Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 72.78
Liaison Emily Vollmer
Submission Date Feb. 18, 2021

STARS v2.2

Virginia Tech
AC-1: Academic Courses

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 13.45 / 14.00 John Randolph
Professor Emeritus
Urban Affairs and Planning
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Sustainability course offerings

Figures required to calculate the percentage of courses offered by the institution that are sustainability course offerings:
Undergraduate Graduate
Total number of courses offered by the institution 3,156 2,023
Number of sustainability-focused courses offered 341 228
Number of sustainability-inclusive courses offered 232 163

Percentage of courses that are sustainability course offerings:
18.61

Part 2. Sustainability course offerings by department

Total number of academic departments that offer courses:
72

Number of academic departments with sustainability course offerings:
67

Percentage of academic departments with sustainability course offerings:
93.06

Documentation

A copy of the institution’s inventory of its sustainability course offerings and descriptions:
Do the figures reported above cover one, two, or three academic years?:
One

A brief description of the methodology used to complete the course inventory :
NOTE: In the attached excel, there are three tabs--undergraduate courses, graduate courses, and departments.

Use of 2019-2020 Undergraduate Course Catalog and Academic Policies (https://www.undergradcatalog.registrar.vt.edu/1920/course-descriptions.html) and the Graduate Catalog 2019-2020 (https://secure.graduateschool.vt.edu/graduate_catalog/programs.htm) along with the Virginia Tech definition of sustainability as dictated by the Virginia Tech Climate Action Commitment (VTCAC) in order to determine what courses are sustainability focused and sustainability related.

According to the VTCAC (http://facilities.vt.edu/content/dam/facilities_vt_edu/sustainability/climate-action-commitment.pdf) we define sustainability as follows:

Sustainability Definition:
Sustainability is the simultaneous pursuit of environmental quality, economic prosperity, and social justice and equity, through action, education, and engagement to address current needs without compromising the capacity and needs of future generations.

Sustainability Vision:
Virginia Tech serves as a model community for a sustainable society. Sustainability is an integral part of the fabric of the university as it pursues enhanced economic stability and affordability, diversity and inclusion, environmental stewardship, expansion of knowledge, and education of future leaders.

Sustainability Mission:
The pursuit of sustainability is achieved through Virginia Tech's administration; physical environment and operations; student life and experience; campus culture and behavior; and academic learning, discovery, and engagement.

How were courses with multiple offerings or sections counted for the figures reported above?:
Each course was counted as a single course regardless of the number of offerings or sections

A brief description of how courses with multiple offerings or sections were counted:
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Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the sustainability course offerings is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
One of our most sustainably-focused colleges is the College of Natural Resources and Environment (CNRE). In the last ten years, the CNRE has only become more impressive. The College, under the guidance of Dean Paul Winistorfer, has doubled undergraduate enrollment, built a research aviary, and has been ranked the best place in the nation to study natural resources and conservation. CNRE's packaging degree program has a near 100% placement rate upon graduation. Areas of study for future degree programs are currently being researched and developed. More information about the impressive College can be found at this link: https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2020/11/cnre-winistorfer-bov.html?utm_source=cmpgn_news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=vtUnirelNewsDailyCMP_112020-fs

Three members of the College of Natural Resources and Environment community have recently (December 2020) received national recognition for work promoting educational outreach and research efforts in geography and forestry. More information is available at this link: https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2020/12/cnre-campbell-gagnon-downing-awards.html?utm_source=cmpgn_news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=vtUnirelNewsDailyCMP_121720-fs

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.