University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
PA-9: Committee on Investor Responsibility

The policy on Social Responsibility Investment Considerations applies to the invested assets of the University of Wisconsin System’s Trust Funds, and to individuals interested in providing input regarding the corporate policies or practices of the companies and other entities in which the University of Wisconsin System invests. The purpose of this statement is to communicate the Board of Regents’ policies and practices for considering the various aspects of the social responsibility of the companies, governments, or other entities in which it invests University of Wisconsin System Trusts Funds.

The Board of Regents has ultimate fiduciary responsibility for the management and administration of the University of Wisconsin System Trust Funds. The Board’s Business, Finance, and Audit Committee is delegated oversight of the management and administration of the Trust Funds.

Gerald Whitburn (Chair), John Behling (Vice Chair), Margaret Farrow, Tim Higgins, Janice Mueller, Charles Pruitt , Gary Roberts, David Walsh http://www.wisconsin.edu/bor/bios/

UW System Administration is responsible for conducting proxy reviews and exploration of socially responsible investment alternatives. The Secretary of the Board of Regents has responsibility for scheduling requested public forums under section 4 of this policy.The Regents wish to solicit input from students, faculty, alumni and citizens on matters related to social concerns. To obtain this input, the Business, Finance, and Audit Committee of the Board of Regents may schedule a public forum at the request of parties interested in presenting such concerns to the Board of Regents. The purpose of this forum is to offer the broadest opportunity for System constituencies to present such information to the Board of Regents.

The 2013 Proxy Environment
As of early March, shareholders concerned with companies’ management of social and environmental issues have filed approximately 343 proposals for the annual meetings of U.S. firms in 2013, about the same number as of this time last year. The dominant social issues for the 2013 season are the following: corporate political contributions and lobbying, the environment and “sustainability,” and human rights issues.
The environmental category, which was surpassed last year following seven years as the largest category, still includes a large and varied mix of resolutions. The environmental category (shown in the chart under “Global Warming,” “Nuclear/Renewables,” “Natural Gas Fracturing,” “Pollutants/Other” and “Genetically Modified Organisms”) included 83 proposals, an all-time high for the category.
Other top categories include sustainability reporting and human rights issues. Sustainability reporting accounted for 36 proposals while the human rights category, which had dropped to just 16 proposals in 2012, increased to include 36 resolutions this year.

UW-Stevens Point endowment funds are invested with the UW-Madison Foundation. They do not have a CIR. A small portion of our investment funds are invested with the UW Trust Funds.

The Trust Funds Office is responsible for the administrative and investment oversight of endowment and other investable funds entrusted to the Board of Regents of the UW System. These funds currently consist primarily of monies that have been gifted directly to a UW institution, rather than to one of the separate, supporting foundations. The Office reports to and supports the Business, Finance and Audit Committee of the Board of Regents, which serves as the ultimate fiduciary and trustee of these investable funds.

Core investment oversight efforts include the following: 1) determination of investment policies and guidelines, 2) determination of appropriate investment strategies, asset allocations, and spending policies, 3) implementation of investment strategies, primarily through the selection of external managers, 4) on-going evaluation of overall investment performance and manager performance. Although investment objectives focus primarily on financial return relative to risks assumed, considerations of "social responsibility" are not ignored. Social issues brought to the attention of the Office and/or the Board of Regents are typically researched by staff and reported on to the Business and Finance Committee. Also, shareholder proxies are voted in a socially-conscious manner, consistent with Regent policies.

Regarding administration, the Trust Funds Office works externally with donors and other related parties, and internally with the benefiting campuses and colleges, to facilitate the receipt and proper use (compliant with donor terms and conditions) of all gifts and bequests. Operationally, the Office is responsible for the deposit of funds, fund- and account-level transaction processing, maintenance of the donor account-level recordkeeping system and its reconciliation and integration with other accounting systems.