Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 53.11
Liaison Elizabeth Malcolm
Submission Date Jan. 19, 2023

STARS v2.2

Virginia Wesleyan University
IN-40: Sustainability Projects Fund

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Elizabeth Malcolm
Director of Sustainability
Earth and Environmental Sciences
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name of the institution’s sustainability projects fund:
Earth and Environmental Sciences Endowed Fund Grants

Which of the following best describes the primary source of funding for the sustainability projects fund?:
Donation driven

Year the institution’s sustainability projects fund was established:
2,019

A brief description of the institution’s sustainability projects fund:
The fund is intended to provide students educational experiences in sustainability and the environment beyond the classroom. Examples of usages may include: campus sustainability initiatives, bringing speakers to campus, career development seminars and equipment for student research. Projects funded to date include 1) a native pollinator and rainwater garden on campus, 2) equipment for a student research project on hydrology, 3) beehives for the campus, 4) plants to green campus indoor spaces, and 5) outreach and bins to support improved recycling on campus.

A brief description of the multi-stakeholder decision-making process used to determine which projects receive funding through the sustainability projects fund:
A call for proposals is announced in the fall semester which includes flyers, emails, and announcements in courses to reach a broad audience. Students may submit proposals as individuals or in teams. One faculty member is designated as a mentor to assist students in preparing their proposals. This helps make the process more welcoming and less intimidating for students, improving the participation rate. A committee consisting of at least two faculty members from at least two different departments, and at least one student review the proposals after student names have been removed for a blind review process.

Optional Fields

Website URL where information about the sustainability projects fund is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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