Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 60.65
Liaison Michael Amadori
Submission Date March 5, 2021

STARS v2.2

Hobart and William Smith Colleges
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 3.00 Michael Amadori
Sustainability Manager
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Is the institution currently a member of a national or international higher education sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)

Does the institution actively participate in a regional, state/provincial, or local higher education sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):
New York Coalition for Sustainability in Higher Education (NYCSHE)
New York Six Liberal Arts Consortium Sustainability Network

Has the institution presented at a higher education sustainability conference during the previous year?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):
During the 2019 NYCSHE conference, students from HWS presented on the Year of Water happening at HWS. See below for description of the exhibit that was presented.

Worldwide, water quality and quantity are pressing issues demanding the attention of individuals and governments alike. The Finger Lakes Institute (FLI) at Hobart and William Smith Colleges promotes environmental research, education, and protection of the Finger Lakes and surrounding watersheds. In conjunction with the 15th anniversary of the FLI, the Colleges have named 2019-2020 the Year of Water. The HWS/FLI Year of Water is a multifaceted program to engage the campus and community in a variety of water themed events, art installations, community wide readings, and more. The interactive Seneca Lake exhibit that serves to engage viewers in learning about the history, science, and socio-economic importance of the lake to the communities in the watershed. In addition, the exhibit showcases current threats to the lake and actions being taken by municipalities to promote water quality in the lake.

Throughout history, Seneca Lake and its watershed has supported various communities and lifestyles, and while they may differ in many ways, they all relied on the Lake. Our exhibit links the HWS campus, Geneva community, and Finger Lakes region by establishing a sense of place and personal connection to the issues surrounding water. A watershed map on a large banner encourages viewers to find where they are in the watershed, learn what a watershed is, and understand the connections between upland regions and water quality. Impacts on the watershed are examined in relation to water quality, threats to the lake through nutrient pollution, climate change, invasive species and chemical pollution. These threats are presented alongside solutions that individuals can take and organizations they can work with to make a difference. Visitors that stop by are given a survey to assess how effective the display is at effectively engaging people in thinking more deeply about water quality issues and initiatives their area.

Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to an external higher education sustainability resource center or awards program?:
No

A list or brief description of the sustainability resource center or awards program and submission(s):
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Has the institution had employees or students serving on a board or committee of a sustainability network or conference during the previous three years?:
Yes

A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):
Sustainability Manager, Michael Amadori, serves as the regional rep for New York Coalition for Sustainability in Higher Education (NYCSHE). Responsibilities include providing updates to schools in the assigned region as to what is happening in their area and letting other professionals working to advance sustainability in New York know about the group. In addition we attend work to recruit additional schools into the group and help the group with topics selection and provide content for networking events.

Does the institution have an ongoing mentoring relationship with another institution through which it assists the institution with its sustainability reporting and/or the development of its sustainability program?:
No

A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:
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Has the institution had employees or students serving as peer reviewers of another institution’s sustainability data and/or STARS submission during the previous three years?:
No

A brief description of the peer review activities:
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Optional Fields 

A brief description of other inter-campus collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year :
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Website URL where information about the institution’s inter-campus collaborations is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.