| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 49.22 |
| Liaison | Paul Scanlon |
| Submission Date | March 4, 2022 |
Slippery Rock University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Paul
Scanlon Special Assistant to the President President's Office/Sustainability |
Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:
SRU's main sustainability committee is the President's Commission on Sustainability, which is co-chaired by Paul Scanlon (Director of Sustainability) and Dr. Frances Amatucci (Business School faculty member). The Commission includes four subcommittees focusing on Education, Community Engagement, Resource Conservation, and Sustainable Food Services.
The Commission reviews and recommends appropriate sustainability initiatives to the president (such as implementing an official SRU Energy Conservation Policy, later replacing it with a more comprehensive "Resource Conservation Policy", and approving a recently-developed Sustainability Certificate program). Additional details regarding the Commission's purview and activities may be found at http://www.sru.edu/about/administration/office-of-the-president/presidents-commissions
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
Members of the President's Commission on Sustainability are as follows:
Dr. William Behre (SRU President)
Dr. Amir Mohammadi (SRU VP/Finance, Administration & Advancement Services)
Scott Albert (Asst. VP., Facilities) *
Paul Scanlon (Co-Chair, SRU Director of Sustainability)*
Dr. Frances Amatucci (School of Business faculty)
Dr. Steven Wei (Physics & Engineering Dept. faculty)
Dr. Steven Verba (Exercise Science Dept. faculty)
Allison Brungard (Library faculty)
Rebecca Lubold (Community representative)
Patrick Bestwick (SRU Director of Residence Life)
Dr. Nazmul Rony (Communication Dept.)
Dr. Jack Layne (Biology Dept.)
Sami Laurence (Macoskey Center Manager)
Julie Ferringer (Student Success Coach)
Samantha Shaffer (SGA Representative)
Ryan Smith (SGA Representative)
Ramses Minaya (SGA Representative)
Brady Lovett (Rock Production Representative)
Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent employee?:
A brief description of each sustainability office:
SRU has three major offices/organizations focusing on cross-disciplined sustainability initiatives:
(1) The Office of Sustainability;
(2) The Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research; and
(3) The Sustainable Enterprise Accelerator
(1) The Office of Sustainability employs student workers to provide as-needed assistance in the areas of social media, GIS mapping, Residence Hall representation, and website maintenance services for the Director of Sustainability. The Sustainability Office is located in the Harmony House, on the Macoskey Center site.
The Vision Statement for the Office of Sustainability is "To do all within our power to protect the environment, improve social equity, and achieve sustainable economic benefits in order to leave this planet a better place for future generations."
The Sustainability Office's Mission Statement is "To expedite the achievement of SRU's sustainability goals by coordinating and leveraging our considerable community resources in an integrated manner."
(2) The Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research is a student-run center that provides peer-to-peer education on sustainability and is responsible for maintaining the 83-acre site's organic gardens, composting operations, alternative energy demonstration programs, and the Harmony House, which was LEED Silver certified for Existing Buildings O&M in 2011. The Macoskey Center employs two graduate assistants, five student workers and four student volunteers.
(3) The Sustainable Enterprise Accelerator is a resource for students and entrepreneurs to jump start or grow a business with sustainability in mind. The SEA provides guidance in transforming promising ideas into thorough business plans and early stage businesses. For those operating an established business, the SEA delivers help identifying opportunities for improving value creation and offers assistance in developing solutions for high-priority business challenges. Each semester, approximately ten to twelve student interns develop and work on a variety of sustainable projects. The SEA is located in the Fowler Building in downtown Slippery Rock; for additional information, see www.seasru.com.
Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution?:
A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
Activities and accomplishments achieved by, or coordinated through, the Office of Sustainability and the President's Commission on Sustainability over the past three years include:
- Assisted student sustainability club in presenting two petitions (each had 900+ signatures) - one to pursue 100% renewable electricity and one to eliminate the use of fossil fuels at the central heating plant. The Office of Sustainability subsequently won a pro bono Carbon Neutrality Planning service from Ever-Green Energy company to support the goals of both petitions, and the planning project is nearly complete..
- The SRU Director of Sustainability was a founding member, and now chairs, the PA State System of Higher Education "Sustainable Development Task Force" (SDTF). The SDTF completed a sustainability initiatives inventory of the 14 state universities and has begun sharing best practices to help elevate each university's sustainable plans and projects, including joint research in developing a power purchase agreement RFP involving SRU and several other colleges interested in obtaining renewable electricity.
- Completion of regular STARS Report updates and annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories;
- Management of the SRU Sustainability website (www.sru.edu/sustainability) and SRU Sustainability Facebook page (www.facebook/SRUsustainability);
- Mentoring of student intern work teams of the Sustainable Enterprise Accelerator who work to help local businesses and organizations become more sustainable in their operations.
- Continuous research and updating of the University's Climate Action Plan
- Support to Amir Mohammadi, VP/FA&A, who serves as chairman of the national Sustainability Advisory Panel of NACUBO (National Association of College and University Business Officers).
Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Director of Sustainability Job Description:
A. General Responsibilities:
- Advance SRU’s efforts to become a recognized leader in sustainability.
- Develop, implement and communicate a campus-wide sustainability program at SRU, and help create a culture of sustainability that will be reflected in all of its functions and operations, resulting in tangible environmental, economic and social benefits.
- Improve coordination between various campus sustainability entities and programs, maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of these efforts.
- Elevate on- and off-campus awareness of existing and developing sustainability initiatives.
- Facilitate cost savings and incentive programs in the area of sustainability.
- Lead in the development and implementation of sustainable practices needed to execute Trend 5 of the SRU Long Term Strategic Plan “Reaching for 2025 and Beyond” and to meet the Presidents’ Climate Commitment of carbon neutrality by the year 3027.
B. Specific Duties:
1. Represent the VP/Finance, Administration & Advancement in sustainable planning and practices for all administrative, academic, and facilities & grounds units. Serve on major committees such as the current Facilities Master Planning Committee to ensure that sustainability concepts and practices are included in such initiatives.
2. Investigate trends, issues and best practices in the planning and management of sustainable facilities, grounds, energy sources and natural resources, and advise the VP/FA&A on how those best practices might be applied at Slippery Rock University.
3. Represent the VP/FA&A in sustainability-related organization/committee meetings and activities, including but not limited to:
- President’s Commission on Sustainability
- Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research
- Sustainable Enterprise Accelerator
- Environmental Zoning Committee
- Green Fund Grant Advisory Board member
5. Oversee the "Land Use Request Form" process and coordinate with the Environmental Zoning Committee and other relevant units to review all proposed land uses (temporary and permanent), and recommend approval or rejection to the Office of the President (intent is to preserve our natural resources and avoid damage to the environment).
6. Interact with units/departments that have existing sustainability initiatives to enhance efforts by leveraging resources and aiding in coordination and communication of cross-discipline efforts.
7. Establish an SRU clearinghouse for campus sustainability resources to help administration, academics, athletics, campus recreation, facilities, waste management, custodians, food services and other departments’ transition to more sustainable practices.
9. Oversee the establishment and maintenance of an effective communications strategy, including a web site, news articles, case studies and a range of other communication media with the object of raising internal and external awareness of, and support for, campus sustainability efforts and related activities.
Impact of Work:
- Reduce GHG emissions and operating costs by encouraging and supporting the implementation of energy conservation projects, competitions and “leaner and cleaner” operating, maintenance and procurement strategies.
- Maintain/improve recognition of SRU’s historic leadership role in the general areas of sustainability and protection of the environment for future generations.
Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job Description, Operations Manager of Macoskey Center (Samantha Laurence):
– Full-time management of the 83-acre Macoskey Center lands, Harmony House, Gardens, Windrow Composting system, Aquaponics demonstration site, hiking trails, and forest Management activities.
• Roles and responsibilities
- Oversee several Parks and Resource Management (PRM) Graduate Assistants in facilitating integration of Macoskey Center into PRM planning and land management curriculum
- Implement land stewardship and coordinate land conservation projects
- Develop grant proposals for external funding streams for land conservation projects
- Liaison with the community
- Oversee facility budgeting for resource management
- Lead strategic and daily operations
- Hire, develop and evaluate staff (student workers and volunteers)
- Work with SRU facilities to maintain site and facilities
- Oversee Environmental Education G.A., in facilitating integration of Macoskey Center into Parks & Resource Management environmental communication and interpretation curriculum
- Guide the growth and development of the Macoskey Center’s complete range of
educational programming: university, school, camp, adult and more.
Job title of the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability coordination 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.