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Dartmouth has received a grade of A- for its efforts in endowment
transparency and sustainability, a term that refers to environmentally sound
activities. The grade was bestowed by the Sustainable Endowments
Institute, a Cambridge, Mass., organization involved in research and
education on the sustainability of higher education endowments. The A- grade,
the highest awarded, puts Dartmouth in the College Sustainability Leaders
category with Harvard University, Stanford University, and Williams
College.
On the Sustainability Report Card, Dartmouth received good grades for embracing
the tenets of "green" building for all new facilities, like the new
McLaughlin Cluster of residence halls. (Photo by Joseph Mehling '69)
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The institute issued a report card on Jan. 24 grading 100 colleges and
universities in the United States and Canada. The schools chosen have the
largest endowment funds in their respective countries.
The grades were based on how institutions manage their resources-both campus
facilities and endowments-with an eye toward sustainable issues like energy
efficiency, international trade, global poverty, and food safety. Dartmouth
received an A in five of the seven categories: administration, food and
recycling, green building, endowment transparency, and shareholder engagement.
The category concerning climate change and energy earned a B grade, and
investment priorities received a C.
The report card specifically highlighted Dartmouth's efforts to buy locally
grown food to serve in campus dining facilities and the new waste-free dining
option for students. Dartmouth's Advisory
Committee on Investor Responsibility was also featured as a good way to
engage and inform the Dartmouth community about investments.
"Their categories were interesting," says James Merkel,
Dartmouth's sustainability director. "Areas like recycling, green
building, and energy are all places where campuses can make a difference and
instill lifelong sustainability practices. These also reflect areas that
students feel are important and empowered to contribute to."
David
Russ, Dartmouth's chief investment officer, was pleased with the grades,
especially in endowment transparency and shareholder engagement. Dartmouth
received a C for investment priorities, which includes investing in renewable
energy funds and community development loan funds. Russ explained that the
College weighed the benefits of investing in these areas against maximizing the
value of the endowment. "We're also exploring some alternative energy
funds," he says.
Read the full
report.
By SUSAN KNAPP
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