Mills College
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

Mills College Strategic Plan 2013–2018 Strategic Imperative 3: Strengthening our commitment to inclusion, social justice, and sustainability Mills students are motivated by a commitment to an inclusive community, social justice, and a sustainable planet. Yet, data from the National Study for Student Engagement show that Mills students report fewer opportunities to participate in efforts toward such goals than they anticipated, creating concerns about retaining students who may not see the relevance of Mills to important life goals. Diversity, social justice, and sustainability are an underlying concern of all our strategic imperatives. While listed here separately, this underlying commitment has implications for re-examining the curriculum, internationalizing Mills, creating a vibrant campus, and developing partnerships. Providing opportunities for students to connect Mills’ experiences to interests in diversity, social justice, and sustainability. In thinking about this imperative, Mills can be a “living laboratory” to define and redefine social justice, build community, engage with communities beyond campus, and live in sustainable, climate-neutral ways. Mills is a campus full of intellectual and physical resources for our own learning about social justice and sustainability and for the larger Oakland community as well. Learning in this “laboratory” is not only extracurricular but also connected to the curriculum. The campus farm provides one possible means of building a “living laboratory” across the curriculum and co-curriculum. Programs in the Division of Student Life as well as the Living Learning Communities provide many other means. Mills hosts a number of resources and individual initiatives on campus that can connect us to community and social justice concerns. There is an ongoing need to have some coordination of resources and initiatives for community engagement and connection to the curriculum. A point person, working in the Provost’s Office and partnering with Career Services, to connect the curriculum with service learning, along with study abroad, paid and unpaid internships, and community partnerships, could provide such coordination. Developing scholarships. The high cost of a private liberal arts college is another obstacle to students’ engagement in social justice and the community. Tying scholarship money to students’ work on issues of social justice, civic engagement, and sustainability could attract and retain students and donors. This might include “service” scholarships for new first year, transfer, and graduate students engaged in social justice and the community. Creating an environment inclusive of all diversity. Creating a just, equitable, and inclusive environment for all students, while paying attention to diversity along many lines of identity including, for example, race, class, sexual orientation, ability, spirituality and religious diversity is ongoing work. As a women’s college, Mills has a long tradition of challenging, in particular, gender stereotypes, inequality, and injustice. That tradition, which stretches from preparing women for the professions and civic life to providing opportunities for women to excel in areas of the curriculum and co-curriculum that were seen as more appropriate to men, has broken normative conceptions of gender. In the 21st century, the challenge to gender norms comes from students who identify as transgender or gender nonconforming. To stay in the vanguard of gender justice and equity and to build and retain an overall diverse student body, Mills needs to consider how it serves the transgender and gender nonconforming students already here and those considering a woman’s college. These considerations include examining policies ranging from admissions and athletics to curriculum and housing. Towards that end, the College will continue the dialogue begun by the recommendations of the Diversity and Social Justice Committee in its report on Inclusion of Transgender and Gender Fluid Students. Focusing on sustainability across campus. Mills has been committed to sustainability for years. However, learning to live it in every aspect of our working lives remains a challenge. While Mills can be a learning laboratory of sustainability, helping students learn through curricular and co-curricular work about social justice and equality in the world around them, it is imperative that the Mills community live and model the value we hold dear. Mills will pursue initiatives which enable us to be viewed as a 21st century college committed to sustainability with efforts including developing a campus farm, adopting energy savings measures, promoting food justice and participating in the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment to lessen our environmental footprint.

-Planning and implementation of a Urban Farm at Mills College. -Increase opportunities for students to participate in a program. -Increase number of students directly affected by a program.

Sustainability Committee Sustainability Center Diversity and Social Justice Resource Center Institute for Civic Leadership Environmental Studies Program

The Mills Urban Farm 5 Year Master Plan includes formal plans for conducting public workshops on sustainable food, food access for the public, and other strategies.

-Number of community workshops -CSA/farm stand -Community survey

-Farm Manager -Campus Facilities -Farm Committee

Greenhouse Gas Inventories and Climate Action Plan. Mills College Strategic Plan 2013–2018 "Focusing on sustainability across campus. Mills has been committed to sustainability for years. However, learning to live it in every aspect of our working lives remains a challenge. While Mills can be a learning laboratory of sustainability, helping students learn through curricular and co-curricular work about social justice and equality in the world around them, it is imperative that the Mills community live and model the value we hold dear. Mills will pursue initiatives which enable us to be viewed as a 21st century college committed to sustainability with efforts including developing a campus farm, adopting energy savings measures, promoting food justice and participating in the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment to lessen our environmental footprint."

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 15% by 2015, from 2008 levels. Strategies include efficiency measures and upgrades, including outdoor lighting, building envelop and mechanical upgrades. We have exceeded this goal and are in the process of developing a new Climate Action Plan.

Sustainability Committee Operations

Principles of Sustainability are included in our master plan to provide policy leadership and promote social responsibility and stewardship of our built environment and natural resources. As we have embarked on new capital projects we have set high standards for energy efficiency, water conservation and wise use of resources. In doing so, we have created buildings that meet rigorous energy standards and provide an opportunity to use the building as a teaching tool.

All new construction is to be minimum LEED Silver.

Director of Construction, Compliance, and Sustainability

The Mills Urban Farm 5 Year Master Plan includes formal plans to provide sustainable food to the Mills dining services.

-Amount of food produced -Integration of sustainable food systems into curriculum (# of courses) -Student employment in sustainable food

-Farm Manager -Campus Facilities -Farm Committee -Dining Services

Greenhouse Gas Inventories and Climate Action Plan. Mills College Strategic Plan 2013–2018 "Focusing on sustainability across campus. Mills has been committed to sustainability for years. However, learning to live it in every aspect of our working lives remains a challenge. While Mills can be a learning laboratory of sustainability, helping students learn through curricular and co-curricular work about social justice and equality in the world around them, it is imperative that the Mills community live and model the value we hold dear. Mills will pursue initiatives which enable us to be viewed as a 21st century college committed to sustainability with efforts including developing a campus farm, adopting energy savings measures, promoting food justice and participating in the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment to lessen our environmental footprint."

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 15% by 2015, from 2008 levels. Strategies include efficiency measures and upgrades, including outdoor lighting, building envelop and mechanical upgrades.

Sustainability Committee Operations

Mills College just completed the Urban Farm Master Plan, which details the principles, goals, objectives, and activities for the farm as it scales up during its first five years. The Urban Farm at Mills College offers an exciting new opportunity to bring together students, faculty, staff, neighbors, and local community-based organizations and schools to develop a sustainable urban farm in the heart of East Oakland.

Extensive objectives, strategies and timeframes are included in the plan. The plan is available at www.mills.edu/green

Sustainability Committee

Mills College Strategic Plan 2013–2018 "Transportation options that facilitate student engagement: In today’s hectic world, the College recognizes that students are involved in family, work, and other activities which take them to and from campus at varying times and that some Mills interactions or experiences might happen in different locations. Reduced cost student bus passes with AC Transit have resulted in thousands of usages annually. To accommodate the College’s plans for more cross registration, internship and work opportunities off campus, students living off campus, and the interests of some faculty to offer cultural events as part of their curriculum, an audit of transportation will be undertaken to assure a robust, accommodating schedule. A successful and responsive transportation program will contribute to student satisfaction and engagement and, thus, campus vibrancy as well as retention."

A proposal has been put together to enhance the quality of service of the campus shuttle, including a new route and improved schedule that better corresponds to the class schedule. The proposal has been implemented and refined along the way.

Department of Public Safety and Transportation.

Plans to advance Diversity and Affordability are included in a number of the imperatives in the Mills College Strategic Plan 2013–2018 (http://www.mills.edu/strategicplan). This includes: Strategic Imperative 2: Creating more flexible ways to obtain a Mills education. This includes expanding summer and part-time course options to increase the accessibility of a Mills education to resumer, transfer, and working students. Strategic Imperative 3: Strengthening our commitment to inclusion, social justice, and sustainability. This includes developing additional scholarship opportunities. Strategic Imperative 4: Internationalizing Mills This includes developing a comprehensive program for recruitment, enrollment, and retention of international students. Strategic Imperative 6: Developing partnerships This includes developing a variety of partnerships with community colleges.

Mills College Strategic Plan 2013–2018 http://www.mills.edu/strategicplan

Office of the President.

An annual plan put forward by the Health and Wellness Committee to engage faculty and staff in wellness initiatives, practices and programs.

Targets a high number of participants in the provided programs, such as attendees at this year's Health and Wellness Fair.

Health and Wellness Committee.