| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 70.14 |
| Liaison | Lindsey Kalkbrenner |
| Submission Date | May 3, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Santa Clara University
PA-14: Sustainable Investment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.76 / 4.00 |
John
Kerrigan Chief Investment Officer Administration and Finance |
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) | 11,000,000 US/Canadian $ |
| Green revolving loan funds that are funded from the endowment | 0 US/Canadian $ |
A brief description of the companies, funds, and/or institutions referenced above:
Does the institution have a publicly available sustainable investment policy?:
A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
The sustainable investment policy:
None, although information is available at the investment office at the request of various University stakeholders
Does the institution use its sustainable investment policy to select and guide investment managers?:
A brief description of how the policy is applied, including recent examples:
The Socially Responsible Investing guidelines are provided by staff to the Fund investment managers, who are requested to invest according to these principles. It is recognized that the implementation of these guidelines may not be possible in certain asset classes that are important to the Fund’s investment strategy. These cases typically involve partnerships, mutual funds or commingled funds which do not allow for social screening.
Does the institution's sustainable investment policy include negative screens?:
A brief description of the negative screens and how they have been implemented:
General guiding principles for investing: avoid companies whose primary products are directly destructive of human life (e.g. abortion, euthanasia); avoid companies involved with governments involved in gross human rights abuses; avoid companies which consistently practice racial, ethnic, religious or gender discrimination; avoid companies whose primary business is nuclear weapons research, production, deployment and servicing; avoid companies who have been repeatedly cited for gross ecological violations.
Guided by the values associated with its mission, Santa Clara University invests its resources in institutions that are, at one and the same time, consistent with the "prudent person" principle, capable of generating a rate of return consistent with the University's Investment Policies statement, and socially responsible in their policies and practices. Socially responsible investments should positively contribute to the common good and be guided by the traditional Catholic ethical considerations. Balancing the consistent-life ethical principles and the "prudent person" principle will require judgment on the part of the Investment Office, the Investment Committee and each money manager. There are a variety of guiding principles (e.g. sacredness of life, human rights, non discrimination, no nuclear weapons, and environmental criteria).
Approximate percentage of the endowment that the negative screens apply to:
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 engage in policy advocacy by participating in investor networks and/or engaging in inter-organizational collaborations to share best practices?:
A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:
The website URL where information about the institution's sustainable investment efforts is available:
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.