University of California, Santa Barbara
IN-19: Community Stakeholder Engagement

The “2010 LRDP Cooperative Agreement Between the University of California Santa Barbara and Sustainable University Now” is a legal agreement that dictates the method in which UCSB engages its stakeholders within the community at large. This agreement addresses the scope of stakeholders involved and has measures to increase the transparency of UCSB’s sustainable actions in terms of climate, air, energy, transportation, housing, water, and biology as the Long Range Development Plan is executed. Principles that are outlined in this document fall under the objectives that the AA1000 aim to achieve. Although the university does not make a formal commitment to the AcountAbility Princriples, UCSB integrates stakeholder engagement into governance, structure, operations and relevant decision making-processes. AA1000SES principles that are met by the 2010 LRDP Cooperative Agreement are outlined below. Stakeholder engagement is integrated into all relevant policies and/or processes for strategy development as well as governance, structure, and relevant decision-making processes in that “under shared governance, the University engages in robust and meaningful campus consultation processes whenever significant new policies, programs, or changes to existing policies are considered. Typically the campus consultation process will be targeted to those segments of campus population affected directly, or indirectly, by whatever matter is under consideration”. ¨SUN and any signatory organizations will actively participate in formulating policy relevant to this Agreement, through the participation of representatives of designated community organizations, and UCSB will, as necessary, authorize and facilitate this participation.¨ The organisation shall integrate stakeholder engagement into operational management and systems. Outlined in each section of sustainable plans are measures that integrates stakeholders in management and development. For example, under Transportation, ¨SUN, any SUN members signatory hereto as identified in Appendix A and UCSB will jointly make good faith efforts to collaborate with the County to develop an appropriate permit parking program for County adoption and possible submittal to the Commission, including campus permit parking reductions and Isla Vista parking restrictions, and support such a program before relevant agencies and constituencies¨. The Agreement follows outlined objectives such as this to agree that the ¨SUN and any signatory member organizations will actively participate in monitoring and evaluating UCSB’s progress in implementing the requirements of this agreement, as set forth in Article 8.¨ The purpose for stakeholder engagement is defined in that ¨This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between SUN and University with respect to the settlement of disputes arising or expected to arise out of the aspects of the 2010 LRDP approval addressed herein.¨ Further roles and definitions for UCSB and its stakeholders is listed under the ¨Recitals¨ Section of the Agreement. Involved in the agreement are “The Regents of the University of California and the University of California, Santa Barbara campus (“UCSB” or collectively with The Regents, the “University”) and Sustainable University Now (“SUN”), a coalition of community groups (listed in Appendix A) dedicated to ensuring that the University demonstrate leadership in sustainability in the implementation of its Long Range Development Plan (LRDP).” The scope of the engagement is defined in the document by determining the subject matter the engagement will address, the parts if the organisation and associated activities, products and services the engagement will address, and the time frame the engagement will address. The agreement targets how UCSB will integrate its stakeholders as it builds upon its sustainability as planned in the Long Range Development Plan. Within this scope the agreement addresses Transportation, Housing, Water, Biology, and Energy. The time frame for this plan and in turn this engagement relies on the scope of the LRDP which details campus plans to the year 2025. The policies in the agreement are regularly reviewed with the stakeholders: ¨University and SUN shall act in good faith to schedule and participate in an annual meeting to review overall progress on and any problems or obstacles to implementing the measures and policies set forth in this agreement. The first such meeting shall occur within six (6) months after approval of the 2010 LRDP by the Commission, at which time the approximate date of future annual meetings shall be mutually agreed up on by the parties.¨ The mandate and ownership of the engagement shall be established. The owners of the engagement shall have the appropriate competencies. Ownership of the engagement falls under The Regents of the University of California and the University of California Santa Barbara as it collaborates with the coalition of community groups outlined in the document (Sustainable University Now). These participating groups are outlined in the Agreement under Appendix A. The owners of the engagement shall identify stakeholders relevant to the purpose and scope of the engagement. They shall establish a methodology to identify stakeholders. In the document, UCSB identify the coalition of community groups (Sustainable University Now) to be engaged in the agreement. The document lists all signatory members in its appendix. The owners of the engagement shall profile and map the stakeholders. They shall establish a methodology to profile and map stakeholders. This profiling and mapping shall be taken into consideration in the planning and implementation of the engagement. Profiling and mapping shall be reviewed and revised, as appropriate, throughout the process.New stakeholders not already listed within the Agreement may be systematically added. ¨Up to the date of final Commission certification of the LRDP, SUN may identify other SUN member groups that desire to join in this Agreement, be bound by its terms and enjoy its benefits. The decision to allow such additional SUN member group(s) to be added to this Agreement shall be in the sole discretion of UCSB. Upon execution of this Agreement by any proposed additional SUN member group(s) and acceptance and co-execution by the Regents, the newly added SUN member group(s) shall be thereafter considered a SUN Signatory member group and subject to all of the benefits and burdens of this Agreement. ¨ The Agreement maps the stakeholder throughout the sections of sustainable development by listing parties relevant to each objective. ¨For purposes of implementing Sections 7.2 and 7.3, SUN designated organizations may include but are not limited to CPA, COAST, SB Audubon Society, LWVSB and SBCAN.¨ The owners of the engagement shall determine the level(s) and method(s) of engaging with stakeholders that are best suited to the purpose and scope of engagement and to the relevant Stakeholders in that : -UCSB shall monitor compliance with each provision in Articles 2 through 7 of this Agreement by collecting quantitative and qualitative data, and produce and maintain monitoring reports incorporating the collected data. -UCSB shall make the monitoring reports available to SUN and SUN designated representatives annually. Raw data will be made available upon request. -University and SUN shall act in good faith to schedule and participate in an annual meeting to review overall progress on and any problems or obstacles to implementing the measures and policies set forth in this agreement. The owners of the engagement shall establish the boundaries of disclosure of the engagement and shall clearly communicate these boundaries to their stakeholders. ¨This Agreement is not an admission of liability by any party to this Agreement to the any other party or to any third party. It is the intent of the parties that this Agreement is a compromise of disputed claims.¨ ¨ SUN and University represent that in entering into this Agreement they have relied upon the legal advice of their attorneys, who are the attorneys of their own choice, and that the terms of the Agreement are fully understood and voluntarily accepted. This Agreement has been jointly drafted by the parties, and its provisions shall not be construed against either party on the basis of authorship.¨ ¨SUN and any Signatory SUN member groups and any non-attorney representing these groups shall consult with University prior to any announcement concerning this Agreement in an effort for the parties to mutually agree upon and prepare a joint press release and hold a joint press conference, if any, announcing this Agreement. If the parties cannot mutually agree on either a joint press release or joint press conference, each is free in its discretion to make any announcement.¨ ¨SUN and any signatory SUN member groups and UCSB and its representatives acknowledge that members engaged in the negotiation of this Agreement and their counsel have obtained confidential information in the context of negotiations that resulted in this Agreement and therefore agree that SUN, its signatory SUN members, UCSB staff and counsel for all parties will not disclose confidential information obtained through the course of negotiations.¨ The owners of the engagement shall develop an engagement plan. The engagement plan shall be made available to stakeholders. Stakeholders shall have the opportunity to provide input into the plan. ¨Under shared governance, the University engages in robust and meaningful campus consultation processes whenever significant new policies, programs, or changes to existing policies are considered. Typically the campus consultation process will be targeted to those segments of campus population affected directly, or indirectly, by whatever matter is under consideration. In an effort to increase effectiveness of this consultation process, a number of representative committees are in existence, or are formed for the purpose of such consultation. The recommendation of any committee engaged in campus consultation is considered advisory and is presented to the University decision-maker with approval authority to adopt the proposed new or revised policy or program.¨ The owners of the engagement shall communicate the outputs and action plan to participants of the engagement in an appropriate and timely manner. ¨Time shall be of the essence in the performance and/or satisfaction of this Agreement and/or each individual term, promise, provision, obligation, sentence, clause, section or paragraph hereof.¨