Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 60.05
Liaison Jessica Thompson
Submission Date Feb. 15, 2023

STARS v2.2

Northern Michigan University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Jessica Thompson
AVP Sustainability
People Culture & Wellbeing
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Sustainability committee(s) 

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 sustainability committee currently includes 20 representatives from across the campus community. The committee is a diverse group of faculty, administrators, and students appointed by the President. The council’s first “charge” is to conduct an inventory of the current sustainability efforts on campus in four main areas: Academics, Engagement, Operations, and Planning & Administration

The committee is currently conducting a Sustainability Audit, which includes specific benchmarks and targets to help guide future, sustainable decision-making on campus. The committee uses nationally recognized categories, which are used by hundreds of other institutions of higher education in the country, specifically we will use the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s STARS system.

Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
Brandon Sager, Co-Chair, Ast. Director-Facilities
Dr. Jes Thompson, Co-Chair, College of Business
Tricia Bush, Assoc. Althetic Director - Campus Recreation
Alden MacDonald, Executive Chef-Dining Services
Dr. Derek Hall, Asst. VP Marketing/Communications
Catherine Hardenbergh, Director of Housing
Dr. Diana Lafferty, Biology
Aaron Karlstrom, Assoc. Director-Plant Operations
Dr. Ryan Stock, Earth, Environment & Geographical Sciences
Kathy Richards, Associate VP Engineering/Planning/Facilities
Cece Hogan, Student, EcoReps
Jason Schneider, Art & Design
Randy Klitzke, Tech & Occupational Sciences
Kari Farkas-Lasich, Indoor Agriculture Program Coordinator
Elle Highly, Student, EcoReps
Grace Listopad, CO-CHAIR SELECTED STUDENT REP
Taimur Cleary, Art & Design
Heejung Park, College of Business

Sustainability office(s) 

Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent employee?:
Yes

A brief description of each sustainability office:
SHINE - Sustainability Hub for the Environment & Innovation (https://nmu.edu/shine/) is located at 1400 Presque Isle Avenue. The office is home to one faculty director (full-time employee with teaching responsibilities) and four paid student interns. The SHINE office manages the sustainability audit, EcoReps, sustainability-related social media, community partnerships, research and outreach related activities.

Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
1

Sustainability officer(s) 

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

Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Brandon Sager - Assistant Director - Facilities, Building Services & Sustainability; Dr. Jes Thompson - Director of SHINE

Institution-wide coordination 

Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution?:
Yes

A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
The sustainability advisory council currently includes 20 representatives from across the campus community; they have volunteered to serve as the “committed core” for the proposed committee.

Established in Fall 2016, the committee is currently conducting a Sustainability Audit, which includes specific benchmarks and targets to help guide future, sustainable decision-making on campus. The committee uses nationally recognized categories, which are used by hundreds of other institutions of higher education in the country, specifically we will use the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s STARS system.

Optional Fields 

Job description (1st position)

Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Assistant Director - Facilities, Building Services & Sustainability

Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
This position has three areas of expertise: project administration, sustainability, and management of custodial services. Duties include providing all phases of project administration for university renovation and new construction to include design (schematic to final), estimates, bidding, and construction administration/coordination. Position coordinates and manages the Facilities Department sustainability and recycling operations. Direct, administer, plan, and coordinate all aspects of the custodial operation in stateside buildings.

Job description (2nd position) 

Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Faculty Director - SHINE

Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
The SHINE Faculty Director will be responsible for the following: 1) NMU’s Sustainability Tracking and Rating System (STARS) audit and Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) membership; 2) communicating and coordinating sustainability-related efforts across divisions and departments in appropriate forums; 3) facilitating experiential learning through internships and projects; 4) advising and providing operational support to EcoReps; and 5) developing sustainability-related online micro-credentials and certifications in partnership with the Marquette Outdoor Venture (MOV) Innovation Center (funded by the USDA-RISE grant).

Job description (3rd position) 

Job title of the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
---

Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
---

Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
---

Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability coordination 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.