Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 48.07
Liaison Tony Gillund
Submission Date May 9, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

The Ohio State University at Lima
PA-9: Sustainable Investment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.34 / 4.00 Tim Michel
Director of Investments Operations, Chief Investment Officer
Office of Business and Finance, The Ohio State University
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Option 1: Positive Sustainability Investment 

Does the institution wish to pursue Option 1 (positive sustainability investment)?:
Yes

Total value of the investment pool:
3,600,000,000 US/Canadian $

Value of holdings in each of the following categories:
Value of Holdings
Sustainable industries (e.g. renewable energy or sustainable forestry) 5,000,000 US/Canadian $
Businesses selected for exemplary sustainability performance (e.g. using criteria specified in a sustainable investment policy) 0 US/Canadian $
Sustainability investment funds (e.g. a renewable energy or impact investment fund) 0 US/Canadian $
Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) or the equivalent 0 US/Canadian $
Socially responsible mutual funds with positive screens (or the equivalent) 0 US/Canadian $
Green revolving loan funds that are funded from the endowment 0 US/Canadian $

If any of the above is greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the companies, funds, and/or institutions referenced above:
The above investments are done in partnerships and part of a larger fund. There are green energy investments within our investments as well as investments in companies with green initiatives. The locally-focused investments include funds investing in start-up companies in Central Ohio.

Percentage of the institution's investment pool in positive sustainability investments:
0.14

Option 2: Investor Engagement 

Does the institution wish to pursue Option 2 (investor engagement)?:
Yes

Sustainable Investment Policy 

Does the institution have a publicly available sustainable investment policy?:
Yes

None
A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
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None
The sustainable investment policy:
Socially responsible statement is contained within Investment Policy. Investment policy link: http://busfin.osu.edu/FileStore/PDFs/590_InvestmentPolicy.pdf

None
Does the institution use its sustainable investment policy to select and guide investment managers?:
Yes

None
A brief description of how the policy is applied, including recent examples:
All active managers receive Investment Policy and abide by it. It is Ohio State’s belief that there are interesting opportunities in this area which can benefit the University and the state of Ohio while doing it in a responsible and ethical manner.

Proxy Voting 

Has the institution engaged in proxy voting, either by its CIR or other committee or through the use of guidelines, to promote sustainability during the previous three years?:
Yes

None
A copy of the proxy voting guidelines or proxy record:
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None
A brief description of how managers are adhering to proxy voting guidelines:
The University recognizes that publicly traded securities and other assets of the Long Term Investment Pool may include certain ancillary rights, such as the right to vote on shareholder resolutions at companies' shareholders' meetings and the right to assert claims in securities class action lawsuits or other litigation. The Chief Investment Officer has the authority to delegate proxy voting to external managers to maximize fund value, reserving the right to direct the voting on specific issues as needed. The Chief Investment Officer will make best efforts to implement this policy in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. Source: page 5 of 11: http://busfin.osu.edu/FileStore/PDFs/590_InvestmentPolicy.pdf

Shareholder Resolutions 

Has the institution filed or co-filed one or more shareholder resolutions that address sustainability or submitted one or more letters about social or environmental responsibility to a company in which it holds investments during the previous three years?:
No

None
Examples of how the institution has engaged with corporations in its portfolio about sustainability issues during the previous three years:
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Negative Screens / Divestment Efforts 

Does the institution have a publicly available investment policy with negative screens?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the negative screens and how they have been implemented:
The university is formally divested from investments in Sudan.

None
Approximate percentage of the endowment that the negative screens apply to:
60

Investor Networks 

Does the institution engage in policy advocacy by participating in investor networks and/or engage in inter-organizational collaborations to share best practices?:
No

None
A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:
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Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.