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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s ongoing commitment to producing measurable outcomes and advances in sustainability has led to the University achieving a silver rating from the nation’s premier sustainability organization in higher education – two years ahead of schedule.
SIUE received a silver rating through the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS), which is a self-reporting tool for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS was developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
“I am extremely proud of Kevin Adkins (SIUE sustainability officer), Connie Frey Spurlock (SIUE’s first sustainability fellow) and everyone in the University community who has contributed to the advancement of sustainability at SIUE,” said Kenneth Neher, vice chancellor for administration.
“No one person could have raised SIUE’s performance report to silver status with STARS. It was teamwork on the behalf of our three chancellors: Vaughn Vandegrift, Julie Furst-Bowe, Stephen Hansen, and the entire SIUE community.”
The University first participated in STARS reporting in March 2013 and received a bronze rating, according to Adkins. This year, the sustainability officer submitted SIUE’s second report to STARS on Earth Day, April 22. SIUE’s Sustainability Strategic Plan had forecast for the University to have achieved silver STARS status by 2018.
“We have done a lot in the last three years,” Adkins said. “We’ve done well in all of the categories.”
Each school is graded on the following categories: academics, engagement, operations, planning, and administration and innovation.
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) membership organization that empowers higher education faculty, administrators, staff and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of more than 14,000.
Photo: Kevin Adkins, SIUE sustainability officer.