| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.71 |
| Liaison | Christie-Joy Hartman |
| Submission Date | Sept. 13, 2024 |
James Madison University
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Christie-Joy
Hartman Executive Director ISNW |
Is the institution currently a member of a national or international higher education sustainability network?:
The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):
-Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
-University Global Coalition
Does the institution actively participate in a regional, state/provincial, or local higher education sustainability network?:
The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):
State: VASHE (Virginia Sustainability in Higher Education) Professional Network
Professional Network, Regional: Sustainable Shenandoah Valley (SSV) Regional Centre of Expertise
Has the institution presented at a higher education sustainability conference during the previous year?:
A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):
Prof. Debbie Sturm, JMU Graduate Psychology, was a keynote speaker who discussed climate anxiety and mental health at the Sustainable Shenandoah Valley Regional Centre of Expertise's Student Sustainability Summit, April 6, 2024 at James Madison University. Faculty and students participated from the following institutions: James Madison University, Bridgewater College, Eastern Mennonite University, Mary Baldwin University, and Blue Ridge Community College. JMU was the host institution for the event, and a JMU staff member, Carol Lena Miller, oversaw students organizing much of the conference.
Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to an external higher education sustainability resource center or awards program?:
A list or brief description of the sustainability resource center or awards program and submission(s):
Campus Race to Zero Waste "Learn from Your Peers" [2024 Case Studies Online] Resources Submission and Application for Case Study Award: Hartman, C.J., Bodle, A.M., Paterson, E. 2024. Case Study on Dukes Level Up. Campus Race to Zero Waste provides tools and opportunities that inspire, empower, and mobilize colleges and universities to benchmark and improve efforts to reduce or eliminate waste.
Summary of Resource Center Submission: The CR2ZW Dukes Level Up program, consisting of eight targeted efforts, began in 2022 when James Madison University (JMU) marked its 16th consecutive year of participating in CR2ZW. This education and awareness effort leveraged existing organizational structures, programs, and student learning experiences to take a robust, long-standing program to the next level, illustrating that improving successful, well-established programs doesn’t need to be resource intensive for a single office or expensive.
JMU’s recycling efforts have been institutionalized for more than 35 years. Since a university-wide commitment to sustainability in 2008, JMU has implemented myriad waste-related continuous improvement measures such as establishing a composting program. However, we recognized challenges, including signage errors/loss, waning visibility, changing recycling markets/services, participant confusion over recycling changes, and participant emphasis on recycling v. reduction.
Responding to these challenges, we engaged campus units to create and implement targeted improvement efforts that are cost-effective and long-lasting. Campus partnerships for the program included the following units: Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World, Residence Life, Dining Services, Building Coordinators, Facilities Management (FM) Recycling/Waste Management, FM Work Control Center, and Athletics.
https://campusracetozerowaste.org/resources/learn-from-your-peers/
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Resource Center Case Study Submission: Portmann, J., Gillen, S., Starinchak B, Griscom, H. 2023. Case Study on Blacks Run: A Novel Approach to Assessing Urban Stream Restoration. Urban Naturalist Notes, Vol 10. Issue 6, 2023. Eagle Hill Institute. Eagle Hill Institute provides open access notes related to all aspects of the natural history sciences as they pertain to urban areas. The Institute is a 501(c)(3) scientific and literary nonprofit organization which is dedicated to contributing to a greater interest in scholarly and educational pursuits, especially in the natural history sciences.
Summary of Resource Center Submission: Urbanization has required widespread restoration efforts to regain natural ecosystem function. Continued monitoring of diverse ecosystem characteristics is needed to assess the progress of such efforts. We conducted a multi-taxa monitoring approach using birds, tree carbon, and aquatic macroinvertebrates to assess urban restoration efforts. Tree carbon increased with greater distance from the urban core, while a pollution tolerance index decreased, indicating improved water quality (R2 = 0.823, p = 0.012; R2 = 0.682, p = 0.043). Assessing restoration progress using taxonomic diversity, carbon, and water quality allows for a comprehensive understanding of the efficacy of restoration projects. Future monitoring adopting this multi-taxa approach will help inform best practices for restoration implementation. *This was a case study on Backs Run. According to the JMU MS4 Plan 2023-28, nearly 117 acres of the JMU campus drain directly to Blacks Run while the remaining acreage drains to either Sibert Creek or Newman Lake. Sibert Creek then flows into Blacks Run directly adjacent to the campus.
https://www.eaglehill.us/URNAonline2/access-pages/006-Portmann-note-accesspage.shtml
Has the institution had employees or students serving on a board or committee of a sustainability network or conference during the previous three years?:
A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):
The International Environmental Communication Association’s (IECA) 17th biannual Conference on Communication and Environment (COCE 2023) was hosted at JMU June 5-9, 2023. The conference theme was "Many Voices, One Planet: Accounting for the past and narrating sustainable futures." There were 167 in-person attendees and 74 virtual attendees. Prof. Pete Bsumek, School of Communication Studies, led the planning for the local host committee (chair) and additional JMU members included Andrea Martinez Gonzalez (SCOM), Muhammad Ittefaq (SCOM), Matt Brigham (SCOM), Alison Bodkin (SCOM), Anna Maria Johnson (WRTC) and Jacquelyn Himmel (student intern, SMAD/Environmental Humanities--2023 grad). https://event.fourwaves.com/coce2023/pages
Christie-Joy Hartman served on the organizing committee for the University Global Coalition's (UGC's) Sustainable Development Action and Awareness Week in AYs 2021-24. The UGC is a collaborative platform of globally engaged universities and higher education associations working in partnership with the United Nations and other stakeholders to create a more sustainable future for all. https://universityglobalcoalition.org/sdgactionweek/
Carol Lena Miller, Program Manager, College of Integrated Science and Engineering, JMU, became chair of Sustainable Shenandoah Valley (SSV), a Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE), in mid-2023.
The following JMU employees serve on the Steering Committee:
Steve Grande (SSV Secretary), Assistant Professor, Graduate Psychology
Jennifer Coffman, Professor, Integrated Science and Technology
Jenna Piersol, James Madison University, Assistant Director of Community Partnership Development
Jared Stoltzfus, James Madison University, Assistant Professor, School of Integrated Sciences
As of August 2023, 190 RCEs have officially been acknowledged by the United Nations University worldwide. The Global RCE Network brings together multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary members who might not usually work together. As such, they are uniquely placed to help create solutions to sustainability challenges through dialogue, education and learning. The SSV RCE is led by five higher education institutions: James Madison University, Bridgewater College, Eastern Mennonite University, Mary Baldwin University, and Blue Ridge Community College. https://www.rcenetwork.org/portal/rce-shenandoah-valley-2023
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?:
A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:
JMU has on ongoing mentoring relationship with another higher education institution to assist them in developing a sustainability program. Examples of the relationship follow. In August 2023, JMU's College of Integrated Science and Engineering hosted a two-day visit where JMU faculty members and administrators consulted with an administrator from a Georgia university who was starting a new sustainability program. After that university began developing its sustainability program, a group of representatives from there traveled to JMU for the College of Integrated Science and Engineering annual student showcase day in April 2024 to attend student presentations and interact with faculty.
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?:
A brief description of the peer review activities:
A brief description of other inter-campus collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year :
Christie-Joy Hartman served as an external reviewer of a dossier for a sustainability program leader from another institution.
Website URL where information about the institution’s inter-campus collaborations is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
In contrast to JMU's last STARS report, this report lists (1) the submission of a case study during the previous year to an external higher education sustainability resource center or awards program and (2) an ongoing mentoring relationship with another institution.
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.