| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.35 |
| Liaison | Andrew Porter |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2023 |
University of Cincinnati
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 3.00 |
Alex
Roman Gonzalez Sustianability Coordinator PDC |
Is the institution currently a member of a national or international higher education sustainability network?:
The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):
Second Nature Climate Leadership Network
Does the institution actively participate in a regional, state/provincial, or local higher education sustainability network?:
The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):
UC's Sustainability Coordinator is part of the Ohio Higher Ed Sustainability Professionals and meets with them annually. She is also part of the Green Partnership for Greater Cincinnati--which also includes Cincinnati State. See http://www.green-cincinnati.org/. The Cincinnati 2030 district, which includes UC, also includes neighboring universities Xavier University, and Northern Kentucky University.
Has the institution presented at a higher education sustainability conference during the previous year?:
A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):
Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to an external higher education sustainability resource center or awards program?:
A list or brief description of the sustainability resource center or awards program and submission(s):
UC submitted a case study of its efforts to become a Bicycle Friendly University to the AASHE Resource Hub in early 2023. As part of our commitment with the environment, our community and as a Bicycle Friendly University, we have expanded our bike fleet in order to keep up with the high demand at our bike kitchen. This expansion also reiterates our commitment with the Bicycle Friendly University program, which recognizes institutions of higher education for promoting and providing a more bikeable campus for students, staff, and visitors.
The University of Cincinnati began evaluating its biking infrastructure in contemplation to apply for the Bike friendly University recognition in 2010. This included looking at the University's bicycle accommodation policy, collecting data on automobile and bike parking infrastructure, the shuttle systems, and more. In 2011 UC applied and was given an honorable mention, showing that it has room for improvement. From then, the university worked hard to increase its bike infrastructure, including adding more bikes to the bike share fleet and adding pedestrian only walkways to move up to the bronze level in 2018, and silver level in 2022. Since then, we have been working hard in order to update and expand our bike fleet, including helmets and u-locks that we provide with the free rentals. In January of 2023 the Sustainability Office purchase 25 new Trek hybrid bikes as a response to the high rental demand in the bike kitchen--more than 100 students were in the waitlist during Fall 2022. The plan is to keep purchasing new bikes each academic year and keep collaborating with the city of Cincinnati to also expand and improve the bike infrastructure around campus.
Has the institution had employees or students serving on a board or committee of a sustainability network or conference during the previous three years?:
A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):
Does the institution have an ongoing mentoring relationship with another institution through which it assists the institution with its sustainability reporting and/or the development of its sustainability program?:
A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:
UC's Sustainability Coordinator is only responsible for programs on the UC Uptown Campus; UC Clermont is a satellite campus in the broader UC system that operates independently of the Uptown Campus. However, in the interest of supporting sustainability in the UC system and in higher ed more broadly, UC's Sustainability Coordinator serves as a volunteer member on the UC Clermont Sustainability Committee. In this capacity she shares "lessons learned" and perspective based on the programs run on the UC Uptown campus. She has helped support implementation of new programs at UC Clermont (e.g. a pollinator garden) and new collaborations with existing programs at UC Uptown Campus.
Has the institution had employees or students serving as peer reviewers of another institution’s sustainability data and/or STARS submission during the previous three years?:
A brief description of the peer review activities:
A brief description of other inter-campus collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year :
UC is part of an informal network of colleges and universities in Ohio that meets bi-annually, once in Ohio at one of the institutions and once at the annual AASHE conference, and shares best practices regularly through email exchange and group calls.
Website URL where information about the institution’s inter-campus collaborations 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.