| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.58 |
| Liaison | Mary Ellen Mallia |
| Submission Date | Jan. 15, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University at Albany
EN-14: Participation in Public Policy
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Mary Ellen
Mallia Director of Environmental Sustainability Finance and Business |
Does the institution advocate for national, state/provincial, or local public policies that support campus sustainability or that otherwise advance sustainability?:
A brief description of how the institution engages in public policy advocacy for sustainability, including the issues, legislation, and ordinances for or against which the institution has advocated:
The university participated in the formation of the Capital Region Sustainability Plan as part of the Cleaner, Greener Communities program in 2012 with our Energy Office Indu, serving on the Executive Committee and other staff members serving on the waste, land use and food technical committees. See page 2 of the report for a list of participants. http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Programs/Cleaner-Greener-Communities/Regional-Sustainability-Plans/Capital-Region
Since then, the City of Albany has formed a Sustainability Advisory Committee and Director of Sustainability Mary Ellen Mallia and Biology Professor are members of the urban agriculture sub-committee.
Currently, the Director of Sustainability Mary Ellen Mallia is on the Farm to Institution NYS leadership team which advocates on behalf of local food procurement and policies to support NYS agriculture. http://finys.hudsonvalleyfarmlandfinder.org/about
Additionally, Dr. Mallia served on the Albany County Solid Waste Commission which is in the process of finishing up recommendations for the Albany County Executive on waste reduction.
A brief description of other political positions the institution has taken during the previous three years:
As a public institution, we are discouraged from taking political stances. However, there are some issues in which the campus community rallies and provides a united stance. One such example is the recent defunding of Perkins Loan program. Our controller's office, Office of Student Financial Services, EOP and Student Association collaborated in several actions to encourage the federal government to refund the program. These actions included letters to Senators, a campus rally (see link), petitions, testifying in Washington (Maria Livolsi, Director of the Student Loan Center and President of COHEAO, Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations) and hosting a press conference by Senator Chuck Schumer. http://www.albany.edu/news/65181.php
A brief description of political donations the institution made during the previous three years (if applicable):
We are prohibited from making political donations.
The website URL where information about the institution’s advocacy 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.