| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.74 |
| Liaison | Justin Owen |
| Submission Date | July 22, 2024 |
Weber State University
PA-9: Committee on Investor Responsibility
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 2.00 |
Jennifer
Bodine Sustainability Specialist Facilities Management |
Does the institution have a formally established and active committee on investor responsibility (CIR) or equivalent body?:
The charter or mission statement of the CIR or other body which reflects social and environmental concerns or a brief description of how the CIR is tasked to address social and environmental concerns:
Weber State University's CIR was created in 2021 and does not currently have a charter. The CIR addresses the importance of sustainability and social responsibility on a regular basis. Discussions related to ESG strategy and investment policy are being reviewed by the committee. The investment committee continues to engage experts at Commonfund in discussions on opportunity and performance of ESG funds available.
Does the CIR include academic staff representation?:
Does the CIR include non-academic staff representation?:
Does the CIR include student representation?:
Members of the CIR, including affiliations and role:
- Arnie Combe - Community member and advisor
- Bryce Barker - Director of Internal Audit
- Brent Bishop - Community member and advisor
- Betsy Mennell - Vice President of University Advancement
- Brad Mortensen - WSU President and faculty
- Norm Tarbox - Vice President for Administrative Services
- Wendell Rich - Financial Reporting and Investment Director and student
- Karla Bergeson - Board of Trustees member
- Rex Baxter - Community member
- Steve Nabor - WSU CFO and Senior Associate Vice President for Financial
Services
- Stephanie Hollist - Legal Counsel
- Mark Halverson - Interim Vice President over IT and student
- Commonfund representatives
As mentioned above, WSU's CIR was established in 2021 and WSU started implementing the ESG strategy by investing in ESG funds in 2022. In February of 2023, the CIR approved the following ESG Policy:
"The Weber State University Investment Committee (Committee) recognizes that environmental, social and governance ("ESG") factors may have an impact on corporate and investment performance over the long term, although the impact can vary by industry.
The Committee has a fiduciary obligation to invest the assets of the Endowment for the benefit of the Weber State University Endowment. The Committee encourages its investment Advisor to include ESG factors in their investment processes. ESG considerations are a factor in the analysis and not necessarily implemented as an exclusionary screen to eliminate specific companies or sectors from consideration. Relevant ESG factors will vary by industry and should be applied appropriately to improve long-term risk-adjusted returns.
Consistent with the University's on-campus initiatives to promote energy conservation, the Weber State University endowment has made commitments to a private sustainable resources program, which focuses on promoting renewable power and resource efficiency, and will continue similar sustainable programs as appropriate."
Optional Fields
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The committee does not have a website.
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