| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 60.17 |
| Liaison | Mark Klapatch-Mathias |
| Submission Date | Feb. 27, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Wisconsin-River Falls
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Michael
Stifter Director Facilities Mgmt. |
Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee, office, and/or officer that focuses on sustainability broadly and covers the entire institution?:
A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the committee(s), office(s), and/or officer(s) during the previous three years:
Sustainability Coordinator:
-Provides leadership support, expertise, and guidance in forming universities definitions, programs, policies relating to campus sustainability.
-Assists with encouraging and facilitating cross-discipline and cross- university awareness and collaboration on issues related to sustainable campus and community development.
-Researches data points and fields in support of university sustainability projects including renewable energy proposals, greenhouse gas reduction strategies, student sustainability projects, etc.
-Assists in management of all undergraduate research fellows and Office of Sustainability interns.
Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:
The Sustainability Working Group (SWG) is the primary shared-governance group for promoting and coordinating sustainability values, principles, and practices at UW-River Falls. The SWG addresses the planning, design, implementation, and assessment of sustainable campus community programs and policies as well as documentation, such as the Sustainability Tracking and Rating System (STARS®), the Climate Action Plan (CAPlan), and the Sustainable Campus Community Plan (SCCPlan).
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role (e.g. staff, student, or faculty):
2014-15 SWG Members:
Committee Chair, Staff, Matt Fitzgerald, Student Affairs
Student, Molly Breitmun
Student, Daniel Saunders
Faculty, Charles Rader, Geography, CAS
Faculty, Ruth Baker, Geography, CAS
Faculty, Veronica Justen, Faculty, Plant & Earth Science, CAFES
Faculty, Pamela Dixon, Management & Marketing, CBE
Faculty, Mary Wright, Teacher Ed., CEPS
Staff, Kathy Young, Diversity/Human Resources
Staff, Tim Thum, Facilities Management
Community, Mike Noreen, River Falls Municipal Utilities
The website URL where information about the sustainability committee(s) is available:
Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) employee?:
A brief description of each sustainability office:
The Sustainability Office at UW-River Falls serves multiple functions. The office is synonymous with and located at the St. Croix Institute for Sustainable Community Development (SCISCD) and housed at the Regional Development Institute building. The Director of the SCISCD serves as Sustainability Coordinator for all campus sustainability initiatives and as Director for all "think and do tank" initiatives for outreach and consulting from local to global. This approach provided significant opportunity for faculty and students to be integrated into both campus and outreach projects for sake of independent studies, research, internships, service learning, and other scholarly pursuits that provide innovative services and solutions to both sets of clients. The office is staffed with 2.0 FTE, student Research Fellows, and work study assistance when appropriate.
See Notes below regarding a restructure of sustainability offices and support at UWRF moving forward.
Full-time equivalent (FTE) of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
The website URL where information about the sustainability office(s) is available:
Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Name and title of each sustainability officer:
A brief description of each sustainability officer position:
Director of Sustainability (Dr. Kelly Cain): responsible for oversight of campus sustainability planning, initiatives, and outreach to local community. Director, St. Croix Institute for Sustainable Community Development (SCISCD). Dr. Kelly Cain is responsible for day-today operations and management of embedded 'think and do tank' for campus, community, regional, national, and international initiatives.
Bethany Gapinski, Campus Sustainability Coordinator (50% FTE supporting campus sustainability initiatives), and Senior Research Fellow (50% supporting SCISCD initiatives).
The Sustainability Coordinator position for 2014 was a 0.5 LTE position, with a pending budget request to make the position a 12 month FTE appointment for 2015. The Coordinator is the go-to person for all major sustainability planning and implementation initiatives such as the Climate Action Plan, the Sustainable Campus Community Plan, AASHE STARS data tracking, the ACUPCC and associated greenhouse gas inventories, and sustainable community outreach, planning, and coordination. The Coordinator for 2014 reports directly to the Director of the St. Croix Institute for Sustainable Community Development (SCISCD) and has significant support, autonomy, and budget to pursue campus and SCISCD objectives.
See Notes below for an update on the Sustainability Officer structure moving forward.
The website URL where information about the sustainability officer(s) is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Kelly Cain retired on July 1, 2014. Facilities Management staff have assisted in the oversight of the campus sustainability efforts in the transition along with members of SWG and the Faculty Fellows. A new full-time (1 FTE) Sustainability Coordinator is expected to be hired in early 2015 as well as a Faculty Fellows Coordinator (.25 FTE).
Kelly Cain retired on July 1, 2014. Facilities Management staff have assisted in the oversight of the campus sustainability efforts in the transition along with members of SWG and the Faculty Fellows. A new full-time (1 FTE) Sustainability Coordinator is expected to be hired in early 2015 as well as a Faculty Fellows Coordinator (.25 FTE).
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.