Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.64
Liaison Beth Klein
Submission Date April 23, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

State University of New York at Cortland
PA-14: Sustainable Investment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.33 / 4.00 Beth Klein
Campus Sustainability Coordinato
Early Childhood Education
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total value of the investment pool:
35,500,000 US/Canadian $

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 loan funds that are funded from the endowment 0 US/Canadian $

A brief description of the companies, funds, and/or institutions referenced above:

The Campus and the Foundation are working towards an agreement and developing a policy of transparency for sharing more information of the companies, funds, and management institutions.


Does the institution have a publicly available sustainable investment policy?:
Yes

A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
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The sustainable investment policy:

The guiding Investment Policy Statement provides a basis for the CIR to function in relation to social and environmental concerns. It is the Committee's desire that no funds be directly invested in the securities of any company primarily engaged in the production of alcoholic beverages or tobacco products. The Investment Manager will note the restriction to all sub-advisors. However, if a pooled vehicle, such as a mutual fund, is purchased for the Foundation, it is the Committee's understanding that the social responsibility policy may not applied.


Does the institution use its sustainable investment policy to select and guide investment managers?:
Yes

A brief description of how the policy is applied, including recent examples:

The guiding Investment Policy Statement provides a basis for the CIR to function in relation to social and environmental concerns. It is the Committee's desire that no funds be directly invested in the securities of any company primarily engaged in the production of alcoholic beverages or tobacco products. The Investment Manager will note the restriction to all sub-advisors. However, if a pooled vehicle, such as a mutual fund, is purchased for the Foundation, it is the Committee's understanding that the social responsibility policy may not applied.


Does the institution's sustainable investment policy include negative screens?:
Yes

A brief description of the negative screens and how they have been implemented:

The negative screen for our investment policy is that no funds are directly invested in the securities of any company primarily engaged in the production of alcoholic beverages or tobacco products. This negative screen is implemented by having the Investment Manager note the restriction to all sub-advisors. However, if a pooled vehicle, such as a mutual fund, is purchased for the Foundation, it is the CIR’s understanding that the negative screen may not be applied.

+ Date Revised: Nov. 6, 2015

Approximate percentage of the endowment that the negative screens apply to:
70

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?:
No

A copy of the proxy voting guidelines or proxy record:
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A brief description of how managers are adhering to proxy voting guidelines:
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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?:
No

Examples of how the institution has engaged with corporations in its portfolio about sustainability issues during the previous three years:
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Does the institution engage in policy advocacy by participating in investor networks and/or engaging in inter-organizational collaborations to share best practices?:
Yes

A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:

SUNY-wide endowments are managed by the institutionally related foundations. The financial managers / directors of these organization relate and communicate through a list-serve provided by the SUNY system. The group meets annually to discuss best practices and address current industry challenges.


The website URL where information about the institution's sustainable investment efforts is available:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.