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With the publication of the College Sustainability Report Card 2010, more than 1,100 school survey responses from over 300 institutions are now available online. In total, these surveys offer more than 10,000 pages of data collected from colleges and universities during the summer of 2009. To access surveys from other schools, go to the surveys section of the website. To see grades, or to access additional surveys submitted by this school, please click the "Back to Report Card" link at the beginning or end of the survey.
Name: Len Sereda
Title: Director, Energy Management and Sustainable Operations
Date survey submitted: July 21, 2009
1) How does your school handle proxy voting on environmental, social, and governance issues?
(a) We do not have the ability to vote proxies as the entire equity holdings of the endowment are invested in mutual funds (e.g. CommonFund, Fidelity, Vanguard, etc.).
(b) We ask that our investment managers handle the details of proxy voting.
(c) We provide our investment managers with general guidelines that determine our proxy votes.
(d) We provide our investment managers with specific corporate governance guidelines that determine our proxy votes.*
(e) We provide our investment managers with specific environmental and social guidelines that determine our proxy votes.*
(f) A member of our school administration determines our proxy votes.
(g) A committee of administrators and/or trustees deliberates and makes decisions on proxy votes.
(h) A committee that includes student representatives deliberates and makes recommendations or decisions on proxy votes.
(i) School community feedback is incorporated into proxy voting decisions through town hall meetings or a website.
Your answers:
Proxy voting on corporate governance matters: (a) and (b). The majority of our foreign equity investments are in pooled accounts, while our Canadian equity investments are in segregated accounts. In both cases we expect our investment managers to handle proxy voting.
Proxy voting on environmental and social resolutions: (a) and (b). The majority of our foreign equity investments are in pooled accounts, while our Canadian equity investments are in segregated accounts. In both cases we expect our investment managers to handle proxy voting.
*Please provide URL or attach guidelines (optional).
2) If you answered "g" or "h" to question 1, please provide the following information about the committee:
Name of committee:
Number of meetings held since August 2008:
Name of chair(s):
Position of chair (e.g., administrator, faculty, staff, student):
To whom does the committee report (e.g., Trustee Committee, President, Vice President):
Number of administrators on committee:
Number of alumni on committee:
Number of faculty on committee:
Number of staff on committee:
Number of students on committee:
Number of trustees on committee:
Total number of committee members:
3) Please indicate what information about proxy voting records is made available to each of the groups listed under "Your answers" (select all that apply):
(a) No information is made available
(b) Votes cast on proxy resolutions only by category (and not company specific)
(c) Votes cast on proxy resolutions on a company-specific level
(d) Votes cast on proxy resolutions on a company-specific level, including the number of shares
Your answers:
Trustees and senior administrators: d
Trustees, senior administrators and other select members of the school community:
All members of the school community including faculty, staff, students and alumni:
The public per open records law:
The public:
4) Where is information about proxy voting records made available?
(a) Information is not made available.
(b) Information is available at the investment office or similar office on campus.
(c) Information is sent to individuals upon request.
(d) Information is on the school website with password protection.
(e) Information is on the school website and is accessible to the public.
Your answers: N/A – To date we have not had a request for this information
To the school community.
Proxy voting records on environmental and social resolutions:
Proxy voting records on corporate governance matters:
To the public.
Proxy voting records on environmental and social resolutions:
Proxy voting records on corporate governance matters:
5) Please indicate what information about endowment holdings is made available to each of the groups listed under "Your answers" (select all that apply):
(a) No information is made available
(b) Asset allocation
(c) List of external managers
(d) List of mutual funds
(e) Equity holdings
(f) Fixed income holdings
(g) Real estate holdings
(h) Hedge fund holdings
(i) Private equity holdings
(j) Venture capital holdings
(k) Natural resource holdings
(l) Cash
(m) Other holdings (please specify)
(n) All holdings
Your answers:
Available to trustees and senior administrators: b, c, d, n
Available to trustees, senior administrators, and other select members of the school community: b, c, d, n
Available to all members of the school community, including faculty, staff, students, and alumni: b, c, d, n
Available to the public per open records law: b, c, d, n
Available to the public: b, c, d, n
6) Please indicate where information about endowment holdings is made available to the school community and to the public:
(a) Information is not made available.
(b) Information is available at the investment office or similar office on campus.
(c) Information is sent to individuals upon request.
(d) Information is on the school website with password protection.
(e) Information is on the school website and is accessible to the public.
Your answers:
To the school community: (e) Our holdings will be disclosed on our website.
To the public: (e) Our holdings will be disclosed on our website.
7) Is your school currently invested in any of the following areas? (Please list all that apply.)
(a) Renewable energy funds or similar investment vehicles
(b) Community development financial institutions or community development loan funds
(c) On-campus energy and/or water efficiency projects through the endowment (as an investment and not a payout)
(d) None of the above
Your answer: (a) We are invested in clean technology through a limited partnership with a venture capital firm and our investment managers have from time to time invested in companies that are involved in renewable forms of energy, most notably wind power generation. (b) We have investments with a financial institution that is involved with community development and loans, has community development as a component of their corporate culture and is the sole financial institution in 118 Alberta communities.
8) Is your school currently exploring investment in any of the following areas? (Please list all that apply.)
(a) Renewable energy funds or similar investment vehicles
(b) Community development financial institutions or community development loan funds
(c) On-campus energy and/or water efficiency projects through the endowment (as an investment and not as a payout)
(d) None of the above
Your answer: Refer to response to question 7 for more information.
9) Does your school have any investment policy provisions, or use any investment managers, that consider environmental/sustainability factors?
(a) No
(b) Yes (please describe)
(c) Currently under consideration (please describe)
Your answer: (b) and (a) While we do not have any formal policy provisions our investment managers can be described as having a long-term perspective with very low turnover and would take environmental and sustainability factors into consideration in their investment decision making process.
10) Does your school offer donors the option of directing gifts to an investment fund that considers environmental/sustainability factors?
(a) No
(b) Yes (please describe)
(c) Currently under consideration (please describe)
Your answer: (a) Not at this time
Question 11 is for informational purposes only; responses will NOT be included in the Report Card evaluation process.
11) Please provide total endowment value as of the following dates:
6/30/2008: CAD$724 million
9/30/2008: CAD$665 million
12/31/2008: CAD$606 million
3/31/2009: CAD$602 million
6/30/2009 (may be submitted separately at a later date):
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