooperation with the City of Pittsburgh, work on the redesign of Fifth Avenue properties' stormwater runoff patterns.

Office of Sustainability

Diversity: Under the "Visioning 2014: A Vision for Chatham's Academic Future and Elements for a New Strategic Plan," the President's Office revised the mission statement of the university: "The current “Mission Initiatives” should be integrated into a new statement of the mission as modalities for the execution of the mission to professionalism and personal development. The restatement of the mission initiatives appears in the new mission as: In addition to appropriate professional skills and liberal learning, Chatham believes that world readiness means being an informed and engaged citizen in one’s communities; recognizing and respecting diversity of culture, identity and opinion; and living sustainably on the planet. This restatement differs from the original initiatives only somewhat in substance, but more in nuance. “International” appears as communities and diversity of culture (permitting domestic exploration as well) and the mission to “gender and women’s leadership” appears as both civic engagement and identity, the latter a matter of almost equal significance to gender during the debates over coeducation" (p. 8). In addition, in March 2013, the Office of Student Affairs updated their Learning Outcomes document, which is an institutional plan to outline learning outcomes for all Chatham graduates. On page 2, the relevant outcomes listed under "Central Student Affairs & Dean of Students," are as follows: 2. Multicultural Programming: As a result of participating in co-curricular activities, students will… * Participate in a celebration of diversity. * Describe and discuss the different aspects of diversity. * Analyze the concept of privilege and explain how privilege has shaped their worldview. * Create a diversity action plan aimed at developing knowledge, skills and awareness. 7. Retention Programs (Early Alert/Targeted Group/etc.): As a result of Chatham retention efforts, students will… * Describe barriers to retention and how those barriers impact their own retention. * Describe the resources available to students on campus. * Participate in workshops and demonstrate skills. 8. Targeted Student Groups: As a result of Chatham retention effort, students will… * Identify the student affairs resource person responsible for their student group. * Describe resources available to their student group. * Interact with others in their student group once per semester. -- Affordability: Chatham University's "Vision 20/20" document, originally adopted by the Board of Trustees in 2008, describes in Section B: Increase Financial Resource Needs: "A concern for affordability for our students is also crucial as we seek to grow and receive greater recognition in the future. We have done better in recent years, bringing our undergraduate scholarship discount amount into greater control due to better management of aid awarding and having more endowed scholarships due to the generosity of many alumnae in the last Campaign. The more endowed scholarships there are, the better able we are to recruit the outstanding students who are so pressed by today’s high college costs and their parents’ savings patterns. As of 12/31/08, we had $8.5 million in endowed scholarship funds (down 26% in fiscal 2009) which yield $600,000 a year. These funds are very important, but insufficient compared to the nearly $6 million in awards we gave to undergraduates in fiscal 2008. These are operating dollars which cannot be directed to other salary or operational needs. On average we currently “gap” (do not make available) $6,500 of need to our undergraduate students, who are left to their own resources (largely private, unsubsidized loans) to find the remaining funding after the Chatham aid awards and the federal and state grants. Our students are graduating with very high debt, which is a strong incentive to students to leave the institution before graduating, thus worsening our retention and graduation rates. The cost of higher education is a complex issue, and “affordability” involves more than just increasing student aid or controlling costs and charges. It is an issue we will continue to study in our quest to find ways (e.g., paid internships, co-op opportunities, and innovative work programs which would benefit students while also allowing us to hire fewer staff) to help our students graduate with less of a financial burden. Our graduate students also have issues with affordability. Currently we offer no, or very limited, graduate assistantships. While we never expect to operate like a traditional research university (where most doctoral students anticipate a full, or nearly full tuition award plus a living stipend), even as a Master’s Medium institution we should have the resources to bring in some of the outstanding graduate students who must now forego the opportunity to study here. A goal is to put more graduate students and faculty to work through assistantships and research. We cannot be recognized as a quality and innovation leader, a key to our strongest future growth, if we do not also make it possible to recruit the students and faculty of highest quality to our institution. Providing no graduate fellowships will be an impediment to our growth in quality and to our growth as well, as students seek first to apply to institutions where they have some hope of receiving some aid" (pp. 20-21).

Employees who participate in the Fit for the Future campaign and meet the goals outlined by the program have gotten their annual healthcare deductible waived by UPMC. Based on surveys conducted during both mid-semester (called a "Temperature Check") and at the end of the semester, the Office of Student Affairs is able to assess whether the needs of minority or non-traditional students are being met. Students are able to address specific issues which are then directed by the Office of Student Affairs to faculty or staff member that is able to work with the student to address the issue. This process has increased retention and contributed to the university's diversity advancement initiatives. In 2015, the GSA Student Leadership and Student Organization Award for "Outstanding Diversity Program" went to the Psychology of Gender Student Research Team. Chatham participates in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program (Yellow Ribbon Program), which is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. This program is voluntary for private institutions, and provides matching funds from the Department of Veterans Affairs as a supplement to the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The Post-9/11 GI Bill covers tuition and fees not to exceed the maximum in-state tuition & fees at a public Institution of Higher Learning. The Yellow Ribbon Program will match tuition and fees in excess of the portion funded by the GI Bill. The Yellow Ribbon Program covers tuition and mandatory fees and does not include room and board or books and supplies which are provided for separately under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. These benefits will replace merit scholarships awarded at the time of acceptance. Chatham University has elected to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program since the program's inception.

Human Resources and Office of Student Affairs

The 2009 Climate Action Plan details the following action steps for bicycle support, written by the Chatham University Transportation Working Group: "Institutional support of bicycle commuting, including city bike maps, dispensers of patch kits and innertubes, access to tools with simple written directions for use, lessons in simple bike mechanics, a shower facility on the north side of campus (in the Chapel, Woodland, Braun/Falk/Coolidge or Buhl) and increased/sheltered bike parking facility. Start a program where experienced riders pair with less experienced cyclists interested in riding to work. Work with Human Resources to incorporate bike commuting into the wellness program credit" (p. 22). In addition, the Human Resources 3-Year Strategic Plan and Goals document outlines the following goals to advance participation in Chatham's "Fit for the Future" program, which was established in 2004 as part of the university's health and wellness goals: 1. Develop 2013 goals in which employees must complete a certain number of credits for recognition and to avoid an annual deductible in 2014. 2. Engage more employees in the Fit for the Future Program. By increasing employee engagement, this will lead to a healthier workforce.

In 2014, over 80% of Chatham University employees met their Take a Healthy Step (TAHS) goals through our Fit for the Future campaign. For the 2015 year, employees have until the end of September to sign up for the program. Along with the Fit for the Future program, Chatham has instituted the Federal Commuter Bike Credit Program in 2004. Employees who sign up for this benefit are not permitted to have a campus parking permit as they are required to certify that cycling is their primary mode of transportation to and from work during the time frame in which they receive the reimbursement. The maximum reimbursement is $20 per month or $240 over a calendar year. Chatham has provided full benefits to same-sex couples since 2002, which is one of our strategies to attract diversity in hiring. In addition, unskilled minority employees can elect to join training and certificate programs as well as receive full access to a Chatham undergraduate education.

Human Resources and Office of Sustainability

In January 2015, Chatham University updated its "Endowment Fund: Statement of Investment Guidelines." Under the Section titled "Investment Philosophy," Sustainability is included as one of the elements "designed to capture the overall philosophical thinking with regard to the investment program of the Endowment Fund." Sustainability is described as follows: "While the primary responsibility of the Investment Committee is to oversee the management of the University’s endowment to generate real asset growth for the long-term, the University is also concerned with demonstrating its commitment to sustainability within its investment portfolio. As such, the Investment Committee will evaluate sustainable fund options where appropriate within the asset allocation policy at least annually" (p. 5).

Since completing our last STARS report, Chatham has worked to enhance our sustainable investments through US Sustainability Core 1 Portfolio. We have also added sustainable fund options in the retire plans for faculty and staff members. The Board of Trustees, in cooperation with the Office of Sustainability and the Finance Office, are undertaking a self-study program to increase their education in sustainable investing in line with the university's sustainability mission. This program will take place during the 2015-2016 academic year.

Board of Trustees, Finance Department, and Office of Sustainability

Chatham has been working to increase our presence on social media in regards to our institutional sustainability initiatives as well as those of our partners in the community. Chatham recognizes the importance of communicating sustainability as has renewed the Environmental Communications graduate program as well as requiring sustainable communications courses for all sustainability program students.

Over the last three years, we have increased our social media presence from no presence to approximately 600 Twitter followers, 400 Facebook followers, and 200 Instagram followers. For the last three years, the Office of Sustainability has had a graduate communications assistant and the position will be renewed annually.

Office of Sustainability

Chatham University defines sustainability as the capacity of society to meet its current needs without compromising the ecological, social and economic systems on which society will rely for meeting future needs.

From an institutional perspective, making sustainability the primary focus of this Mission Initiative (a) strengthens and amplifies our longstanding work in the environmental area; (b) recognizes that sustainability has emerged as one of the most important challenges for the future and is likely to remain so in the future; (c) underscores the interconnectedness between human beings (and their wellbeing) and the environment; and (d) demonstrates our intention to make sustainability a major focus of our future programmatic and institutional development.