Overview
The list of Administration Leaders is comprised of 71 schools that earned “A” grades in this category. Below is a sample of ten very different institutions that all qualified for the list. These summaries are based on data from each school’s profile page.
Arizona State University–Tempe's President Crow is a cofounder of the Presidents Climate Commitment and is chair of its steering board. The university’s Global Institute of Sustainability serves as both the academic center and operational headquarters for sustainability issues on campus, employing four full-time sustainability officers. The university has a green purchasing policy that mandates almost exclusive use of green cleaning products and gives preference to Energy Star and recycled products.
Bowdoin College’s environmental mission statement commits the school to “integrate environmental awareness and responsibility throughout the college community.” The college’s environmental management system provides a framework to assess the feasibility, cost, and impact of existing and proposed environmental programs, a methodology for benchmarking progress, and guidelines for documenting and auditing such programs. Sustainable Bowdoin organizes several initiatives, including a large Eco-Rep program. President Mills has signed the Presidents Climate Commitment.
President Hogan at the University of Connecticut–Storrs signed the Presidents Climate Commitment and the university has an environmental policy statement. The Office of Environmental Policy (OEP) and the environmental policy advisory council oversee all sustainability initiatives. Among the OEP staff are a full-time director, a part-time sustainability coordinator, and a full-time administrative coordinator. The green campus fund enables donors to direct their financial support to campus sustainability initiatives.
Duke University's President Brodhead signed the Presidents Climate Commitment and the university is currently in the process of developing a climate action plan to achieve climate neutrality. The Duke Green Grant Fund offers $50,000 annually for student, faculty, and staff projects that create a more sustainable campus. Eight full-time employees work on sustainability issues.
In addition to signing the Presidents Climate Commitment, University of Florida–Gainesville's President Machen has also set a goal of zero waste by 2015. The sustainability office is managed by a director and an outreach coordinator. The UF Green Team network was established in 2008 to develop strategies for campus-wide reduction of consumption and waste.
The Harvard University Green Campus Initiative (HGCI) has a staff of 24 full-time professionals, who work to assist the Harvard community in greening all areas of its campus. The HGCI staff is responsible for implementing campus-wide sustainability initiatives. A $12 million green campus loan fund is available for sustainability initiatives and projects. To date, more than $7 million has been invested in 110 projects. Projects average a simple payback of three years and a return on investment of 33 percent.
At Ohio State University–Columbus, the Office of Energy Services and Sustainability was established in February 2006 and employs six full-time staff. A task force made up of students, faculty, and staff has been formed to create an environmentally responsible purchasing policy. President Gee has signed the Presidents Climate Commitment.
Campus sustainability efforts at St. Lawrence University include an integrated campus and regional effort that focuses on economic development and sustainability issues. President Sullivan has signed the Presidents Climate Commitment, an Energy Star purchasing policy has been adopted, and a landscaping policy chooses plantings natural to the local geography. The university employs a coordinator of sustainability projects.
Stanford University has 13 full-time employees dedicated to sustainability and has created a Department of Sustainability and Energy Management to implement presidential policies on sustainability. The Sustainability Working Group represents a wide cross section of academic and administrative departments. In addition, the university has ten sustainability working teams to address major elements of campus sustainability.
President Pelton at Willamette University signed the Presidents Climate Commitment. In addition, in 2007 the president and trustees created and endowed the Willamette Center for Sustainable Communities. A sustainability council oversees sustainability initiatives on campus and a purchasing policy requires the use of green cleaning products, as well as paper and carpet with recycled content.