Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 66.75
Liaison Victor Udo
Submission Date Nov. 18, 2022

STARS v2.2

Bucknell University
PA-9: Committee on Investor Responsibility

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.00 / 2.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a formally established and active committee on investor responsibility (CIR) or equivalent body?:
Yes

The charter or mission statement of the CIR or other body which reflects social and environmental concerns or a brief description of how the CIR is tasked to address social and environmental concerns:

The role of the sub-Committee is to codify a consistent understanding of how we will continue to incorporate as well as communicate our approach to pursuing sustainable investments and analysis of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risk factors in our endowment portfolio. The sub-Committee further reviews and recommends investment into sustainable funds to the broader Investment Committee.


Does the CIR include academic staff representation?:
No

Does the CIR include non-academic staff representation?:
No

Does the CIR include student representation?:
No

Members of the CIR, including affiliations and role:

The Investment Committee (IC) comprised of members of the Board of Trustees, plays an active fiduciary role in the investment management of the Endowment. The IC evaluates and recommends improvements to the Investment Policy and Operating Guidelines including the formulation and approval of strategic allocation, investment manager assessment, and guidelines. The IC maintains the adopted ESG Investment Framework and oversees the efforts of the ESG sub-committee, Investment Advisors, and Investment Office in the implementation of the ESG Framework.

ESG Sub-committee executes and oversees the ESG Investment Framework, establishes ESG investment plans, considers the pipeline of investment ideas and themes, and recommends investments to the full Investment Committee for approval consideration.

Investment Advisor(s) conduct investment due diligence, formulate ESG and impact investment recommendations, and collaborate with the Investment Office on ESG investment reporting.

Investment Office conducts investment due diligence and formulates recommendations for ESG and impact-focused investments. The Investment Office further manages the communications and structure of periodic meetings amongst all parties and collaborates with the Investment Advisor on ESG investment reporting.


Examples of CIR actions during the previous three years:

1.2020- Established ESG sub-committee of the Investment Committee. The scope of the committees is as follows:

• Review of sustainable investment themes and new sustainable investment opportunities
• Review and oversight of our approach and process for integrating analysis of ESG risks into investment and portfolio risk analysis
• Review of shareholder engagement / active ownership steps we might pursue including proxy voting policies and procedures
• Review of joining and/or becoming signatories to any third party groups (example: PRI)
• Identification of communication plans, engagement approaches, and/or opportunities to collaborate with University constituents including faculty, staff, students, and alumni

2.2021 - Adopted ESG Investment Framework - The purpose of the investment framework is to define ESG for the Endowment, the role it will play, how it will be incorporated and measured within the investment strategy, and the delineation of responsibilities for those with oversight.

3. Prudent allocation of capital to ESG strategies across the portfolio establishing six new investment managers, retaining one manager, and reviewing four additional investment managers all providing sustainable funds with strategies focused within the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

4.2022 - Established a new private equity manager relationship with a firm that has a long-standing ESG/Sustainable investment platform. In addition to its investment mandate, the firm will provide guidance and perspectives on its experiences and ESG implementation strategies.


Website URL where information about the institution’s committee on investor responsibility 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.