Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 78.69
Liaison Lindsey Kalkbrenner
Submission Date Feb. 14, 2023

STARS v2.2

Santa Clara University
EN-10: Community Partnerships

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Chad Raphael
Professor and Faculty Associate, Curriculum Development and Transformation
Communication and Center for Sustainability
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1st Partnership 

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability :
Environmental Justice and the Common Good Initiative

Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? :
Yes

Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe?:
Multi-year or ongoing

Which of the following best describes the partnership?:
Sustainability-focused

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? :
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability:
SCU’s Environmental Justice and the Common Good Initiative conducts research and provides training, resources, and networking to support community-driven research partnerships for environmental justice. The Initiative supports SCU faculty and their students to collaborate with community partners that are accountable to low-income communities and communities of color, and shares promising practices in community-engaged research for environmental justice through formal networks with other academic institutions in Northern California and in Jesuit higher education.

Faculty and their students conduct research with community-based organizations and government agencies on issues such as food justice, water justice, and environmental justice law and policy. The Initiative has developed ongoing, formal research partnerships with local organizations in Santa Clara County, California’s Central Valley, and Nicaragua. This research has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, California Environmental Protection Agency, and private foundations.

Homepage: https://www.scu.edu/ej/
List of community partners: https://www.scu.edu/ej/about-us/partners/

2nd Partnership

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
Thriving Neighbors

Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (2nd partnership):
Yes

Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (2nd partnership):
Multi-year or ongoing

Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (2nd partnership):
Sustainability-related

Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (2nd partnership):
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
Greater Washington is home to a driven and dedicated populace with a large immigrant population, strong community organizations, and seasoned community leaders. Conversely, it is also one of the most socioeconomically challenged regions of Santa Clara County, where families face significant barriers that impede their ability to live healthy and productive lives.

The mission of Thriving Neighbors is to advance the community and its people by promoting economic pathways, skills/training, and supplemental youth education to advance school readiness, support ongoing achievement and enhance access to post-secondary education. The program utilizes the collaboration between the community and Santa Clara University faculty, staff, and students to create initiatives for the betterment of the community as a whole.

The partnership with the Greater Washington community works in solidarity with community members to promote respect for human dignity and create sustainable program models that improve community and university outcomes while making the community a more just and sustainable place.

https://www.scu.edu/ic/programs/thriving-neighbors/

3rd Partnership 

Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
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Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (3rd partnership):
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Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (3rd partnership):
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Which of the following best describes the partnership? (3rd partnership):
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Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (3rd partnership):
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A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
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Optional Fields 

A brief description of the institution’s other community partnerships to advance sustainability:
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Website URL where information about the institution’s community partnerships to advance sustainability is available:
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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.