1. Assessment Earning a silver rating for our 2018 Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) report established a comprehensive baseline of the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability at St. Thomas. The university's complete STARS report is available online at link.stthomas.edu/stars . 2. Community Engagement Fall 2018: President Sullivan launched the community engagement process by inviting all students, faculty, staff and alumni to share their vision for sustainability on an interactive, digital idea wall, which received over 1,200 unique visitors over two months. In addition, students and faculty in four different courses conducted research projects, which included focus groups and surveys, to identify concepts for the university’s sustainability vision. January 2019: The university convened a cross-functional group of nearly 60 students, faculty and staff for a workshop to reflect upon the community input and refine our sustainability vision. 3. Work Groups November 2018 – March 2019: Work groups of students, faculty and staff met to discuss the results of the community engagement process. To develop concrete goals and action steps for the sustainability strategic plan, they focused on the nine areas below: The university’s Sustainability Council guided four major phases of work that informed the development of this plan. OuR PROCESS
Student Engagement
Food and Dining
Facilities Management
Employee Engagement
Academics
Mission
Investment
Transportation Procurement
4. Review and Approval Spring 2019: University leadership reviewed and approved their unit's proposed goals and actions for the sustainability strategic plan. The President's Cabinet also had the opportunity to review the final draft of the plan. The plan takes effect in fiscal year 2020 and will guide the university's sustainability work through fiscal year 2024, ending on June 30. The university's Sustainability Council will periodically review progress and consider updates to the plan over the course of the five-year implementation period.
1,200 students, faculty, staff and alumni contributed to a digital “idea wall” on campus sustainability.
14
15
Powered by FlippingBook