| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 79.39 |
| Liaison | Yolanda Cieters |
| Submission Date | March 5, 2021 |
Seattle University
PRE-2: Points of Distinction
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Yolanda
Cieters Associate Director CEJS |
Name of the institution’s featured sustainability program, initiative, or accomplishment:
A brief description of the institution’s featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
In September 2018, the Seattle University Board of Trustees voted to divest the university’s $230 million endowment from fossil fuels within the next five years.
The actions will take place in two steps:
--By Dec. 31, 2020, to achieve a 50 percent reduction in the exposure to companies owning fossil fuel reserves in the marketable portion of the endowment portfolio.
--By June 30, 2023, to completely eliminate the exposure to companies owning fossil fuel reserves in the marketable portion of the endowment.
The divestment effort applies to all marketable assets (approximately 94% of the total portfolio as of 6/3/20).
In April 2020, Seattle University met its halfway point to divest its endowment portfolio of companies owning fossil fuel reserves, that is nine months ahead of schedule.
With the decision by SU in September 2018 to fully divest from fossil fuels, Seattle University became the 1st higher education institution in WA state, 1st Jesuit institution in the US, and 1st Jesuit higher education institution in the world to fully divest.
Which of the following impact areas does the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Website URL where more information about the accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Name of a second highlighted sustainability program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
With the creation of the Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability (CEJS) in 2013, Seattle University was one of the first higher education institution in the US to create an academic center with a focus on environmental justice.
The CEJS was different from other environmental centers in higher education by creating:
• a fundamentally cross-college endeavor bringing together environmental sustainability scholars in the arts, business, education, engineering, humanities, law, nursing, and the natural and social sciences.
• an environmental justice emphasis inspired by the Jesuit commitment to the integral relationship between social justice and ecological wellbeing.
The vision of the CEJS is:
• to inspire and prepare a generation of leaders to meet the unprecedented challenge facing humankind in the early 21st century: forging a sustainable relationship between humankind and planet Earth, and doing so in ways that foster justice within and between societies.
• to serve Seattle University and broader regional and global communities by enabling innovative and interdisciplinary scholarship, teaching, and learning in environmental sustainability and its intersection with issues of justice.
The goals of CEJS are to:
• Make Seattle University a recognized local, regional, national, and international leader in the scholarship and teaching of environmental justice and sustainability.
• Support faculty and student scholarship regarding the environment, sustainability, and environmental justice issues.
• Co-sponsor lectures, symposia, and workshops with Seattle University’s diverse environmental programs that reflect the unique perspective of our Jesuit-Catholic tradition, inspire the engagement of EJS scholars with the broader community and lead to the advancement of public policy.
• Facilitate global partnerships and opportunities for scholarship that connect with worldwide programs addressing sustainability and environmental justice, including with the global network of Jesuit universities.
Which impact areas does the second program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Research
Website URL where more information about the second program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the second program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
Name of a third highlighted program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
Which impact areas does the third program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Website URL where more information about the third program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the third program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
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.