Wichita State University

College Sustainability Report Card 2009

The Kansas Board of Regents recently appointed a committee to develop a recommendation for a system-wide policy on sustainability. The vice president for administration and finance chairs the committee, and the associate provost and chief information officer are members. The university has adopted a fuel and energy conservation policy and an energy management conservation policy.

Since 2006, the university has utilized the state's Facility Conservation Improvement Program, undertaking efficiency improvements on campus to reduce energy consumption, including installing more efficient boilers, chillers, and lights. Through the program, the university accomplished over 200 energy conservation projects resulting in an annual savings of $1.1 million per year.

Dining services purchases grass-fed beef and some fair trade coffee, and will begin purchasing locally grown produce in fall 2008. Discounts are offered for using refillable cups and mugs at a campus café and retail outlets. Dining services participates in the campus recycling program, which accepts traditional items as well as batteries, construction by-products, antifreeze, and computers. The university composts yard waste for landscaping.

New construction, major renovations, and replacement of HVAC and electrical building systems take into account energy-efficient measures and equipment. A recently completed transmitter building for the university’s public FM radio station features a green roof and Agriboard sidewall panels composed of compressed straw.

Wichita Green Group is a student organization on campus that work on recycling and other conservation initiatives.

In spring 2008, the university's police department began replacing its fleet with a combination of more fuel-efficient and flex-fuel vehicles. They have acquired a battery-powered, three-wheel platform vehicle for patrolling the campus, as well as a battery-powered utility cart. The university offers a shuttle bus service to two off-campus locations.

The university makes neither a list of endowment holdings nor its shareholder voting record public.

The university aims to optimize investment return and does not invest in renewable energy funds or community development loan funds.

The university asks that its investment managers handle the details of proxy voting.