Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 74.49
Liaison Krista Bailey
Submission Date Dec. 17, 2020

STARS v2.2

Pennsylvania State University
EN-9: Staff Professional Development and Training

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.25 / 2.00 Lydia Vandenbergh
Assoc. Dir. Employee Engagement & Education
Sustainability Institute
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution make available professional development and training opportunities in sustainability to all non-academic staff at least once per year?:
Yes

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (the rate of staff participation in sustainability professional development and training)?:
Yes

Estimated percentage of regular, non-academic staff that participates annually in sustainability professional development and training:
1-24%

A brief description of any internal sustainability professional development and training opportunities that the institution makes available to non-academic staff:

On an ongoing basis, the Sustainability Institute offers workshops and presentations on the following:
- How to form Green Teams
- How to adopt the Green Paws Program to have an office "green" certified
- The Recycling Roadshow
- Custodial training on recycling

Further, many staff have participated in LinkedInEd's six courses that relate to sustainability.

Faculty and staff can also learn sustainability concepts through participation in the Green Teams program which includes lunches and webinars with speakers on topics, such as "green" purchasing, recycling, energy conservation, and wellness. Further, the Council of Sustainable Leaders showcases sustainability leaders speaking on a broad range of topics every Friday during the semester. These presentations, which are now on zoom, are popular with our Green Teams.

Through 2014, the annual Staff Professional Development Review process included sustainability, thus providing an incentive for staff to learn about sustainability and practice these concepts in their work. Although changes in the staff review process in 2015 eliminated sustainability as a required component, it is still an optional one. Training on how to incorporate sustainability into staff professional goals is offered online through a recorded webinar, and a downloadable goal setting worksheet.

Every year, an Environmental Colloquium is held to educate Penn Staters and the community about sustainability topics. The speakers have included Bill McKibben, Amory Lovins, David Suzuki, Peter Diamandis and other national leaders.

In Spring 2017 the Sustainability Institute hosted an outside speaker to present an informational session on Life Cycle Assessment to members of the Sustainable Operations Council.

In 2017, the Sustainability Institute offered several workshops to staff on how to integrate sustainability into their professional development plan.

A calendar of sustainability-related events - many of which are educational in nature - is available on Penn State's main sustainability website: http://sustainability.psu.edu/calendar/list?tid=780 This compilation makes it easy for staff and others to discover opportunities to learn more about sustainability-related topics through lectures, symposia, films, and other events.


A brief description of any external professional development and training opportunities in sustainability that are supported by the institution :

Sustainability Institute staff routinely attend professional conferences and take advantage of webinars and other online educational opportunities; any cost is reimbursed by the institution.


Estimated percentage of regular non-academic staff for which sustainability is included in performance reviews:
1-24%

A brief description of how sustainability is included in staff performance reviews :
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Website URL where information about staff professional development and training in sustainability is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.