| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 52.02 |
| Liaison | Christine Bruckner |
| Submission Date | Jan. 24, 2025 |
Illinois State University
EN-5: Civic Engagement
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.50 / 8.00 |
Christine
Bruckner Assistant Director Office of Sustainability |
5.1 Percentage of students that participate in civic engagement programs
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s civic engagement programs for students:
The Center for Civic Engagement offers a variety of civic engagement opportunities for students, from service projects to civic learning experiences to voter engagement. All programming for students can be found on the Center for Civic Engagement website: https://civicengagement.illinoisstate.edu/students/
Percentage of students that participate in community service and/or other civic engagement programs:
Approach used to determine the percentage of students that participate in civic engagement programs:
Narrative outlining how student participation in civic engagement programs was determined:
Student participation is tracked through a student engagement platform. Students check in upon arrival at the service/civic engagement event and their participation is recorded in the student engagement platform. The programs included in this count were all civic education and political engagement programming, university-sponsored service projects, and the university's Alternative Breaks program.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
5.2 Employee community service program
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s programs to support employee community service:
Faculty and staff are invited to participate alongside students in any Center for Civic Engagement program or service project. Moreover, employees are invited to participate in their own service experiences by utilizing their Personal Plus Time off. More information about Personal Plus Time can be found here: https://hr.illinoisstate.edu/benefits/time-off/personal-plus/
Does the institution support employee volunteering during regular work hours?:
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s support for community volunteering during regular work hours:
Employees were recently granted additional time off benefits to use as an employee sees fit, including for community service during the work day. More information about the policy can be found here: https://policy.illinoisstate.edu/employee/general/3-1-52/
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
5.3 Support for public policies to advance sustainability
Narrative outlining how individuals affiliated with the institution have helped develop local or regional public policies that address sustainability challenges:
The Director of the Office of Sustainability served on the Town of Normal's Sustainability Strategic Planning Task Force, representing Illinois State University. This group was responsible for compiling the Town's strategic plan for sustainability and will ultimately serve as the foundation for any local public policies involving sustainability moving forward.
As a member of the Illinois Recycling Foundation, the Illinois Food Scrap & Composting Coalition, and the Illinois Coalition for Plastic Reduction (CPR) Policy Committee, and the State of Illinois Renewable Energy Component Recycling Task Force the Director of the Office of Sustainability represents the institution and advocates for public policies to advance sustainability by promoting legislation that supports waste reduction, circular economy principles, and sustainable agriculture practices. For example, she has pushed for statewide composting programs to reduce landfill waste, championed policies to incentivize food scrap recycling, and worked on advocating for the expansion of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs to hold manufacturers accountable for product lifecycle management. Additionally, she advocates for clean energy policies and urban green space initiatives to enhance environmental quality and community resilience.
Recent legislation includes the following:
Large Event Facilities Act: https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=4544&ChapterID=36
Electronic -Lithium Battery Recyling: https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=3206&GAID=17&DocTypeID=SB&SessionID=112&GA=103
Paint Stewardship Act: https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=4434&ChapterID=36
Narrative outlining how individuals affiliated with the institution have helped develop national or international public policies that address sustainability challenges:
Has the institution advocated for public policies to advance sustainability during the previous three years?:
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s advocacy for public policies to advance sustainability:
Documentary evidence of the institution’s advocacy for public policies to advance sustainability:
Online resource that provides evidence of the institution’s advocacy for public policies to advance sustainability:
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
Optional documentation
Additional documentation for this credit:
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.