| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 83.12 |
| Liaison | Patrick McKee |
| Submission Date | Nov. 16, 2023 |
University of Connecticut
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Patrick
McKee Senior Sustainability Program Manager Office of Sustainability |
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):
- AASHE: Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
- Second Nature and President’s Carbon Commitment (formerly ACUPCC)
- Second Nature University Climate Change Coalition (UC3)
- Tree Campus USA
- Bee Campus USA
- UN's Annual Climate Summit & Conference of the Parties (UN Observer Organization) (Attended COP21, 22, 23, 24, 25 ,26, 27)
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):
- CT Regional Climate and Stormwater Corps
- Joshua's Trust (Eastern CT land trust)
- CT Chapter, Sierra Club
- CT Audubon Society
- NECSC: Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium
- Connecticut Institute for Resilience & Climate Adaptation (CIRCA)
- Connecticut GreenerGov Steering Committee (CT Governor's initiative)
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):
Professor Mark Urban and undergraduate student Sydney Collins participated on a panel presentation focused on the role of higher education in addressing climate justice at the UN COP27 conference in Sharm El Sheikh Egypt in 2022.
UConn Law Earth Day Conference (April 22, 2022) - Agenda: https://circa.uconn.edu/april2022summit/
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):
The University of Connecticut annually submits a case study that is representative of its multiple campuses to the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking system. Data on a variety of topics, such as setting and infrastructure, energy and climate change, waste, water, transportation and education is submitted and scored against more than 900 other universities worldwide. For this case study, evidence of renewable energy production, green building implementation, organic and inorganic waste treatment, environment/sustainability focused courses offered, and more was gathered to show a comprehensive look at UConn’s efforts towards sustainability. After submission of the case study, UConn was globally ranked #8.
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):
- Jim O'Donnell, Prof. of Marine Sciences, is the executive director of CIRCA (Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation)
- UConn EPAC: Environmental Policy Advisory Council has several professors, staff members, and students from UConn on its board
- Connecticut GreenerGov Steering Committee on State Sustainability, Michael Jednak and Patrick McKeer serve as UConn's Senior Sustainability Officers
- Manchester CT Sustainability Commission - Sr. Sustainability Program Manager serves as a commissioner
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:
Sr. Sustainability Program Manager Patrick McKee maintains a mentorship relationship with Eastern Kentucky University, where he formerly served as Sustainability Manager. He has advised their new Sustainability Manager on topics such as recycling best practices and outreach and engagement initiatives, as well as opportunities for improving EKU's STARS rating.
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:
UConn’s Office of Sustainability employs student interns that conduct gap analyses for various surveys the university participates in annually. The gap analysis process includes reviewing data, initiatives, and programs from top-performing schools and determining how those fields compare with UConn’s efforts towards sustainability. If there are questions about data, initiatives or programs, student interns will contact the sustainability offices of the respective schools for more information and tips on how to implement them at UConn. This dialogue has resulted in good information exchanges and UConn interns have served as mentors for their peers at other institutions about some of UConn's best practices and exemplary programs. For example, OS interns have advised student peersfrom U. of Cincinnati about how to implement an EcoMadness energy and water competition in the dorms.
A brief description of other inter-campus collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year :
In 2021 and 2022, UConn's Office of Sustainability partnered with Southern CT State University in coordinating statewide participation in the Solve Climate by 2030 initiative, a global effort to educate students on challenges and solutions to climate and justice related issues comprising more than 1,000 Colleges, Universities, and K-12 schools from around the world.
This program has helped to enhance visibility on climate justice related issues and solutions within the state and has been attended by approximately 200 people despite logistical challenges associated with the COVID pandemic. The two events continue to reach students and community members as over 550 individuals have viewed the recordings of the webinars made available on YouTube since.
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.