Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 63.40
Liaison Olivia Herron
Submission Date March 2, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Miami University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Thomas Crist
Director
Institute for the Environment and Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee, office, and/or officer that focuses on sustainability broadly and covers the entire institution?:
Yes

A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the committee(s), office(s), and/or officer(s) during the previous three years:

The coordinated efforts of the University Sustainability Committee and the Office of the Director of Sustainability and Energy Conservation (Physical Facilities Department) have documented several accomplishments in the past three years:

* In 2013, we reported a 13% reduction in total carbon emissions for the Miami University main campus from fiscal years 2008 to 2012;
* A 2013 transportation survey of faculty, staff and students showed a 7% increase in bus ridership for commuter trips to campus, and walking to and on-campus increased by about 10% during a 5‐year period;
* An area of campus with three new residence halls built to LEED silver standards, features 315 geothermal wells, stormwater retention ponds, stepped rain gardens, and natural landscaping;
* Student team projects involving campus sustainability in the past three years included a marketing class project to reduce energy and water consumption in residence halls, a sustainability in design class to investigate alternative energy sources for the university club car fleet, and graduate students in the environmental science program who completed the university carbon footprint;
* A university mission statement on sustainability, developed by the University Sustainability Committee, was adopted by University Senate in April 2015.
* A new set of Sustainability Commitments and Goals, approved the University Sustainability Committee and now in its final stages of revision, will update the 2010 commitments and goals


Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
Yes

The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:

The function of the University Sustainability Committee is to promote sustainable practices at Miami University through collaboration among students, faculty, staff, and the broader community. The membership of the Committee will include faculty, administrators, staff, and students from academic divisions, operational, and co-curricular units of the university. The committee will provide regular internal reports to the President, the Provost, the Vice President of Business and Finance Services, and the University Senate, as well as external reports to university stakeholders and third-party organizations, such as the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

The following mission statement was adopted by University Senate in April 2015:
Miami University is committed to sustainability in our academic programs, physical campus and operations, and university mission by promoting environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and economic viability for current and future generations.


Members of each committee, including affiliations and role (e.g. staff, student, or faculty):

Academic Units:
Thomas Crist, Professor and Chair, Department of Biology (Committee Chair)
Mary Rogero, Associate Professor and Interim Chair, Architecture and Interior Design
Helaine Alessio, Professor and Chair, Kinesiology and Health
Brian Ballou, Professor of Accountancy, Co-Director of the Center for Business Excellence
Jeff Merhout, Associate Professor, Information Systems and Analytics
Suzi Zazycki, Associate Director, Institute for the Environment and Sustainability
Tim Cameron, Professor and Chair, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

Operational Staff:
Rob Abowitz, Associate Director of Residence Life, Student Affairs
Jeff Johnson, Interim Director, Office of Environmental Health and Safety
Michael Jacquemin, Senior Manager for Building and Grounds, HDRBS
Yvette Kline, Director of Sustainability and Energy Conservation, Physical Facilities
Kristina Rotunda, Executive Manager for Dining Services, HDRBS
Lt. Benjamin Spilman, Director of Parking and Transportation Services
Dave Beitz, Manager of Data Center Operations, IT Services

Student Membership:
Undergraduate student: Seamus Pugh, Associated Student Government
Undergraduate student: Cole Vincent, Green Oxford Student Organization
Undergraduate student: Madison Powers, Beta Alpha Psi, Farmer School of Business
Graduate Student: Kathleen Jordan, Institute for the Environment and Sustainability

Ex-Officio Members:
Maria Cronley, Senior Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
Cody Powell, Associate Vice President of Facility Planning and Operations
Susan Meikle, Communications Consultant, University Communications and Marketing


The website URL where information about the sustainability committee(s) is available:
Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) employee?:
Yes

A brief description of each sustainability office:

Miami has a full-time Director of Sustainability and Energy Conservation (in the Physical Facilities Department), and the Chair of the University Sustainability Committee (in Academic Affairs) as part of his university service commitment. In addition, a Communications Consultant from University Communications and Marketing spends 10% time on communications and reporting on university sustainability, and the Associate Director of the Institute for the Environment and Sustainability spends 10% on carbon footprint and transportation student projects. A graduate student Sustainability Intern who works half-time, and a "Green Team" of part-time undergraduate student employees work part-time for the Director of Sustainability. Together, a total of 2 FTEs work each year on University Sustainability efforts.


Full-time equivalent (FTE) of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
2

The website URL where information about the sustainability office(s) is available:
Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Yes

Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Thomas O. Crist, Chair of the University Sustainability Committee; Yvette Kline, Director of Sustainability and Energy Conservation

A brief description of each sustainability officer position:

The responsibilities of the Chair of the University Sustainability Committee are as follows:

* provide leadership in promoting sustainability-related goals within and across university units, promoting communication between students, faculty, and staff;
* raise the profile and promote understanding of sustainability-related issues and opportunities at Miami University;
* lead the University Sustainability Committee to identify and prioritize policy changes, including implementation of the Sustainability Commitments and Goals signed by President David Hodge in 2011 and their subsequent revisions now in progress;
* provide a point of contact for sustainability-related inquiries and ideas at Miami, particularly to connect faculty and student researchers and student team projects with operational challenges and personnel;
* collaborate in institutional research on existing sustainability-related practices and benchmarking;
* collaborate in efforts to secure grant funding for sustainability-related projects that involve academic and campus partnerships;
* communicate with existing campus committees on issues relevant to sustainability;
* report progress of the Sustainability Committee and the university to the President, Provost, and Vice President for Business and Finance;
* provide external reporting of progress on university sustainability goals and metrics to broad audiences through the university sustainability website, printed materials, and STARS reporting

The responsibilities of the Director of Sustainability and Energy Conservation are as follows:
* work with the Physical Facilities Department and its campus clients to establish and support operational aspects of the Sustainability Commitments and Goals;
* assess and improve short- and long-term operational success in sustainability
* work with the Chair and Committee on both tactical and strategic matters pertaining to implementation and planning
* provide hands-on sustainability work experience to students
* support student projects in sustainability


The website URL where information about the sustainability officer(s) is available:
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.