Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 70.13
Liaison Eric O'Brien
Submission Date March 1, 2013
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.1

University of Northern Iowa
PAE-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Eric O'Brien
University Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a sustainability committee?:
Yes

The charter or mission statement of the committee or a brief description of the committee's purview and activities :

The charge of the UNI Sustainability Council is to advise the president on policies and activities that will comply with state of Iowa and Board of Regents’ sustainability programs and efforts. It will lead the charge to reduce carbon emissions at the University of Northern Iowa, and work to educate the university community about lifelong energy-conscious behaviors and techniques to save money and resources. Also, the council will facilitate efforts to promote good stewardship of resources. The council should engage participants in these goals:
- Review the current activities and efforts of the UNI Energy Conservation Committee and provide guidance to the committee.
- Work with state of Iowa government and the Iowa Board of Regents with their Green Government initiatives.
- Develop energy conservation and climate change guidelines for all new construction and major renovation.
- Inform the university community about energy conservation and climate change issues.


Members of the committee, including affiliations:

Michael Hager - UNI Sustainability Council Chair
Eric O'Brien - UNI Sustainability Action Committee Chair
Gloria Gibson - Executive Vice President, Provost & Professor
Bill Calhoun - Vice President for Marketing and Advancement
Michael Hager - Vice President for Administration & Financial Services
Terry Hogan - Vice President for Student Affairs
Joel Haack - Dean & Professor, College of Natural Science
James Walters - Department Head & Professor, Earth Science
Jan Hanish - Assistant Vice President for Administration & Financial Services
Jess Betts - University Relations
Jordan Bancroft-Smithe - President, Northern Iowa Student Government


The website URL where information about the sustainability committee is available:
Does the institution have a sustainability office?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability office:

Coordinates the Sustainability Initiative and related programs; develops new programs; and works with campus units to promote sustainability and resource conservation through a collaborative and systemic approach.

Leads efforts to formulate institutional goals related to sustainability initiatives and creates and maintains meaningful metrics to measure campus progress towards meeting goals; develops reports and proposes plans that respond to UNI Sustainability Council, UNI Energy Conservation Committee, Board of Regents, and Governor's Executive Order directives; leads efforts to develop campus sustainability policies, practices, and procedures; and seeks funding and grant opportunities to financially support sustainability efforts.

Serves as connecting point for information and networking related to campus sustainability efforts; works with UM&PR and other campus units to publicize efforts by University students, faculty & staff to address sustainability goals to internal and external audiences through the use of web sites, news releases, and publications; informs the public and news media about the efforts of the University community to address sustainability goals; collaborates with other Regents institutions on sustainability initiatives and programs; collaborates with UNI Facilities Services staff and local utilities providers on utilities related projects; advises the University community on the resources available that can be applied towards sustainability initiatives; serves as an educator and presenter for the University community, coordinating outreach and education projects, advising student organizations, participating in relevant workshops and conferences, and delivering guest presentations in courses that address sustainability issues; and advises the University on the importance and feasibility of various on-going and future sustainability initiatives.

Create and enables collaborations between the academic and non-academic sectors, coordinating common goals and identifying opportunities between different offices; keeps abreast on faculty and staff research and initiatives that deal with sustainability and environmental issues; advises or serves on sustainability related task forces as appropriate; and serves as a leader in implementing and facilitating annual programs such as Campus Conversations, Earth Day, recycling efforts, and other similar campus/community events.


The number of people employed in the sustainability office:
1.25

The website URL where information about the sustainability office is available:
Does the institution have a sustainability coordinator?:
Yes

Sustainability coordinator's name:
Eric O'Brien

Sustainability coordinator's position title:
University Sustainability Coordinator

A brief description of the sustainability coordinator’s position:

Leads University Sustainability Office start-up and ongoing operations, initiatives, and programs utilizing a collaborative and systematic approach to promote sustainability and resource conservation; leads efforts to formulate institutional goals, policies and procedures that respond to directives by various constituents and stakeholders; serves as a hub for information collection and dissemination related to campus sustainability efforts while publicizing progress towards goals; educates various audiences on sustainability issues; implements and facilitates various campus/community sustainability related events; supervises and develops staff; and provides guidance to campus organizations on budgetary decisions related to sustainability.


The website URL where information about the sustainability coordinator is available:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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