University of Minnesota, Duluth
PAE-2: Strategic Plan

Overview: The new (in 2011) UMD Strategic Plan lists sustainability as a Core Value, and incorporates sustainability principles into many of our Goals and Action Steps. We identified short-term Action Steps that will help improve our physical campus and operations, increase our diversity, promote an inclusive campus culture, and increase sustainability concepts into our academic programs. Further embracing sustainability in our operations, curriculum, and campus culture will better prepare our students in developing critical thinking skills to handle the complicated, inter-disciplinary, and interconnected global issues of today and the future. See: http://www.d.umn.edu/chancellor/planning/ The Goal and Action Steps related to the environmental dimension of sustainability are listed below: Goal 6: Enhance UMD’s infrastructure; technologies; and information, financial, and human resources to support the campus in a sustainable manner. Action Steps that support the environmental dimension include: Expand the campus master plan to incorporate more depth in sustainable planning issues. These should include effective use of green space, community connectivity, alternate transportation (bike and walking paths) and inclusion of outlying properties (May 2012). Reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions in line with the UMD Energy Action Plan (Immediate and Ongoing). Infuse the concept and application of sustainability into our curriculum and co-curriculum, our research activities, and our use of facilities (Immediate and Ongoing). More Action Steps that address these Goals are available at: http://www.d.umn.edu/chancellor/planning/action.html

Goals, Values, and Action Steps in the UMD Strategic Plan all identify ways to increase our diversity, promote an inclusive campus culture, and increase sustainability concepts into our academic programs. Goals that address social dimensions of sustainability include: Goal 1: Promote integrated curricular, co-curricular, and living-learning undergraduate experiences that achieve UMD’s student learning goals and prepare students for lifelong learning, globally engaged citizenship, and success in their academic, personal, and professional lives. Goal 2: Create a positive and inclusive campus climate for all by advancing equity, diversity, and social justice. Goal 5: Strengthen ties with Duluth and surrounding communities in an intentional, visible, and mutually beneficial partnership. Action Steps that address these Goals are available at: http://www.d.umn.edu/chancellor/planning/action.html

Goal 6 of the plan addresses the economic dimensions of sustainability: Utilize UMD’s infrastructure; technologies; and information, human and financial resources to support the campus in a sustainable manner. One of the Action Steps to address this goal is to: Develop financial and operational models to provide data to inform resource allocation (Immediate and Ongoing). More Action Steps are available at: http://www.d.umn.edu/chancellor/planning/action.html