Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 43.68
Liaison Jeane Pope
Submission Date June 23, 2020

STARS v2.2

DePauw University
PA-9: Committee on Investor Responsibility

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 2.00 Malorie Imhoff
Director of Sustainability
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a formally established and active committee on investor responsibility (CIR) or equivalent body?:
Yes

The charter or mission statement of the CIR or other body which reflects social and environmental concerns or a brief description of how the CIR is tasked to address social and environmental concerns:
"The Board of Trustees and Investment Committee have a fiduciary obligation to oversee the investment of the University’s endowment assets and to maximize the financial return on those resources, taking into account the amount of risk appropriate for the University. The Investment Committee recognizes that ESG factors, in addition to many other factors, may have an impact on investment performance over the long term and, as a result, believes such factors should be considered in its investment process.

ESG is used to describe environmental, social and corporate governance factors that, when material, may have the potential to impact the value of investments. ESG factors include, but are not limited to, such issues as energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, resource scarcity, water use, waste management, health and safety, employee productivity, diversity and non-discrimination, supply chain risk management, human rights (including respect for worker rights), and effective board oversight.

The degree to which ESG factors are relevant and material to an investment depends on the company or asset, the industry in which it operates and the type of investment strategy. For instance, ESG factors may have a direct impact on a company's profitability through increased regulation, such as changes to environmental laws or governance codes, which can lead to rising operating costs, or an indirect impact by affecting a company's long-term performance, such as its ability to attract talented employees, retain customer loyalty and protect its reputation and brand."

Does the CIR include academic staff representation?:
Yes

Does the CIR include non-academic staff representation?:
Yes

Does the CIR include student representation?:
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Members of the CIR, including affiliations and role:
Current member list unavailable.

None
Examples of CIR actions during the previous three years:
The Investment Committee (IC) monitors investment policies and oversees the activities of the outsourced Chief Investment Officer (Cornerstone), who is responsible for policy implementation and the fund's day-to-day operation.

The IC determines investment objectives, approves the hiring of investment managers, trustees and consultants, approves investments in all partnerships, regularly reviews investment performance, approves changes in investment strategy, and, provides insight to the Finance and Affairs Committee, on the establishment of the endowment spending policy.

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s committee on investor responsibility is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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