Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.11
Liaison Elizabeth Drake
Submission Date April 19, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Swarthmore College
PA-3: Participatory Governance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.75 / 3.00 Melissa Tier
Sustainability Program Manager
Office of Sustainability

Criteria

Part 1

Institution has adopted a framework for engaging internal stakeholders (i.e. students, staff, faculty) in governance. The framework includes:

  • Representative bodies through which students, staff and/or faculty can each participate in governance (e.g. student council, staff council, faculty senate);

And/or

  • Elected student, staff and/or faculty representatives on the institution’s highest governing body. To count, representatives must be elected by their peers or appointed by a representative student, staff or faculty body or organization.

Part 2

Institution has adopted a framework for engaging external stakeholders (i.e. local community members) in the institution’s governance, strategy and operations. The framework includes:

  • Written policies and procedures to identify and engage local residents in land use planning, capital investment projects, and other institutional decisions that affect the broader community (e.g. development projects that impact adjacent neighborhoods);

And/or

  • Formal participatory or shared governance bodies (e.g. seats on the institution’s governing body and/or a formally recognized board, council or committee) through which community members representing the interests of the following stakeholder groups can regularly participate in institutional governance:
    • Local government and/or educational organizations;
    • Private sector organizations; and/or
    • Civil society (e.g. non-governmental organizations and non-profit organizations).

The bodies and mechanisms reported for this credit may be managed by the institution (e.g. formal boards, committees, and councils), by stakeholder groups (e.g. independent committees and organizations that are formally recognized by the institution), or jointly (e.g. union/management structures).

Structures or mechanisms adopted by entities of which the institution is part (e.g. government or university system) may count for this credit as long as they apply and are adhered to by the institution.


Applicability

This credit applies to all institutions.


Scoring

Each part is scored independently.

Part 1

Institutions earn the maximum of 1.5 points available for Part 1 by meeting both of the criteria outlined above for students, staff, and faculty, Partial points are available based on the number of criteria met for each group as follows:

For each stakeholder group (students, staff and faculty):

Points available for each group

Points earned toward Part 1

There is a representative body through which the stakeholder group can participate in governance.

0.25

 

There is an elected representative of the stakeholder group on the institution’s highest governing body.

0.25 

 

Total points earned ->

Up to 0.5 for each group (1.5 total)

 

Part 2

Institutions earn the maximum of 1.5 points available for Part 2 by meeting all of the criteria outlined above. Partial points are available based on the number of criteria met as follows:

Institution has:

Points available

Points earned

Written policies and procedures to identify and engage local residents in land use planning, capital investment projects, and other institutional decisions that affect the community.

 0.75

 

Formal participatory or shared governance bodies through which community members representing the interests of local government and/or educational organizations can regularly participate in institutional governance.

0.25 

 

Formal participatory or shared governance bodies through which community members representing the interests of private sector organizations can regularly participate in institutional governance.

0.25 

 

Formal participatory or shared governance bodies through which community members representing the interests of civil society (e.g. non-governmental organizations and non-profit organizations) can regularly participate in institutional governance.

0.25 

 

Total points earned ->

Up to 1.5


Measurement

Timeframe

Report on current policies and procedures at the time of submission.

Sampling and Data Standards

Not applicable

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.