Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 53.50
Liaison Amy Kadrie
Submission Date Jan. 31, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Rochester
PA-9: Sustainable Investment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.67 / 4.00 Tammy Lancy
Manager of Investment Operations
Office of Senior VP - Institutional Resources
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Option 1: Positive Sustainability Investment 

Does the institution wish to pursue Option 1 (positive sustainability investment)?:
No

Total value of the investment pool:
0 US/Canadian $

Value of holdings in each of the following categories:
Value of Holdings
Sustainable industries (e.g. renewable energy or sustainable forestry) ---
Businesses selected for exemplary sustainability performance (e.g. using criteria specified in a sustainable investment policy) ---
Sustainability investment funds (e.g. a renewable energy or impact investment fund) ---
Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) or the equivalent ---
Socially responsible mutual funds with positive screens (or the equivalent) ---
Green revolving loan funds that are funded from the endowment ---

If any of the above is greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the companies, funds, and/or institutions referenced above:
---

Percentage of the institution's investment pool in positive sustainability investments:
0

Option 2: Investor Engagement 

Does the institution wish to pursue Option 2 (investor engagement)?:
Yes

Sustainable Investment Policy 

Does the institution have a publicly available sustainable investment policy?:
Yes

None
A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
---

None
The sustainable investment policy:
In September 2017, the University of Rochester established the Ethical Investment Advisory Committee (“EIAC”). The six members of the EIAC include three full-time faculty members selected by the faculty senate and three non-faculty members of the UR community: an undergraduate student, a member of non-academic staff (ideally a member of the Sustainability Council), and a graduate student or post-doctoral fellow. Each of the non-faculty members are elected by their representative bodies. A staff member of the UR Office of Institutional Resources (“Investment Office”) provides administrative support, and serves as an ex-officio member of the EIAC. Members of the EIAC elect a Committee Chair with responsibility for calling meetings of the Committee, setting meeting agendas, and communicating with the Faculty Senate, the UR Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees (“Investment Committee”) and the Investment Office.

None
Does the institution use its sustainable investment policy to select and guide investment managers?:
Yes

None
A brief description of how the policy is applied, including recent examples:
The University has established an Ethical Investment Advisory Committee consisting of faculty, undergraduate and graduate students and staff members, whose purpose is to identify areas of potential concern and investigate the consonance of the University’s investment policies and values. Where appropriate, it will make recommendations to the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees regarding particular investments, communications and proxy votes. The Investment Office continues to include a CSR question in an annual questionnaire sent to all of its investment firms. This information is shared with the EIAC.

Proxy Voting 

Has the institution engaged in proxy voting, either by its CIR or other committee or through the use of guidelines, to promote sustainability during the previous three years?:
No

None
A copy of the proxy voting guidelines or proxy record:
---

None
A brief description of how managers are adhering to proxy voting guidelines:
---

Shareholder Resolutions 

Has the institution filed or co-filed one or more shareholder resolutions that address sustainability or submitted one or more letters about social or environmental responsibility to a company in which it holds investments during the previous three years?:
No

None
Examples of how the institution has engaged with corporations in its portfolio about sustainability issues during the previous three years:
The Office of Institutional Resources responds to written inquiries from members of the University of Rochester community (students, faculty, staff and alumni) relating to specific investment holdings within the endowment. The University does not release a list of its investment holdings, but will acknowledge, upon written request, whether or not the University is the owner of a specific security. The Office of Institutional Resources will also submit to the Investment Committee of the University's Board of Trustees, on a case-by-case basis, requests for action pertaining to specific securities

Negative Screens / Divestment Efforts 

Does the institution have a publicly available investment policy with negative screens?:
No

None
A brief description of the negative screens and how they have been implemented:
---

None
Approximate percentage of the endowment that the negative screens apply to:
---

Investor Networks 

Does the institution engage in policy advocacy by participating in investor networks and/or engage in inter-organizational collaborations to share best practices?:
No

None
A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:
---

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
http://www.rochester.edu/endowment/eiac/

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.