| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 60.05 |
| Liaison | Jessica Thompson |
| Submission Date | Feb. 15, 2023 |
Northern Michigan University
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Jessica
Thompson Professor/SAC Co-Chair Business |
Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture?:
Which of the following best describes the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered to::
Which of the following best describes the structure of the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered::
A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted:
An assessment of attitudes toward sustainability efforts on campus was developed in Jan/Feb 2016 and administered on March 7, 2016 in a collaborative effort between students and faculty. In anticipation of this 2020 STARS report, members of the Sustainability Advisory Council administered the same survey in January 2020. 906 students, faculty and staff responsed to the 2020 version of the survey. In October 2022, more than 1400 members of the campus community completed the survey - 25 administrators, 110 faculty, 161 staff, and 1125 students. The same questions have now been asked in three assessments, demonstrating an increase in awareness of sustainability initiatives and the culture of sustainability on our campus.
A copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture:
A sample of the questions related to sustainability culture or the website URL where the assessment tool is available:
Questions covered information such as awareness around sustainability, significance of sustainability as part of day-to-day activities, and attitudes around sustainability initiatives, and transportation habits.
Specific questions:
On the following scale, how much do you agree with the statement:
Sustainability is part of the culture at Northern Michigan University.
Are you aware of any sustainability efforts on campus?
If yes, please provide an example.
Have you used sustainability, as defined above, in your day-to-day tasks in your department?
If yes, please provide an example.
The University's Interim Strategic Plan includes many ways to improve NMU's sustainability. Select all of the initiatives that you believe are most important (select as many as you like):
Emphasize sustainability in operations and in campus-wide policies
Implement first steps toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050
Improve waste and recycling efforts
Provide a sustainable dining experience
Create new, interdisciplinary, sustainability-related courses
Educate students and the community about different sustainability principles and practices
Build local and regional partnerships to expand educational opportunities Support applied sustainability-related research
On the following scale, how much do you agree with the following statements?
NMU should invest in sustainability initiatives.
A Sustainability Hub (e.g., office) would be beneficial to NMU.
If a Sustainability Hub were created, what resources and services would be beneficial to you or your department?
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
Representative samples were not used as the survey was a "census" and was administered to the entire campus community.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
Results were reported both qualitatively and quantitatively. For quantitative results, results indicate an increase in awareness around sustainability, sustainability as part of day-to-day activities, and mechanisms for instituting sustainable practices on campus since previous surveys in 2016 and 2019. Please see the attached report for more details on the results obtained from the survey.
Website URL where information about the assessment of sustainability culture is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.