The University of Texas at Dallas
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

UTD's Strategic Plan Theme 2 Initiative 6: Develop majors in emerging fields that prepare students for 21st-century employment.
UT System 169 Sustainable Practices Sec. 15 Curricula Integration
The institutions will strive for excellence in sustainability education by integrating sustainability concepts into curricula, increasing faculty and student awareness of sustainability issues, and producing graduates who will carry the mission of sustainability into the state, the nation, and the world.

UT System 169 Sustainable Practices
Sec. 14 Sustainability Awareness and Training
Each institution will incorporate its policy on sustainability into applicable existing training programs.
Sec. 17 Student Involvement
U. T. System will support student participation in sustainability decision making, including the Sustainability Steering Committee. Each institution will support student volunteer programs to increase environmental awareness.
Sec. 18 Community Outreach
Institutions will share with outside communities the knowledge generated from sustainability research, education, and practices, with the goal of promoting a global culture of sustainability.

UT Dallas Strategic Plan Theme 9 Supporting Initiative 4: Ensure a sustainable future for the campus and the environment

The UT Dallas Strategic Plan addresses sustainability in operations in Theme 9: “The University will continue to embrace sustainability through resource conservation, composting, care of the natural environment, and recycling. As the campus grows, UT Dallas will pursue additional measures to minimize its environmental footprint.” and Goal 7: “The University of Texas at Dallas aspires to be a responsible global citizen that enthusiastically attends to our duty to create a sustainable environment.”

UT System 169 Sustainability Practices

Sec. 7 Energy and Water Efficiency Practices
Each institution will update Energy and Water Management Plans to reflect energy consumption reduction goals as of FY 2011 over the baseline levels established by the Energy Utility Task Force in 2001. The institutions will report annual progress on their Energy and Water Management Plans by means of the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) template. Any new capital or major renovation project will apply, as a minimum, the energy efficiency design and construction principles of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 90.1 or the International Energy Conservation Code as established by SECO. The institution planning and design process will include consideration of life cycle cost along with other factors in the project planning and design process, recognizing the importance of long-term operations, maintenance, total cost of ownership of U. T. System facilities, budgetary constraints, and programmatic requirements. A measurement and verification plan will be prepared prior to the completion of construction of a new building or major renovation, directed toward establishing an energy service consumption baseline during the first 12 months of occupancy. Subsequent energy consumption audits every three years will document 20% variances to the baseline levels. Institutions will require rainwater and gray water harvesting systems for non-potable use for new buildings where practical and within program budgets.Resource Efficiency: Provide functional, adaptable, and sustainable building and site designs that use water, energy, and material resources effectively and efficiently.

Sec. 8 Alternative Energy Practices
With a goal of reducing U. T. System’s nonrenewable energy consumption, each institution will evaluate alternative energy designs for new major capital projects.

Sec. 11 Waste and Recycling Management
Each institution will record and monitor annual waste and recycling quantities, implement procedures to reduce campus waste, and set a goal to increase campus recycling each year.

Sec. 13 High Performance Buildings
Each institution will strive to achieve a high performance building comparable to a U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Certified rating or higher whenever possible, excluding laboratory and acute care and patient care facilities, within the constraints of program needs and budget parameters. U. T. System recognizes and commends the early leadership and accomplishments of LEED® as a green building certification program; however, that certification currently comes with a significant cost in documentation. Therefore, U. T. System strives for a high-performance building standard comparable to LEED® for new major capital projects. Money for certification documentation is better spent obtaining more energy-efficient building systems. Further study will be conducted before similar sustainable design policies for laboratory and acute care and/or patient care facilities are adopted.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
UT Dallas Strategic Plan Goal 2: An institution that affirms public trust in higher education through intentional efforts to promote access and ensure equity in the educational experience.
UT Dallas Strategic Plan Quantitative Target 4: Increase the number of first-time-in-college freshmen from 3,177 to 3,900.
UT Dallas Strategic Plan Theme 1 Supporting Initiative 2: Improve the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students.
UT Dallas Strategic Plan Theme 1 Supporting Initiative 6: Recruit women and members of underrepresented groups for faculty, staff, and administrative positions.
UT Dallas Strategic Plan Theme 1 Supporting Initiative 7: Ensure current hiring and recruitment practices are sustainable and aligned with the principles of DEI to hire and retain a diverse faculty, staff, and administration.
UT Dallas Strategic Plan Theme 1 Supporting Initiative 8: Provide all search committees the necessary DEI training prior to commencing the job search.
UT Dallas Strategic Plan Theme 2 Supporting Initiative 12: Enhance support for programs and departments that provide services supporting first-generation and underrepresented students to foster collaboration and build community for student success.
UT Dallas Strategic Plan Theme 5 Supporting Initiative 1: Increase the number and diversity of research-active faculty
UT Dallas Strategic Plan Theme 5 Supporting Initiative 4: Increase the number and diversity of doctoral students
UT Dallas Strategic Plan Theme 10: Foster Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (all supporting initiatives)

Sustainable Investment/Finance
UTS 169 Sustainability Practices
Sec. 16 Endowment Transparency
The University of Texas / Texas A&M Investment Management Company shall disclose to the public information as required pursuant to Section 552.0225 of the Texas Government Code regarding “Right of Access to Investment Information” (private investment information) and the Texas Public Information Act.

Wellbeing
UT Dallas Strategic Plan Goal Theme 9: Ensure a Sustainable, Rewarding Campus Environment
Supporting Initiative 1: Enhance employees’ work environment and sense of belonging
Supporting Initiative 2: Ensure that the work environment is in harmony with other obligations of life

Vision and Goals
At UT Dallas, our vision is to be one of the nation’s best public research universities and one of the great universities of the world. We are ideally positioned to accomplish this goal as a global leader in innovative, high-quality science, business, and engineering education and research.
As president, every decision I make is intended to further this vision and to support UT Dallas’ mission to produce graduates prepared for life, work and leadership; to advance our educational and research programs; and to transform ideas into actions that benefit the citizens of Texas.
UT Dallas’ exponential growth has put us on a trajectory to achieve several key goals that will also help us to fulfill our greater vision.
We aspire to be:
A top-tier public research university with collaborative centers of excellence, prepared to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing, technology-driven global society.
An institution that affirms public trust in higher education through intentional efforts to promote access and ensure equity in the educational experience.
A force in innovative, transdisciplinary research and education in emerging areas of technology, science and learning.
A groundbreaking leader in both framing and answering the questions faced by business, policymakers, health care and the public.
A synergistic partner with local industry, government and cultural organizations as well as local K-12 schools, community colleges and universities.
A community where students and professionals are engaged with one another so that our graduates understand what it means to live, work and thrive in a diverse national and global society.
A responsible global citizen that enthusiastically attends to our duty to create a sustainable environment.
One of the most creative and innovative universities in the world.
UT Dallas can achieve these goals because we are a young, agile university located in one of the nation’s largest, most vibrant metropolitan areas. Our talented students and faculty have the benefit of many innovative programs, and they are surrounded by businesses that have a track record of collaboration with the University. We are also backed by the strength and reputation of The University of Texas System, and we enjoy collaboration opportunities with our nearby sister organizations, UT Southwestern Medical Center and UT Arlington.
This combination of focus, youth, quality, location and collaboration makes UT Dallas an ideal candidate to evolve from a small, young, very good university into a nationally pre-eminent, top-tier research university — an asset that the Dallas area urgently needs.
https://president.utdallas.edu/vision-and-goals/

Mission Statement
The Office of Sustainability’s mission is to engage the UT Dallas community as a catalyst and champion for environmental stewardship and social responsibility while fostering a culture of sustainability that permeates all aspects of the campus experience. We believe that sustainability is a collaborative, interdisciplinary field to which all members of the UT Dallas community contribute. The Office of Sustainability collaborates with stakeholders across the university to facilitate the integration of sustainability principles and practices into operations, academics, research, student engagement, and administration. We strive to exemplify sustainability leadership as we contribute to the education of the next generation of leaders. The Office of Sustainability utilizes United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to connect students’ education to transdisciplinary application in order to create a more sustainable world.

The University of Texas at Dallas is pleased to co-found and co-lead the North Texas Regional Centre for Expertise for Education onSustainable Development as designated by the United Nations University’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Sustainability.
UT Dallas is a member of Air North Texas, a regional public awareness campaign and partnership that seeks to improve air quality in North Texas.
UT Dallas is also a member of the Texas Regional Alliance for Campus Sustainability (TRACS). Since 2008, TRACS has facilitated events and collaborations to forward campus greenhouse gas emissions reductions and sustainability initiatives, including the Annual TRACS Summit hosted by a different participating college or university each year.

The campus master plan is included as a sustainability plan above because of the emphasis on sustainability that is included in the plan. The Campus Master plan also calls for a sustainability master plan, which is currently being planned.