Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 49.34
Liaison John Stolz
Submission Date March 5, 2021

STARS v2.2

Duquesne University
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Carissa Lange
Graduate Assistant
Center for Environmental Research & Education (CERE)
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Yes

Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:

Evergreen is an environmentally conscious organization that helps to educate the DU community on sustainability on-campus and works to keep local neighborhoods clean and green. They collaborate with Facilities Management on Campus to help educate students and staff on recycling efforts available on campus as well as many of the new "green" upgrades being made to campus buildings. Off-campus, they collaborate with the Uptown Partners of Pittsburgh working to make the Uptown neighborhood a cleaner and greener place. Activities include Green Week during the fall semester, the Earth Day Fair and Spring Clean-Up during the spring semester as well monthly litter pick-ups and educational opportunities throughout the year.

The purpose of the Environmental Law Society is to provide a source of information regarding current environmental and natural resources law and policy, to allow and encourage discussion and debate about these topics, to promote environmental awareness, to aid the academic knowledge and awareness of its members, and to assist its members in employment within the environmental law field after graduation.


Does the institution have a garden, farm, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, or an urban agriculture project where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:

A former undergraduate student, Kristen Roth, published her undergraduate thesis titled "Regenerative Landscaping: An Urban Garden for Storm Water Management at Duquesne University." With guidance from a professor, her thesis developed plans to install an urban vegetable garden on campus. These plans turned into reality when the Center for Environmental Research and Education's Graduate Program Coordinator, Mary Kate Ranii, took the lead on the project. With the help of Facilities Management and two Graduate Assistants, raised beds were constructed and over wintering oats were planted. In addition, two rain barrels, which will provide the water necessary for future crops, were installed. Though the garden will not begin producing vegetables until the spring, cover crops were planted in October to help restore nutrients in the soil. Once this project is completed, the garden will serve as one solution for reducing storm water runoff on campus. Additionally, the garden will increase biodiversity, improve soil quality in the area, and enhance campus aesthetics. Duquesne is partnering with Amplify Church and Uptown Partners of Pittsburgh to ensure that yields are donated to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.


Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
Yes

A brief description of the student-run enterprises:

Duquesne has a Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) Program that provides students with a compelling experience in money management and contributes to their preparation for successful careers in finance and investment management. One of the investment funds is referred to as the Duquesne Values Fund (DVF) "Investing for the Greater Good." This is one of the largest undergraduate funds of its type in the nation, as it pursues a stock selection strategy employing fundamental equity analysis and valuation. Eligible investments are deemed consistent with responsible investing criteria and Spiritan values, which include preserving the planet through sustainable initiatives. The $1 million student managed investment fund also employs socially responsible investment strategies.


Does the institution have a sustainable investment fund, green revolving fund, or sustainable microfinance initiative through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:

The Duquesne University New Venture Challenge is a two-stage competition that encourages students to submit new venture ideas that have commercial and/or social missions. Winning programs are awarded $5,000 to put their projects into effect. Winners from 2019 includes LeanMed - innovative medical equipment designed to improve access to healthcare in low-resource regions.


Has the institution hosted a conference, speaker series, symposium, or similar event focused on sustainability during the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:

The Annual Presidential Conference on the Integrity of Creation focuses on the topic Toward a Healthy Planet to discuss what is going right with planet earth. The interdisciplinary conference invites participants from different disciplines to engage each other in civil discourse on a different topic each year.

The conference series was commissioned by former President Charles J. Dougherty as an endowed academic event that celebrates the Spiritan mission of Duquesne University. The current University President, Ken Gormley, continues to inspire excellence in support of the Spiritan mission as the conference series develops.

The conference has three goals:

1. To provide a scholarly opportunity to engage established and emerging research on the conference topic

2. To foster interdisciplinary discourse on each topic, such as among science, health, philosophy, religion and policy

3. To enlighten public awareness and discussion of the conference topic


Has the institution hosted a cultural arts event, installation, or performance focused on sustainability with the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:

Daniel Robinson (Environmental Science, 2019) ran a photo exhibition that featured a selection of nature photographs. The photos were taken by Daniel beginning in his freshman year at Duquesne up through an expedition to Alaska sponsored by the Honors College in the summer of 2017. The objective of the exhibition was to demonstrate the intersection of nature, art, and science through photography and to instill in the viewer the same sense of awe for nature that originally compelled Daniel to choose his major of Environmental Science. The photo exhibition and associated descriptions are still available for general view in Mellon Hall on Duquesne's Main Campus.

Additionally, Duquesne hosts the Human Rights Film Series each year. Though the theme of the conference changes yearly, it always focuses on sustainable societal advancement. Some recent previous films that have been shown include Merchants of Doubt, Food Chains, Place at the Table, Time to Choose, Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, Human Flow, and Death by Design.


Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
Yes

A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:

Duquesne University’s Outdoors Club acts as an open student organization that welcomes all students to participate. The club provides interested students with education about the outdoors that partners with different outdoor activities. This club stresses dedication to learning about the outdoors, engaging in various environmental activities, volunteering for environmental conservation, and promotes outdoor recreation for community youth.


Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:

The MBA in Sustainable Business Practices has three themed semesters:
1st Semester- Auditing in Regards to Sustainable Businesses
2nd- Processing improvement in Regards to Sustainable Businesses
3rd- Change Management in Regards to Sustainable Businesses.


Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
No

A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
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Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:

The Center for Environmental Research and Education hires between two and five students every academic year to assist with conducting with campus greenhouse gas emissions assessments and local environmental research opportunities.

MBA research fellows tuition remission work with faculty research


Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
No

A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
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A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:

The Center for Environmental Research and Education hosts monthly EnviroBytes, which is an environmental speaker series. This series features speakers ranging from local environmental non-profit organizations, local environmental scientists, and local environmental companies (like solar panel installers) and are advertised to the entire campus.


Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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