Emory University
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy

Emory has continued to actively advance the Clifton Corridor Transit Initiative (CCTI), a proposed high-capacity transit project to directly connect Emory’s campus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Veterans Administration Medical Center and other institutions and businesses in the Clifton Corridor area into the MARTA rail system.  It is the largest employment center in the region without direct access to MARTA rail or the interstate. The CCTI will provide access to thousands of job opportunities for people in Atlanta and throughout the region with all levels of experience and education that would otherwise be out of reach. Over the years Emory’s presidents and leaders have met with elected officials to advocate for the CCTI, including the current President Greg Fenves, who has met on several occasions with the Mayor of Atlanta, Atlanta City Council members, and the CEO of MARTA. Additionally, $250M has been committed to the CCTI from the City of Atlanta through the More MARTA program for the local match. The project is expected to enter into the Federal Transit Administration’s application process for consideration of funding through their Capital Investment Grants program by the end of 2024.

Carrie Keogh, assistant teaching professor in Environmental Sciences, is the founding co-PI on an AGREC-funded science collaboratory that has now developed into the Greater Atlanta Science Collaboratory.  The collaboratory does not directly lobby governments, but it does work toward having CBOs be at the table when decisions are made and most of the collaboratory’s work is related to the environment and sustainability in some fashion.  AGREC funds are provided, in part by Emory.

Eri Saikawa, professor in Environmental Sciences, and the director of Emory Climate Talks, is also involved with the Greater Atlanta Science Collaboratory but has also been directly involved with policy change.  Her lab website lists Environmental/Climate Policy as a focus, and she is the professor who got the EPA to look at soil quality in Westside Atlanta, resulting in an EPA site.  She made the news (AJC) and Emory featured the story.

HERCULES in RSPH has a community partnership arm that supports advocacy for clean air and water.  While this is not direct advocacy, the aim is to give community partners tools, information, research results, etc., to advocate for themselves, which they do.

In addition to advocacy at the local level, previously described, Emory advocates at the state level, as state funding for transit remains an essential element to realize Emory's and the metro region's, vision for a robust and interconnected transit system. Betty Willis in Emory’s Office of Government and Community Affairs has provided testimony to advance transit in the state legislature and at various transportation forums and agency board meetings.  Meetings with local, state, and federal officials as well as with local community organizations and stakeholders to advocate for the CCTI continue regularly.

Emory University is an official observer at the UN climate talks. Since 2015, Emory has sent an annual faculty and student delegation to the Conference of the Parties for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). At the COP, the faculty and student teams presented posters and other information about Emory’s sustainability activities and efforts for local, national, and international climate action. Visit https://climatetalks.emorydomains.org/category/blog/ to read reflections from student delegates on these trips.

The question is not applicable because Emory is a non-profit organization and does not make political contributions.

All data reported in this section for September 2022-August 2023, unless otherwise noted.

https://gca.emory.edu/government/partners.html

https://gca.emory.edu/government/priorities.html

https://gca.emory.edu/government/initiatives.html