Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 55.74
Liaison Kristyn Achilich
Submission Date May 11, 2021

STARS v2.2

Saint Michael's College
EN-9: Staff Professional Development and Training

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.25 / 2.00 Karen Talentino
Professor of Biology
Biology
"---" 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:

1. The Staff and Faculty Welfare Committees organize various workshops each year. Many workshops have focused on healthy/sustainable eating, gardening, and other sustainability topics. An example of a workshop description from the summer of 2018 is below:
Garden Workshop Lunch ‘N Learn sponsored by the Faculty and Staff Well-being Committee.

2. Other Workshops on Sustainability: Following is a description of a workshop offered to our campus employees this past year:
Workplace gardens benefit all of us by providing education about growing your own food to provide emotional and physical health benefits. We are fortunate to have a beautiful Farm classroom here on our campus. Each semester our students learn skills of sustainable agriculture, explore the boundaries of environmental issues, and have the opportunity to witness the interconnections the farm can provide amongst the courses in their liberal arts education. Now, it’s your turn to reap the benefits of workplace gardens and step foot in our students’ shoes!

Join us for a brief garden tour and raised -bed workshop with a kitchen garden theme! You’ll learn the types of plants that grow well in our climate, how to plant and tend them as well as experience the beauty that is the Farm at Saint Michael's College.

Other workshops include how to compost in your own backyard!


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

Our Continuous Energy Improvement (CEI) partnership with Efficiency Vermont and several other colleges provides us with a significant amount of training opportunities for both students and staff. Our CEI Campus Team (staff, faculty and students) has participated in a number of workshops and webinars on energy and sustainability, and specifically on how the work can translate into STARS credits.
A number of employees (both faculty and staff) have been supported to attend local and regional workshops or events that deal with sustainability. Faculty can apply to the Faculty Development Fund for awards for such experiences. Staff can apply to their supervisors/department heads, who have modest funds for staff development. In addition, occasionally the college will provided limited financial support for employees who choose to pursue graduate education in an area that will support their job performance at SMC. A few years ago, this occurred for a staff member working on sustainability at Saint Michael's.


Estimated percentage of regular non-academic staff for which sustainability is included in performance reviews:
75% or more

A brief description of how sustainability is included in staff performance reviews :

All non-academic staff performance evaluations include 10 major areas that are assessed, including "Stewardship of Resources". This includes not only careful management of financial resources, but also of the sustainability of natural resources of the College. Clearly this is an important factor taken into consideration for all staff positions.


Website URL where information about staff professional development and training in sustainability is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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.