Montana State University
EN-10: Community Partnerships
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 3.00 |
Kieran
Wilder Data Coordinator Office of Sustainability |
Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability :
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? :
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe?:
Which of the following best describes the partnership?:
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? :
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability:
Former president Geoff Gamble created the Campus Sustainability Advisory Council (CSAC) to guide the university in meeting and exceeding the requirements of the University Presidents Climate Commitment while positioning Montana State University as a true leader in energy and resource management, research, education and outreach. The committee is comprised of faculty, students, administration, and community members and meets regularly throughout the year. MSU provides annual funding of $12,500 to be allocated by the council in sustainability oriented projects spanning the three pillars of sustainability.
https://www.montana.edu/csac
The MSU Campus Sustainability Advisory Council (CSAC) was created in 2008 with the following charge:
a. Provide a university framework to coordinate and advise sustainability efforts on a campus-wide basis
b. Advise the University President regarding national, regional, institutional and community-based sustainability efforts.
c. Explore and propose methods to fund campus sustainability initiatives and improvements. Review, analyze and determine funding support for sustainability proposals, including performance measures, progress reporting, etc.
d. Sponsor and guide the development of policies to increase and promote sustainability. As noted in the MSU Vision Statement: sponsor “a comprehensive Campus Sustainability/Energy Policy that includes guidelines for building energy conservation, new construction criteria, water conservation, transportation, purchasing, and recycling, with the goal of minimizing our impact on the environment and develop and implement an educational outreach program and oversee a baseline inventory of campus energy consumption, benchmarked against national and international standards, and establish meaningful timelines and goals to optimize consumption.”
e. Guide the development of a set of sustainability measures/indicators for the campus.
f. Guide the development of a communication strategy to promote, publicize and raise awareness of MSU’s sustainability efforts, benefits and successes among campus, community and statewide constituents.
g. Solicit and support the involvement of students and student organizations relative to sustainability efforts undertaken by the Council.
h. Advocate strategic planning for continued sustainability to MSU governance groups.
i. Guide coordination with the university system and state government sustainability efforts.
Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (2nd partnership):
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (2nd partnership):
Which of the following best describes the partnership’s sustainability focus? (2nd partnership):
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (2nd partnership):
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (2nd partnership):
MSU Extension is a statewide educational outreach network that applies unbiased, research-based university resources to practical needs identified by the people of Montana in their home communities. Across Montana, there are 92 agents and 32 specialists in Extension who are MSU faculty members, living and working in more than 60 offices and communities statewide. These professionals serve in their local communities and counties, responding to emerging needs of families, producers, businesses and industry.
http://aboutus.msuextension.org/
Name of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
Does the institution provide financial or material support for the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Which of the following best describes the partnership timeframe? (3rd partnership):
Which of the following best describes the partnership? (3rd partnership):
Are underrepresented groups and/or vulnerable populations engaged as equal partners? (3rd partnership):
A brief description of the institution’s formal community partnership to advance sustainability (3rd partnership):
Streamline Bus Service is a program of the Bozeman Human Resources Development Council that is funded and guided in partnership with MSU, the City of Bozeman, Skyline, Bozeman Deaconess, and community stakeholders including representatives and advocates of vulnerable and underrepresented populations such as the elderly and disabled communities. MSU provides annual funding through student fees that help to maintain Streamline as a fare-free service for the community at large. MSU also provides resources and labor to help promote and manage programs of Streamline, including the Latenight Service available during weekends to provide safe transportation from downtown during weekends. Streamline reduces single-occupant drivers, provides a fare-free transportation option to the community, and extends access to Bozeman's resources. In April of 2021, the MSU student body voted to approve an increase in the student activity fee which will expand Streamline services and add another bus route.
https://streamlinebus.com/
A brief description of the institution’s other community partnerships to advance sustainability:
Kristin Blackler, the Director of the MSU Office of Sustainability serves on the Bozeman Sustainability Advisory Board. This position provides and opportunity to formally liaison with the City of Bozeman on sustainability programs and initiatives.
MSU has partnered with the City of Bozeman and Northwestern Energy to create the Bozeman Solar Project. “This project will be able to evaluate long-term sustainable models for the integration of renewable energy while providing the City of Bozeman with data to better understand how they can meet their community climate action plan”. MSU has utilized this project to develop senior design capstone projects associated with these solar pilot projects.
Website URL where information about the institution’s community partnerships to advance sustainability is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
In FY22 the Campus Sustainability Advisory Council became the Campus Sustainability Advisory Committee.
In FY22 the Campus Sustainability Advisory Council became the Campus Sustainability Advisory Committee.
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.