Data collection for the report took place from June through September 2009. For the six sections related to campus management (Administration, Climate Change & Energy, Food & Recycling, Green Building, and Transportation), information was gathered first from publicly available documentation. Then, four surveys were sent to each school: 1) A Campus Survey covering the Administration, Climate Change & Energy, Green Building, Student Involvement, and Transportation categories; 2) A Dining Services Survey covering the Food & Recycling category; 3) An Endowment Survey covering the Endowment Transparency, Investment Priorities, and Shareholder Engagement categories; and 4) A Student Survey focusing on the activities of campus environmental and sustainability groups.
The response rate to the Campus Survey was over 89 percent, whereas 91 percent completed the Dining Services Survey, 82 percent responded to the Endowment Survey and 75 percent to the Student Survey. In all, more than 96 percent of schools participated in at least one of the four surveys, while just 14 schools declined participation in all four surveys.
All 48 indicators used for grading are described in the Indicators section. Each school earned numerical points in proportion to its policies and practices for the indicators in each category. Grading was based on the following criteria: By meriting at least 70 percent of credit for each category, a school earned an "A," 50 percent to earn a "B," 30 percent to earn a "C," and 10 percent to earn a "D." To simplify grading, only full letter grades (i.e., no plus or minus) of A, B, C, D, and F were given in the six campus management categories and the three endowment-related categories. The nine equally weighted category grades were totaled to calculate a grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale. The GPA was then translated into an overall sustainability grade, ranging from “A” to “F,” using a standard grading scale. Please see the Methodology section for further information.