University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
EN-5: Civic Engagement
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
8.00 / 8.00 |
Cindy
Shea Sustainability Director Sustainable Carolina |
5.1 Percentage of students that participate in civic engagement programs
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s civic engagement programs for students:
Carolina Center for Public Service
Percentage of students that participate in community service and/or other civic engagement programs:
Approach used to determine the percentage of students that participate in civic engagement programs:
Narrative outlining how student participation in civic engagement programs was determined:
According to results from the 2022 Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Survey, administered by UNC's Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, 49% of the 4,519 respondents said they participate in community service.
This same survey revealed that 81.3% of respondents are involved in a student organization, many of which perform community service activities. These range from student government to service learning to fundraising events for community organizations.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
5.2 Employee community service program
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s programs to support employee community service:
Carolina Center for Public Service
Does the institution support employee volunteering during regular work hours?:
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s support for community volunteering during regular work hours:
UNC employees receive 24 hours of community service leave annually.
They work on Habitat for Humanity homes, with the Interfaith Council for Social Services, with the Rape Crisis Center, in multiple social service and environmental organizations, and in community gardens and schools.
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
5.3 Support for public policies to advance sustainability
Narrative outlining how individuals affiliated with the institution have helped develop local or regional public policies that address sustainability challenges:
The Energy Transition Initiative (ETI) was established to expand UNC’s focus on energy and climate change at a time when the energy system is undergoing rapid change. Through research into energy policy and climate resilience and targeted convening efforts, the ETI seeks to help policymakers and other stakeholders identify creative strategies to guide the electricity sector to an affordable, reliable, clean, and equitable future. By leveraging the expertise across the Institute for the Environment and at UNC Law’s Center for Climate, Energy, Environment, and Economics (CE3), the ETI tackles pressing environmental challenges and strives to ensure that UNC is a key institution steering the energy transition in North Carolina, throughout the southeast region, and beyond.
Narrative outlining how individuals affiliated with the institution have helped develop national or international public policies that address sustainability challenges:
The annual UNC Water and Health Conference reflects the Water Institute's commitment to improving public health by achieving universal access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) services that are safe, affordable and sustainable. The conference provides a curated space where policymakers, practitioners and researchers can gather to review the evidence, interrogate the science and improve old and develop new approaches to expanding WaSH access and services.
More than 3,700 registrants from 122 countries, 258 universities, and 789 organizations attended the 2023 conference.
https://waterinstitute.unc.edu/our-work/unc-water-and-health-conference
Has the institution advocated for public policies to advance sustainability during the previous three years?:
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s advocacy for public policies to advance sustainability:
The UNC School of Medicine, the ncIMPACT Initiative in the School of Government, and the Sheps Center for Health Services Research have all actively participated in efforts to expand Medicaid coverage in North Carolina. House Bill 76, passed in 2023, will provide medical coverage to more than 600,000 people who were previously unable to afford care. The expansion will advance racial equity and the care available in rural areas of the state where 3.5 million North Carolinians live.
Dr. Kenya McNeil-Trice, MD, Professor and Vice Chair in Pediatrics at the UNC Medical School, was appointed by Governor Cooper to serve as a member of the Carolina Council for Health Care Coverage.
The Council provided policy options to members of the NC General Assembly.
Dr. Mark Holmes, Director of the Sheps Center for Health Services Research, presented data on who is uninsured in North Carolina, who would be eligible for expansion of health care coverage, and the impact on rural communities, at the first meeting of the Council.
Dr. Wesley Burks, MD, Dean of the Medical School at UNC, was invited to witness Governor Cooper's signing of the Medicaid expansion bill. Dr. Burks, a fierce advocate to advance and protect access to healthcare, stated: "The Medicaid expansion law will provide healthcare for 600,000 uninsured North Carolinians, offer a lifeline to our financially burdened rural hospitals, and give much-needed access to behavioral health care, especially to pediatric and adolescent patients."
Anita Brown-Graham, Director of the ncIMPACT Initiative in the UNC School of Government, will facilitate the process of developing a report to the NC General Assembly on opportunities to provide workforce development services in conjunction with the state's Medicaid expansion. The effort, led by the NC Department of Commerce and the NC Department of Health and Human Services, will involve multiple stakeholders.
Documentary evidence of the institution’s advocacy for public policies to advance sustainability:
Online resource that provides evidence of the institution’s advocacy for public policies to advance sustainability:
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
Optional documentation
Additional documentation for this credit:
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.