Missouri State University
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

The Sustainability Advisory Committee is one of nine Presidential Committees at Missouri State University. The Sustainability Advisory Committee, through the Goal Watching Subcommittee, submits an annual progress report on the short term and long term goals to advance sustainability on campus. The Sustainability Advisory Committee reviews and updates these goals annually. The committee has identified several ways to advance sustainability in the curriculum.

• Identify, develop, and act upon opportunities where our sustainability efforts can enhance our curricular and co-curricular goals and exemplify our public affairs mission.
• Define sustainability focused/related courses and update the list, which is available on the sustainability website.
• Develop and submit a sustainability minor for approval by Faculty Senate with the goal of offering in 2014.

Sustainability Advisory Committee

The long-range plan, Fulfilling Our Promise, outlined four goals for Missouri State University to help it achieve its core mission of educating persons. Annual performance measures—called Key Performance Indicators (KPI)—will provide an objective standard for determining the extent to which Missouri State achieves its goals and how it compares to other universities. One KPI is Student and Faculty Involvement in Missouri State University's Public Affairs Mission. The University recognizes that student engagement is strongly related to student success. While there are many activities employed to engage our students some of the most influential are: the incorporation of high impact educational experiences; the development of strong local, regional, state, national, and global partners; and to encourage awareness and involvement in the University’s sustainability efforts.

Several measures are used to assess whether the University is meeting its objectives related to Student and Faculty Involvement in Missouri State University's Public Affairs Mission and data is updated annually. These measures include the Public Affairs Year in Review, the University’s AASHE-STARS Rating, and a list of five major initiatives MSU is taking in sustainability. Data is provided below on these measures:
• Selection of annual theme and Public Affairs (PA) Fellow (done 2 years in advance for planning) Theme for 2014-2015 selected as “The Ethical Citizen: Can you make a difference” with the PA Fellow selected to be Dr. Kurt Heinlein Orleans, and Child Welfare in Dallas
• New Student Convocation - (Yearly theme is introduced) 2013-2014 theme announced, “Global Perspective: Why it matters”. 3,500 new and returning students in attendance (John Goodman received the honorary doctorate at this event)
• Into the Streets Volunteer Program Into the Streets Service Weekend
o 249 Registered Volunteers (2012)
• Public Affairs Week (mid-September)
o Constitution Day: Partnered with the Southwest Missouri Bar Association to host David Mercer, First Assistant Federal Public Defender as he spoke to the topic of “Giddeon v. Wainwright, legal issues and the right to counsel – A global perspective” 80 in attendance
o Hunger Banquet: approx. 350-400 in attendance
o Other activities throughout the week:
- Global Impact Fair = 100 attendees
- Voter Registration = 200 new voters registered
• Public Affairs Convocation Speakers
o Fall speaker is connected to Common Reader for First-year students - Blake Mycoskie, CEO/Chief Shoe Giver for TOMS Shoes and author of the common reader, “Start Something that Matters”. Approximately 4,500 attendees in Springfield with additional 100 in West Plains watching via secure internet connection, total 4,400
o Spring Speaker is connected to yearly theme
• Public Affairs grants from $1-$2,000 awarded to support events for the campus community:
o “The US Embargo on Cuba in Light of Recent Reforms”, Fall 2013, proposed by Dr. Gabriel Ondetti and Dr. Indira Palacios-Valladares, total grant = $1,950
o “Considering Kennedy: Presidential Leadership and Political Polarization Fifty Years after November 22, 1963”, November 11-22, 2013, proposed by Dr. Brian Calfano, grant total = $1,315
• Excellence in Community Service Award—4 awarded each year (2 faculty and 2 staff)
o Faculty for 2013: Dr. Wafaa Kaf (only one recipient this year)
o Staff for 2013: Anne Baker and Tina McManus
• Citizen Scholar Award: Recognizes outstanding citizen scholars from among MSU student body
• Martin Luther King Day of Service
o 204 Registered Volunteers (2013)
• Alternative Fall and Spring Break Service Experiences
Fall/Spring Break Immersion Trips
o Fall Break: 13 participants (Springfield local trip focused on the Public Affairs Mission)
o Spring Break: 39 participants(3 Trips: Hunger & Homelessness in Chicago, Urban Renewal in New Orleans, and Child Welfare in Dallas)
• Public Affairs Conference: 3-day event each spring 4,200 (attendance has duplication, this is total attendance for all sessions)
• Distinction in Public Affairs Program: Students aspiring for distinction in PA participate in a year-long program 39 students completed the program
• Heritage Month Events throughout the year (i.e. Hispanic, African American, Asian and Asian-Pacific, and Native American Heritage Months)
• Student Community Action Team: Allows students to serve an average of 10-12 hours a week with an area not-for-profit agency for the fall and spring semesters of the academic year as their work-study assignment
• Missouri Public Affairs Academy: Week-long program for talented and aspiring high school students 30 students selected to participate
• Achieve a Silver STARS rating for the 2015 submission.
• Development of the campus community garden (funded by the student sustainability fund) - The Campus Garden continues to be maintained with enhancements such as raised beds and late season frost protection to extend the growing opportunities.
• Construction and pursuit of LEED certification for the Bond Learning Center, Science Scholar’s Laboratory at Greenwood, and the Foster Recreation Center
o Related to the LEED process, construction waste has been minimized with over 80% of the waste being recycled versus going to the landfill
o Foster Recreation Center has hydration stations located in multiple areas around the center
o All roof drainage from the Foster Recreation Center is diverted to a rain garden to help recharge the ground water
o 100% recycled bumper blocks are being used on the parking lot west of the Foster Recreation Center
o Daylight controls are being used in new construction projects that automatically dim lighting to save energy
o Bond Learning Center: LEED Silver; Greenwood: LEED Silver; Monroe Apartments: LEED Certified; Foster Recreation Center: LEED Silver.
• Installation of 24 hydration stations (14 funded by the student sustainability fund) primarily in academic buildings – Completed as of June 1, 2014.
• Energy saving activities completed.
o Relocation of the Hammons Student Center electrical feeder - COMPLETE
o Installation of the over 680 LED lights and over 200 occupancy sensors in classroom buildings – LED light installations are over 1,000 bulbs replaced; over 200 occupancy sensors remains current number completed to date. Three parking lots have been replaced with LED lights to create a cleaner and safer look to the campus while also saving energy.
o Installation of LED lights in Parking Lots 4 and 15, funded by student sustainability fund. - COMPLETE
o Pressure independent valve installation complete at Hammons Student Center, Hammons House, Hutchens House, Freudenberger House, Garst Dining Center, and Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts.
o Education
- Energy Dashboard implemented to provide real time (updated every 15 minutes) energy resource usage information for 21 buildings, funded by student sustainability fund.
- Green Teams implemented to promote energy conservation and sustainability at the office, department, and organization level. 5 Green Teams are in place as of June 1, 2014; Leaf Two containing additional sustainability initiatives for teams to achieve is being developed. The number of Green Teams in place has increased to 19. The development of Leaf Two was completed and was implemented in October of 2014.
- Participated in Campus Conservation Nationals April 4-25, a nationwide competition amongst universities to conserve energy. Competed directly with MU- Columbia, and won with overall energy reduction of 9.1%. This project is complete as of June 1, 2014 and resulted in a reduction of 9.1%, $9,909, 138,943 kwh. Competition will continue to occur annually.
- Energy awareness programming occurred in October of 2014. An energy competition between buildings was held resulting in a 27% reduction of energy consumed. The resulting cost savings totaled $38,057 (Note: weather was a factor, baseline was August).
o Utilized the surplus capacity of the Chilled Water Loop to add or replace cooling requirements versus installing building-specific and expensive chillers. Greenwood Laboratory School and Foster Recreation Center are the most recent. In addition, installed pressure independent valves to support the improvement of the chilled water loop – Chilled Water Loop surplus capacity allowed for connecting to the Wehr Band Hall and Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts; installation of pressure independent valves in some Residence Halls restored capacity to the Loop to accommodate this.
• Installation of 400 additional bike rack spaces (many funded by the student sustainability fund) - COMPLETE

Vice President for University Advancement
Vice President for Administrative and Information Services
Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Vice President for Marketing and Communications
Vice President for Student Affairs (Auxiliaries)
Vice President for Research and Economic Development and International Relations
Provost

N/A

N/A

N/A

The Sustainability Advisory Committee is one of nine Presidential Committees at Missouri State University. The Sustainability Advisory Committee, through the Goal Watching Subcommittee, submits an annual progress report on the short term and long term goals to advance sustainability on campus. The Sustainability Advisory Committee reviews and updates these goals annually.

Missouri State University is committed to effective energy management, conservation, efficiency, and sustainability. The Office of Energy Management within Facilities Management, in collaboration with the Sustainability Advisory Committee, will track greenhouse gas emissions, measured as metric tons of Carbon Dioxide equivalent.

The Sustainability Advisory Committee has established the following goals related to Air and Climate.
• Determine greenhouse gas emissions for the Power House by May of 2015 and set goals to limit emissions in the future by May of 2016.
• Develop a targeted education plan on no idle zones on campus along with a sustainable plan to update signs.

Facilities Management
Sustainability Advisory Committee

The Missouri State University office of Planning, Design & Construction is charged with creating the biennial Visioning Guide. The Visioning Guide is generated based on input from the University’s Master Planning Committee as well as the input of various stakeholders on campus. The Visioning Guide provides a visual tool for the University community to determine the best direction for the growth of the physical campus. The present Visioning Guide for the Springfield campus includes a statement of the University’s commitment to sustainable practices and provides a QR code with a link to the University’s sustainability web site at http://www.missouristate.edu/sustainability/
The Visioning Guide is available to the public in print form as a brochure, is displayed in several locations throughout campus, and is available on the web site at the following link: http://architect.missouristate.edu/OurVision/default.htm

Both the University and the State are making great strides in green building construction and renovation. These efforts will help the campus conserve energy, reduce the use of raw materials, and save money. Over time, more members of the campus community will live, work, and learn in increasingly efficient buildings while enjoying a higher standard of indoor environmental quality.
Building Sites
Among other criteria, building sites are selected based on the ability to:
•Provide access to public transportation
•Restore habitat
•Filter storm water runoff

Design Criteria/Facility Standards
The University has developed standards and design guidelines for new construction and building renovations on the Missouri State University campus. These guidelines are used by the design team to meet the programmatic needs of each project and cover topics including operations and maintenance, safety, energy efficiency, and material finishes. To insure the University's projects are designed in compliance with the University's green building commitment, our design criteria and facility standards are being revised to address environmental stewardship and LEED design criteria.
Each new building is designed with a focus on:
•Maximizing open space
•Facilitating community connectivity
•Providing views from 90% of regularly occupied spaces
•Including priority parking for car-pool and fuel-efficient vehicles
•Planting native or adaptive landscaping that does not require irrigation
•Reducing light pollution

http://design.missouristate.edu/Sustainability/SustainabilityinConstruction.htm

While the Visioning Guide itself does not make any statement with regard to measurable objectives, it provides a link to the University sustainability web site. This web site provides information and that outlines the sustainability initiatives, goals, and objectives at Missouri State University. In this way the, the Visioning Guide provides to the public an affirmation of the University’s commitment to sustainability as well as a means to access additional information regarding sustainability.

Construction Practices
Missouri State University's commitment to sustainability pairs well with the growth of our campus. Our focus on sustainable construction includes designing and building all new projects to green standards, including those set by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Our sustainable construction process includes:
•Having a LEED Accredited Professional (AP) on the design and construction team
•Using local and recycled building materials, Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood, carpet and paint with low-emitting volatile organic compounds (VOC), and composite wood that contains no added formaldehyde resigns
•Protecting HVAC system from dust and moisture during construction
•Controlling the source of chemicals and pollutants from entering occupied spaces
•Preventing pollution from construction activity
•Diverting 50% - 75% of construction waste from landfills

Energy Efficiency
Completed buildings will include the following energy efficiency measures:
•20%-30% reduction in water usage
•Access to lighting control
•Storage and collection of recyclables
•Fundamental and enhanced refrigerant management
•Exceeding minimum energy performance by at least 14% and providing fundamental and enhanced commissioning of building energy systems
•Exceeding minimum indoor air quality (IAQ) standards, prohibiting smoking inside the building and away from entrances and ventilation intakes, and monitoring deliver of outdoor air
•Green housekeeping procedures

Planning, Design & Construction

• Utilize the Compass Waist-less program to
o Provide additional vegan and vegetarian options:
o Reduce carbon output by focusing more on vegetable based foods
o Reduce food waste the is composted by focusing on proper portions
• Reduce electrical usage by 15% in the residence dining facilities
• Reduce water consumption by 15% in the residence dining facilities

• Waist-less program
o Offer 5 more vegan/vegetarian options by week in each dining center following our corporate Balanced U program. Each meal will meet the criteria of:
- Less than 600 calories for entrée and all sides
- Less than 25 grams of fat for entrée and all sides
- Less than 5 grams of saturated or natural trans fats combined
- Less than 600 mg. of sodium
o Offer one vegan or vegetarian soup in each dining center daily
o Reduce food waste by 15% from the current .256 pounds per person to .23 pounds per person by following the waist-less program guidelines including
- Holding one waste display table per month in each dining center
- Tracking the wasted progress on a public chart and then providing financial support to local food banks based on the reduction achieved.
o Reduce carbon output by 10% in each dining center from the baseline of 6.62 pounds per person
- Utilize the Carbon Foodprint software to track carbon output monthly
- Use the Waist-less program to reduce beef usage by 15% versus prior year
- Participate in events such as lights out dining to reduce electrical usage in the dining centers.
• Reduce electrical usage in the dining centers by 15% as tracked by the utilities dashboard
o Participate in “lights out dining” at lunch every Wednesday during the fall and spring semester of 2015/2016.
o During the remodeling project in our largest dining center summer 2015 all lighting will be switched to LED lights.
o Our dish machine, which is the third largest usage of electricity in both dining centers, will be replaced with an energy star rated dish machines in the summer of 2015.
• Reduce water usage in the resident dining facilities by 15%.
o Our single largest consumer of water in the resident dining facilities are the dish machines. One consumes 350 gallons of water per hour and the other machine uses 300 gallons of water per hour. They will both be replaced by Energy Star rated models by July of 2015. The replacement models will used 80 gallons of water per hour. Both machines operate an average of 11 hours per day. This will result in a daily savings of 2,970 gallons and 2,420 gallons respectively. This will also result in a corresponding decrease of chemicals utilized in the machines.

The accountable parties will be Missouri State Dining Services in Partnership with Chartwells lead by Resident District Manager Tony Hein.

Missouri State University is committed to effective energy management, conservation, efficiency, and sustainability. The University identified eight major goals for 2014-2015. This document is an action plan — a road map — that the Board of Governors and University administration will follow in the coming year. These goals were specifically designed to assist the University in achieving its purpose of developing educated persons. One of those goals is responsible stewardship by utilizing and operating facilities efficiently.

For the 2014-2015 school year, the University plans to more efficiently heat and cool buildings through responsible space scheduling practices, such as increasing classroom usage by implementing modifications to class start times and evaluating class placements. Furthermore, the University will continues to pursue cost-effective environmentally friendly building practices and evaluate opportunities to extend the campus chilled water loop to more efficiently provide cold water to campus facilities. Finally, the University hopes to obtain a STARS Silver rating from AASHE.

The Office of Energy Management within Facilities Management, in collaboration with the Sustainability Advisory Committee, will track the following items with the overall goal of implementing energy, fuel, and water conservation and efficiency opportunities while promoting campus-wide energy awareness and cultivating a positive, sustainable impact:
• Overall campus efficiency, measured as energy per square foot, with a goal of 15% reduction by 2030.
• Greenhouse gas emissions, measured as metric tons of Carbon Dioxide equivalent.
• Peak energy demand, measured by maximum demand over a specific time period which is utilized to set utility rates annually.
The program will be reviewed and updated periodically by the Office of Energy Management as public awareness, management techniques and technologies change.

The Sustainability Advisory Committee has established the following goals related to Energy:
• Set goals to reduce the relative carbon footprint of the university through development and implementation of a toolbox of diverse strategies and programs.
• Investigate campus reliance on clean/renewable energy sources over time. This goal must be reviewed regularly with new goals set every five years and initiatives must be accompanied with an estimated cost. Baseline data by May of 2015 with specific goals adopted after the baseline is established. (Energy Subcommittee)
• Continue the LED light conversion. Investigate inclusion of a dimming policy.
• Write energy recommendations for Missouri State by March of 2014.
• Develop a purchasing policy for Energy Star Appliances.

The Office of Energy Management within Facilities Management
University Support Services
Sustainability Advisory Committee

The Office of Procurement Services utilizes the following guidelines by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), as posted on the departmental website:

Principles and Standards of Ethical Supply Management Conduct
See http://www.missouristate.edu/procurement/89252.htm.

Principles of Sustainability and Social Responsibility
See http://www.missouristate.edu/procurement/89233.htm.

The Office of Procurement Services strives on an ongoing basis to follow the above guidelines.

Several purchasing procedures have been adopted in order to advance sustainability in purchasing.

WaterSense Certified Purchasing Procedure: Water-using products purchased by MSU shall meet the U.S. EPA WaterSense certification when available and practical.

Energy Star Certified Product Purchasing Procedure: All energy-using products purchased by MSU shall meet the U.S. EPA Energy Star certification when available and practical. See more: http://www.missouristate.edu/assets/facilities/Energy_Star_Certified_Appliance_Procedure.pdf

The Office of Procurement Services

The Sustainability Advisory Committee is one of nine Presidential Committees at Missouri State University. The Sustainability Advisory Committee, through the Goal Watching Subcommittee, submits an annual progress report on the short term and long term goals to advance sustainability on campus. The Sustainability Advisory Committee reviews and updates these goals annually.

The Sustainability Advisory Committee has established the following goals to advance sustainability related to transportation:
• Explore a bike sharing program that includes the City of Springfield. Tentative start date of spring 2016
• Develop a plan to encourage use of public transportation for all faculty, staff and students by January 2014. Partially Met—Student initiated ZIP Car Program is up and running

Sustainability Advisory Committee

The 2011-16 Long-Range Plan is guided by three overarching and enduring commitments to student learning, inclusive excellence and institutional impact. The purpose of the long-range plan is to direct strategic actions that yield demonstrable outcomes and progress in support of these commitments. At the conclusion of this five-year plan, Missouri State University will have completed a number of specific tactics to achieve major objectives under six strategic directions. One of the six strategic directions is Responsible Stewardship. Under this category are eight objectives. Objective 6 is to “operate the University in a safe and environmentally conscious manner.” According to the plan, “with significant student leadership and involvement, the University plans to further improve its environmentally friendly atmosphere. Topping the list are increasing recycling, reducing energy consumption and designing construction, both new and renovations, to meet LEED standards.” Specific measures, are included for each objective. Measure 6 focuses on waste and recycling as measured by tons/person on campus and total tons of recycling.

The 2016 target is to decrease landfill disposal rate from 0.14 tons/person to 0.12 tons/person on campus and to increase recycling from 1,187 tons to 1,500 tons.

The main objective is to reduce per-person landfill disposal rates by increasing additional recycling opportunities. The plan references the following tactics to achieve the objective:
•Acquisition (through grants) and staging of additional recycle stations (indoor and outdoor) across campus
•Reduce number of indoor trash receptacles
•Educate and offer outreach to inform population of recycling opportunities
•Increase number of cardboard collection locations on campus
•Continue operation of student recycling team funded through the Sustainafund
•Increase material recycling rates during building renovation projects (LEED)

Furthermore, Missouri State University's commitment to sustainability pairs well with the growth of our campus. Our focus on sustainable construction includes designing and building all new projects to green standards, including those set by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Our sustainable construction process includes:
•Using local and recycled building materials, Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood, carpet and paint with low-emitting volatile organic compounds (VOC), and composite wood that contains no added formaldehyde resigns
•Diverting 50% - 75% of construction waste from landfills

The Sustainability Advisory Committee has established the following goals to advance sustainability related to waste:
•Develop a comprehensive recycling plan for the entire campus by May of 2015.
oPartially Met—Campus buildings are now recycling glass and food service will compost food left over from catered events. Food service is recycling for catering events but still working with the composting company to get a bin behind the Union for catering needs. Ongoing
•Add an optional departmental policy statement related to recycling and sustainability. SGA, Faculty Senate and Provost’s Office.
•Develop an action plan to enhance event recycling to include determination of costs and barriers to having a comprehensive event recycling plan.

The Office of Environmental Management
The Office of Planning, Design & Construction
The Sustainability Advisory Committee

The 2011-16 Long-Range Plan is guided by three overarching and enduring commitments to student learning, inclusive excellence and institutional impact. The purpose of the long-range plan is to direct strategic actions that yield demonstrable outcomes and progress in support of these commitments. At the conclusion of this five-year plan, Missouri State University will have completed a number of specific tactics to achieve major objectives under six strategic directions. One of the six strategic directions is Responsible Stewardship. Under this category are eight objectives. Objective 6 is to “operate the University in a safe and environmentally conscious manner.” According to the plan, “with significant student leadership and involvement, the University plans to further improve its environmentally friendly atmosphere. Topping the list are increasing recycling, reducing energy consumption and designing construction, both new and renovations, to meet LEED standards.” Specific measures, are included for each objective. Measure 7 focuses on water consumption, as measured by CCF/resident.

The 2016 target is to decrease from 11.49 to 10.34 CCF/resident annually.

The plan references the following tactics to achieve the objective:
Install low flow shower heads in all appropriate buildings
Reduce the frequency of irrigating
Introduce xeriscape landscaping
Create 60,000 gallon rain barrel from old fuel tanks

Residence Life, Housing and Dining Services
Office of Facilities Management
The Sustainability Advisory Committee

The University identified eight major goals for 2014-2015. This document is an action plan — a road map — that the Board of Governors and University administration will follow in the coming year. These goals were specifically designed to assist the University in achieving its purpose of developing educated persons. One of those goals is to value and support people by improving diversity of the workforce.

For the 2014-2015 school year, the University plans to encourage individuals involved in the hiring processes to hire highly qualified, diverse candidates in furtherance of the University’s affirmative action plan, with a target of at least 20% of new hires being ethnically or racially diverse, international, disabled, of veteran status or a member of a group that is underrepresented within the hiring department. Furthermore, the University will continue to implement the campus-wide ADP diversity goal, and develop a metric to measure its compliance. The University also set a goal to complete a diversity climate survey and develop a campus diversity plan to highlight successes and address challenges.

Related to student diversity, the University plans to maintain modest growth in enrollment while increasing the diversity of the student body through the following strategies:
•Create and implement a graduate needs-based scholarship program and graduate diversity scholarship program.
•Continue international recruitment efforts.
•Expand opportunities for collaboration with diversity-oriented organizations, such as Kauffman Scholars, College Bound, etc.

Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Vice President for Student Affairs (Auxiliaries)
Provost

The Employee Wellness Program strives to provide meaningful programming that addresses all components of the human being namely social, emotional, spiritual, environmental, financial, intellectual, physical and occupational in a manner that is respectful of the diversity of the community at large.

1. Maintain greater than 90% completion rate on Health Risk Assessment (HRA) by the organizations FTE’s on the University health plan. Standard is 85%. The HRA is done yearly.
2. Maintain the American Heart Association’s Fit-Friendly platinum status. The Fit-Friendly program recognizes employers who champion the health of their employees and work to create a culture of physical activity and health in the workplace. This is a yearly application process.
3. Decrease costs to the University health plan as measured yearly by MSU contracted health consultants, Mercer, out of Kansas City.
4. Improve health and manage chronic disease of plan participants. This is measured by the individual programs that are provided through employee wellness programming such as Weight Watchers at Work, SmartDollar (formerly CORE Financial), the Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) and many others.
5. Encourage employees to choose wellness activities that matter to them as measured by the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) on a yearly basis.
6. Increase satisfaction and improve morale due to the flexibility of yearly requirements that waive or reduce the $30 per month that the employee pays for his/her University health plan benefits.

The Employee Wellness Program receives input and feedback from the Employee Wellness Committee, which is a campus wide cross section of faculty and staff from departments such as Human Resources, Taylor Health and Wellness, Biomedical Sciences, Kinesiology, University Administration, Information Technologies, Student Wellness, Campus Recreation, Publications, Student Affairs, School of Business and Employee Wellness.

The Employee Wellness Program is developed and managed by the Employee Wellness Coordinator with oversight provided by the Director of Taylor Health and Wellness.

The Employee Wellness Program works directly with the University President appointed committee; Health Care Plans Review Committee on a bi-weekly basis.

In 2007, the Sustainability Subcommittee developed a Report on the Future of Sustainability at Missouri State. According to the Introduction of this report, “Environmental sustainability is a term currently in use to describe the relatively simple idea of providing for the needs of people today without compromising the needs of people in the future. Common use of the term began with the publication of the World Commission on Environment and Development report, Our Common Future (1987, also known as the Brundtland Report), which defined sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." (www.sustainability-ed.org/pages/what1-4brundt.htm).”

The Long Range Plan for 2011-2016 has three overarching and enduring commitments: student learning, inclusive excellence, and institutional impact.

"Institutional impact refers to the positive, enduring effects of the University's work in the region and the state as well as to our broader contributions to knowledge and innovation. Essential to this commitment are focused activities in: basic and applied research, economic and community development, community partnerships and advanced workforce development. As a major employer we also pledge to model ethical behavior with respect to people, resources and the environment."

Of the eight goals for 2013-2014 outlined by the President, one specifies "a continued campus-wide emphasis on sustainability." There is also a separate goal for diversity and inclusion: "Improve recruitment and retention of a diverse student body and workforce."