| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.66 |
| Liaison | Megan Litke |
| Submission Date | March 5, 2021 |
American University
PA-10: Sustainable Investment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.33 / 4.00 |
Courtney
Stoner Sustainability Analyst Office of Sustainability |
Total value of the investment pool:
Value of holdings in each of the following categories:
| Value of holdings | |
| Sustainable industries (e.g., renewable energy or sustainable forestry) | 0 US/Canadian $ |
| Businesses selected for exemplary sustainability performance (e.g., using criteria specified in a sustainable investment policy) | 0 US/Canadian $ |
| Sustainability investment funds (e.g., a renewable energy or impact investment fund) | 0 US/Canadian $ |
| Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) or the equivalent | 0 US/Canadian $ |
| Socially responsible mutual funds with positive screens (or the equivalent) | 0 US/Canadian $ |
| Green revolving funds funded from the endowment | 0 US/Canadian $ |
A brief description of the companies, funds, and/or institutions referenced above:
Percentage of the institution's investment pool in positive sustainability investments:
Does the institution have a publicly available sustainable investment policy?:
A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
The sustainable investment policy:
Does the institution use its sustainable investment policy to select and guide investment managers?:
A brief description of how the sustainable investment policy is applied:
Has the institution engaged in proxy voting, either by its CIR or other committee or through the use of guidelines, to promote sustainability during the previous three years?:
A copy of the proxy voting guidelines or proxy record:
A brief description of how managers are adhering to proxy voting guidelines:
Has the institution filed or co-filed one or more shareholder resolutions that address sustainability or submitted one or more letters about social or environmental responsibility to a company in which it holds investments during the previous three years?:
Examples of how the institution has engaged with corporations in its portfolio about sustainability issues during the previous three years:
Does the institution participate in a public divestment effort and/or have a publicly available investment policy with negative screens?:
A brief description of the divestment effort or negative screens and how they have been implemented:
American University has divested all of its public fossil fuel investments from its endowment. While AU had no direct investments in fossil fuel funds for several years prior to the announcement, the Board of Trustees eliminated the remaining $12.9 million of fossil fuel exposure within the public endowment portfolio. This action was executed through the sale of $350 million in commingled and index funds, with the proceeds reinvested in investments that do not include any fossil fuel holdings.
The board and university leadership have actively considered issues related to fossil fuel investments since 2014, when they established a Fossil Free Investment Fund within the university’s endowment. And over the last couple of years, AU has been carefully divesting its public endowment portfolio. Removing investments in fossil fuels required that the university ensure that any new investment vehicles had comparable performance and fees (if not lower fees) to those of the prior fossil fuel investments. AU currently has no Carbon 200 companies in its private investment portfolio but may at some point have small and short-lived positions. Active managers are instructed to exclude Carbon 200 funds.
Making these changes allows the university to fulfill its commitment to students, who are passionate and effective advocates for sustainability, and the entire AU community. Read the full divestment announcement at https://www.american.edu/media/news/20200422-divestment.cfm
Approximate percentage of endowment that the divestment effort and/or negative screens apply to:
Does the institution engage in policy advocacy by participating in investor networks and/or engage in inter-organizational collaborations to share best practices?:
A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable investment efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.