| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.86 |
| Liaison | Allie McAllister |
| Submission Date | Sept. 16, 2021 |
Villanova University
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
Students on the student sustainability committee (SSC) under the University Sustainability Leadership Council (SLC) work to make every students experience at Villanova more sustainable. Members of the SSC have the opportunity to lead projects, create new initiatives, and partner with faculty and staff across the University.
https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/sustainability/about/Committees/StudentCommittee.html
Villanova Environmental Group- A university student group for those who want to address environmental issues on campus and in the country. https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/artsci/peaceandjustice/studentorgs/environgroup.html
Business Without Borders- Formed in 2008 within the Villanova School of Business; affiliated with Net Impact Undergrad, a higher-education program that seeks to encourage undergraduates around themes of corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, green business, and other topics related to the ways in which business can be used to make a positive impact on the world. The mission of the Villanova group is to equip, educate, and inspire Villanova School of Business students to use their business skills for lasting social and environmental good. To fulfill this mission, Business without Borders Net Impact Undergrad Chapter 1) empowers undergraduate students to use their skills to positively impact their surroundings, 2) helps them put their beliefs into action through sustainability efforts, and 3) enlarges their network with other like-minded individuals who have demonstrated their commitment to social corporate responsibility. https://vugroups.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/businesswithoutborders
Environmental and Energy Law Society, Villanova Law School - Dedicated to exploring the effects and prospects of law relating to the environment and energy. The group is primarily concerned with US energy policies and the environmental consequences they produce.
https://www1.villanova.edu/content/villanova/law/currentstudents/stuaffairs/stuorg.html
Does the institution have a garden, farm, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, or an urban agriculture project where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
Students in SSC researched, proposed, designed and built a campus research garden between 2016-2018. the garden is designed to serve student researchers over the summer, academic course work in the fall and spring semester, and allow for volunteers throughout the year (student, faculty and staff are welcome). the garden does not strictly operate using organic practices, as researchers may choose to use non-organic practices for their research. but in general, organic practices are followed.
https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/sustainability/Resources/For_Everyone/CampusGarden.html
Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
Does the institution have a sustainable investment fund, green revolving fund, or sustainable microfinance initiative through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
Student-Run Equity Fund
The Wildcat Fund is a student-run equity fund that provides a unique hands-on learning experience for VSB students pursuing careers in financial services, specifically sales & trading, investment banking, and asset management. As a member of the Wildcat Fund, students apply what they learn in class and engage in analytical decision-making, teamwork, entrepreneurship and leadership.
A team of approximately 35 students oversee every aspect of this $1 million socially responsible, long-only, equity fund. Students begin training as analysts, learning the basics of portfolio management in Villanova Investment Academy’s training program. While honing their skills, students grow into sector-specific roles by pitching and covering companies within the fund. As a fully student-led fund, all investment decisions are made by the student portfolio managers for each of the 11 GICS sectors.
https://www1.villanova.edu/university/business/vsb-experience/lab-for-financial-markets/student-run-fund.html
Has the institution hosted a conference, speaker series, symposium, or similar event focused on sustainability during the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:
Every year we hold an Earth Day celebration that includes a guest speaker, as well as a poster session where students are able to showcase their sustainability projects done throughout the year.The celebration also includes a farmers market. Speakers have included: John Balbus, the NIEHS-WHO's director of Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health Sciences, and Joseph Majkut, director of Climate Policy at Niskanen Center. In addition to the farmers market and poster session, students participated in an Earth Day service trip to a local farm to help with prepping the farm for planting.
In addition to Earth Day, Villanova hosts a number of other guest speakers and events throughout the academic year. Some recent examples include: Michael Mann, Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Penn State, Veerabhadran Ramanathan, Distinguished professor of atmospheric and climate at the scripps institute of oceanography with the University of California San Diego, and Garrett Blad with Sustain Us.
Every fall Villanova hosts a sustainable career panel featuring Villanova alumni who’s careers help to build a sustainable future for all. Past panelist include: Townsend Bailey, McDonald’s US sustainability director, Joanne Maxwell, Director Environmental Programs at Amtrak, Chris Gallo, Remedial Project Manager at US Environmental Protection Agency, Michael Werner, Lead for Circular Economy for Google, Jinny Jeong, corporate ESG strategy and leadership Lead at CECP, Jennifer Bowe, Head of Global Impact and Sustainability at Ocean Spray Cranberries, Monika Sheikh, sustainability manager with NY-Presbyterian Hospital, and Joseph Minott, executive director for the Clean Air Council.
Academic departments have hosted semester long speaker series related to sustainability and climate change. the most faithful being Geography and the Environments Colloquium series, their series has included speakers such as: Maya van Rossum, Delaware Riverkeeper, and Lara Roman, research ecologist with the US department of agriculture.
Has the institution hosted a cultural arts event, installation, or performance focused on sustainability with the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:
For earth day 2019, students in the computer science department used old computer science textbooks to build "trees". The term "trees" is a basic concept within computer science. the professor leading this effort wanted to highlight the large amount of waste generated by quickly dated computer science textbooks using a play on words.
Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
Villanova's Outdoors Club hosts regular hiking, white water rafting, and skiing outings. The group is conscious of protecting the environment they are in and follow Leave No Trace principles.
Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
Incoming freshman can register to live in the Environmental Leadership Learning Community. Though this learning community, students:
-Take a specially-designed section of the humanities seminar Augustine and Culture (ACS) with other students in their Experience community, focusing holistically on the question of "Who Am I?" in relation to the natural environment and human culture
-Participate in a one-credit workshop style class that meets weekly in the residence hall, called Villanova Experience (VEXP), which will explore:
-Effective ways to communicate about a variety of issues relevant to the first-year college experience
-Current issues, practices, and innovations that impact the natural world
-Ways in which both local and larger communities can care for the natural world
-Opportunities to work in small groups
- Students in the community live together in Katharine Hall on the south campus
-Enjoy an enriched academic and co-curricular experience because of student and faculty interactions in and out of the classroom, creating a stronger community for first-year students. Activities outside of the classroom include "movie and pizza" nights, on-campus lectures and special events, and off-campus field trips to locations such as organic urban farms, eco-housing developments, and manufacturers of eco-friendly products.
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
There are between 3-4 student intern positions working for the sustainability manager at any one time. these positions are open to all students (undergraduate and graduate).
Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.