Fordham University
EN-4: Sustainability Culture Assessment

The university used Qualtrics to administer a survey asking about students' and faculties' opinions toward the sustainability resources they have available to them and the importance of certain sustainability topics.

Among the FT faculty respondents, there is a low perception of Fordham’s commitment to sustainability and environmental justice. The means for this question set were between 2.75 and 2.87, indicating that most respondents selected between 2 and 3 for each despite 4 being the highest available rating. There was also a low number of sustainability-focused classes offered. 86% of respondents do not offer sustainability-focused courses, and 61% do not incorporate sustainability into their courses at all. On the other hand, respondents reported high rates of courses that foster diversity, equity, and inclusion. The means for this question set were between 3.49 and 4.25, meaning a significant number of respondents selected the highest value on each question. There is an observed disconnect between the rate of research engaging with outside communities versus the number of courses that engage with outside communities. The mean for courses is 3.07, and the mean for research is 3.94. This shows nearly a point difference in the mean. Finally, the survey revealed that about 50% of community relationships were formed without Fordham’s aid. The percentage of FT faculty that used Fordham services was distributed relatively evenly between CCEL, department relationships, and school relationships.

The means for the questions related to Fordham’s role in committing to sustainability and environmental justice were all higher for the PT faculty than the FT faculty. The PT faculty respondents had means between 3.16 and 3.28 for these questions. Similar to FT faculty, 80.2% of respondents reported not teaching a sustainability-focused course, and 64.2% reported not including sustainability in their courses in any capacity. These are nearly the same figures as the FT faculty reported, showing a more reliable understanding of course trends. The survey indicated that there is a disconnect between the respondents’ understanding of community engagement being part of Fordham’s mission and their desire to be more engaged with local communities. The mean for understanding community engagement as part of Fordham’s mission was 3.51, and the mean of respondents who wanted to be more engaged with local communities was 2.96. 80.7% of respondents are interested in interdisciplinary fields; however, only 82.6% of respondents have not collaborated with faculty from other departments.

A high percentage of graduate students make daily choices influenced by a concern for the environment, as evidenced by the mean of 4.04 for the question. Most students selected a 4 or 5, 5 being the highest score. When asked for suggestions for sustainability priorities, several students called for full divestment from the fossil fuel industry. Others suggested more campus-focused projects, such as electric vehicles and vegan meals, to make life greener. An extremely low number of graduate students participated in CCEL activities. The percentage of students unaware of these activities was the largest group of the given response categories. For example, only 6% of respondents attended the Climate Action Summit, while 38% were unfamiliar with it. For the question about sustainability/environmental justice campus activities, 138 respondents, the largest portion of the categories, participated in sustainability/environmental justice events, roundtables, or speaker series. Lastly, 84% of respondents attend online. This particular statistic is useful for understanding the broader picture of Fordham’s on-campus attendance of sustainability events by graduate students.

The responses for almost every CCEL activity, including the Climate Action Summit, indicate that undergraduate students are largely unaware of these events. Only 3% participated, while 42% were unaware that it was taking place. Like with the graduate students, a high percentage of respondents make daily choices influenced by environmental concerns. The mean (3.92) was slightly lower than the graduate students, but the value was still high, showing a generally strong level of environmental mindfulness in day-to-day life. Only 25% of undergraduate students have taken courses related to sustainability, and 20% have taken courses related to environmental justice. These numbers are very low but consistent with the faculty’s report of low numbers of offered sustainability courses. Finally, undergraduate students rated Fordham’s preparation for working in a field that promotes respect for the environment as the second lowest category, with a mean of 2.83. This contrasts with the mean of 3.11 when asked about the importance of working in an environmentally friendly field.

This survey is planned to be administed annually. 

A count is automatically collected on how many students (undergraduate and graduate) took the survey, and that number is compared with the total amount of students.

A count is automatically collected on how many employees (part-time and full-time) took the survey, and that number is compared with the total amount of faculty.