| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 76.41 |
| Liaison | Krista Bailey |
| Submission Date | Dec. 12, 2023 |
Pennsylvania State University
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Krista
Bailey Sustainable Campus Strategist Sustainability Institute |
Is the institution currently a member of a national or international higher education sustainability network?:
The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):
Examples include:
- Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
- AASHE's Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS)
- U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
- National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE)
- Sustainable Development Solutions Network USA (SDSN)
- International Universities Climate Alliance
- Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities Network (EPIC-N)
- Project Drawdown (atmospheric GHG reduction)
- Global Building Network (for high-performance buildings)
- Sustainable Climate Risk Management(SCRiM) (transdisciplinary research network)
- Examples of national student sustainability organizations with Penn State chapters include: Engineers for a Sustainable World, Net Impact, The American Solar Energy Society, Global Brigades, and many more. See Credit EN-3 for additional student affiliations.
Does the institution actively participate in a regional, state/provincial, or local higher education sustainability network?:
The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):
Examples include:
- Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium (PERC), a state-wide network of over 55 sustainability-leading colleges and universities in PA
- Big Ten and Friends Sustainability Group, an informal network of sustainability representatives at Big Ten and other universities
Has the institution presented at a higher education sustainability conference during the previous year?:
A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):
Examples include:
AASHE's 2022 Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education:
"Coping with Change: Responding to the Great Sustainability Resignation" by Krista Bailey, Sustainable Campus Strategist, Penn State Sustainability
"Advancing the SDGs through Education Abroad" by Elizabeth Frohlich, Director for Resources, The Forum on Education Abroad; Kate Manni, Penn State Global; Peter Buck, Academic Program Manager, Penn State Sustainability.
Pennsylvania's Environmental Resource Consortium (PERC) Events:
Partners by Nature: Action for Health Equity in Pennsylvania: (Online, January to May, 2022): The goal is to help build a network of contacts and develop skills within a community of practice involving practitioners and researchers from both public health and sustainability. Five monthly sessions were held:
January 11 – Introductions and Goal Setting
February 8 – How to Foster Community Dialogues Using “The ECHO Process"
March 8 – How to Create Internal Networks Within Your Organization
April 12 – How to Work with Non-Traditional Community Partners
May 10 – How to Find Funding for Public Health-Sustainability Initiatives
A conference on University Leadership for a Bright Climate Future (Penn State University Park, April 2022): Following on our February event, PERC will convene its spring conference and focus on climate action on campuses and in our communities. Informed by what we have learned from the January Pennsylvania Acts on Climate talks, the 2021 EJ in PA event, and our members’ interests during Spring 2022, we will convene to spur higher education’s role in equitably drawing down carbon emissions and facilitating adaptation to the climate crisis through education, student engagement, community cooperation, research, investments, and operations.
Building Pennsylvania’s Bright Climate Future which featured a Penn State presentation on "Communication, policy, and crossing the research valley of death" by Lara Fowler, Senior Lecturer, Penn State Law; Assistant Director, Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment; and Affiliate Faculty, Penn State School of International Affairs.
Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to an external higher education sustainability resource center or awards program?:
A list or brief description of the sustainability resource center or awards program and submission(s):
A student team from The Pennsylvania State University Smeal College of Business was awarded second place at the 2021 Smeal College of Business MBA Sustainability Case Competition. Teams from three other universities participated. The 2021 case setting focused on electronic waste.
Has the institution had employees or students serving on a board or committee of a sustainability network or conference during the previous three years?:
A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):
Penn State has many faculty and staff who serve on sustainability-related committees and boards. Some examples include:
- Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium (PERC)- Peter Buck, former executive committee member, president during 2021-22
- Big Ten and Friends Sustainability Group - Lydia Vandenburgh, co-chair
- Clearwater Conservancy, Board of Directors - Erik Foley, Sierra Keller, Neil Sullivan, Matt Hardy, Director, and Andy Warner
- National Council on Science and Environment Fellow Esther Obonyo
- Water-Energy-Food Nexus in Africa Network - Michael Jacobson, Rachel Brennan, Esther Obonyo, Paul Shrivastava, Mathew Kurian, Robert Crane
- Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability - Paul Shrivastava, Advisory Board
- Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (Kyoto) - Paul Shrivastava, External Research Committee member
- Center for REConnection (State College) - Leslie Pillen, President and Diana Malcom, Secretary
Does the institution have an ongoing mentoring relationship with another institution through which it assists the institution with its sustainability reporting and/or the development of its sustainability program?:
A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:
Penn State's University Park campus, which is represented by this STARS report, works with other Penn State campuses to foster sustainability programs. The Sustainability Institute hosts 2 regional hybrid events annually after the end of spring semester that bring together a geographic cluster of campus faculty and staff for a full-day event focused on sustainability. The program typically includes updates from each campus, a chancellor's discussion, and workshops on various topics on integrating sustainability into academics, operations, and outreach.
In addition, staff from the Sustainability Institute have worked with other Penn State campuses to establish their own Sustainable Communities Collaborative (SCC) engaged scholarship program and/or to support their individual SCC projects. Likewise, UP campus staff have helped other Penn State campuses offer a core course in sustainability leadership (SUST 200), as well as the Sustainability Leadership minor. UP campus staff are supporting the Green Teams and the Green Paws office sustainability practices program at other Penn State campuses.
Has the institution had employees or students serving as peer reviewers of another institution’s sustainability data and/or STARS submission during the previous three years?:
A brief description of the peer review activities:
Penn State Sustainability staff reviewed the STARS report for the Penn State Behrend - the Erie campus, in 2023.
A brief description of other inter-campus collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year :
Website URL where information about the institution’s inter-campus collaborations 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.