Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 42.13
Liaison Eva Rocke
Submission Date June 30, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Montana
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Madeleine Jones
ASUM Sustainability Coordinator
ASUM
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture (i.e. the assessment focuses on sustainability values, behaviors and beliefs, and may also address awareness of campus sustainability initiatives)?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered to::
The entire campus community (students, staff and faculty), directly or by representative sample

Which of the following best describes the structure of the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered::
Longitudinally to measure change over time

A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted:

The cultural assessment was developed in 2015 and administered to students in fall 2015 and spring 2016 (the assessment was first administered at the beginning of each semester, with the follow up assessment occurring at the end of each semester). A cultural assessment of staff, faculty, and administrators was administered during the 2015/2016 academic year.


A copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture:
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A sample of the questions related to sustainability culture or the website URL where the assessment tool is available:

1. Do you feel engaged in the sustainability efforts of UM?

2. How much of a focus on sustainability do you believe UM has?

3. Do feel UM’s culture is one that emphasizes sustainability?


A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:

The representative samples of students were reached using the Psychology department subject pool; a tool widely used for research on college populations. Students in the psychology subject pool are not exclusively psychology majors. Rather, students in the pool represent all colleges and departments at the University of Montana. Students earn research credits to be applied to Psychology 100 for their participation.

The representative sample of faculty, staff, and administrators was achieved by sending the survey via email to all faculty, staff, and administrators. While it’s possible that the sample ultimately achieved through this method was not representative in that those most interested (or most opposed) to sustainability initiatives elected to complete the survey, we received over 700 responses, which accounts for a large proportion of overall staff, faculty, and administrator population.


A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment, including a description of any measurable changes over time:

Results from the student survey indicated that students, on average, express interest in sustainability and a desire to see sustainability be emphasized at the University of Montana. An opportunity area we identified in this survey was student engagement; while students are interested in sustainability, they don’t feel very engaged in sustainability efforts, nor do they report much familiarity with some of the most important sustainability initiatives on campus. No significant changes occurred between initial data collection and the follow up survey.

Staff, faculty, and administrators reported being in favor of sustainability initiatives such as renewable energy installations on campus. Faculty were most supportive, while staff were least supportive, however all groups viewed sustainability favorably.


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.