The study selected the 100 schools with the largest higher education endowment funds in the United States and Canada. The schools are located in 34 states, the District of Columbia, and three Canadian provinces.
Policies were reviewed at 66 private institutions with $193 billion in combined endowment assets, as well as at 34 public institutions with $65 billion in combined endowment assets. The total endowment assets of the schools equal $258 billion.
The 100 schools are a mix of large and small institutions of higher education. Together, they count more than 2.3 million currently enrolled students.
Four schools that earned an cumulative grade average of "A-," qualified as overall College Sustainability Leaders (see sidebar on proceeding page).
The Campus Sustainability Leaders List (see sidebar) recognizes the 26 schools that received an average grade of "A-" or better on the four campus-related categories of the report.
A list of Endowment Sustainability Leaders was not created because only one school (Williams College) received an average grade of "A-" or better on all three endowment-related categories.
The Overview of Categories section provides a description of each category, along with brief highlights from a few leading schools. Each category also has an A-List of schools that received an "A" grade. The chart on the previous page illustrates the number of "A" grades in each of the seven categories.
The Report Card provides a wide range of information in one source and is easily accessible. Just as the grading system serves as an incentive in the classroom, the Report Card’s grading system seeks to encourage the prioritizing of sustainability in college operations and endowment investment policies by offering yearly assessments of progress.
As internationally recognized institutions of higher education, the schools included in the College Sustainability Report Card have the resources and potential to become leaders in aligning sustainable policies and practices with their educational missions.