| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 80.84 |
| Liaison | Alex Davis |
| Submission Date | Feb. 27, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Arizona State University
PA-9: Sustainable Investment
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.26 / 4.00 |
Corey
Hawkey Assistant Director University Sustainability Practices |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Option 1: Positive Sustainability Investment
Yes
Total value of the investment pool:
630,291,184
US/Canadian $
Value of holdings in each of the following categories:
| Value of Holdings | |
| Sustainable industries (e.g. renewable energy or sustainable forestry) | --- |
| Businesses selected for exemplary sustainability performance (e.g. using criteria specified in a sustainable investment policy) | 85,089,310 US/Canadian $ |
| Sustainability investment funds (e.g. a renewable energy or impact investment fund) | --- |
| Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) or the equivalent | --- |
| Socially responsible mutual funds with positive screens (or the equivalent) | 2,082,161 US/Canadian $ |
| Green revolving loan funds that are funded from the endowment | --- |
If any of the above is greater than zero, provide:
The ASU Foundation invests 13.5 percent of its Long Term Investment Pool in stocks from the Dow Jones World Sustainability Index. Additionally, the ASU Foundation invests directly in a socially responsible mutual fund.
Percentage of the institution's investment pool in positive sustainability investments:
13.83
Option 2: Investor Engagement
Yes
Sustainable Investment Policy
Yes
None
A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
None
The sustainable investment policy:
Socially Responsible Investing and the ASU Foundation
The ASU Foundation aligns itself with the university’s long-standing reputation and mission to serve as a national model for commitment to sustainability and environmentally responsible practices. The Foundation’s investment committee has proactively investigated and deliberated on the topic of SRI for many years.
The ASU Foundation and the university it serves are committed to taking a leadership role in addressing issues that pose a threat to our global community. Climate change and broader sustainability concerns represent significant risks and opportunities to investment portfolios and the ASU Foundation will continue to actively investigate strategies that best serve all needs.
The ASU Foundation’s attention to SRI resonates beyond the board room: in January 2015, the Foundation partnered with the Intentional Endowments Network to host the Intentionally Designed Endowment Forum: Aligning Investment Portfolios with Institutional Mission, Values, and Sustainability Goals. Recognizing the increasing importance of this topic to students, faculty, donors, and other stakeholders, the foundation and its partner convened more than 100 higher education presidents, business officers, trustees, endowment portfolio managers, private foundation officers, and others in an unprecedented forum to address how endowments can be positioned to support higher education in creating a more just, healthy, and sustainable society.
In keeping with the ASU Foundation’s mission to support the success of Arizona State University, endowment returns support a wide range of ASU’s programs, scholarships, and research, including the innumerable activities that reflect ASU's university-wide commitment to sustainability and environmentally responsible topics. Further, the foundation seeks philanthropic partners to join us in this arena, most notably Julie Ann Wrigley, whose $50 million in gifts helped create the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability.
Note:
The ASU Foundation offers donors an ESG (environmental, social, governance) investment pool in addition to its diversified long-term investment pool.
None
Does the institution use its sustainable investment policy to select and guide investment managers?:
Yes
None
A brief description of how the policy is applied, including recent examples:
Foundation selected an ESG investment manager and funded the investment in November 2015.
Proxy Voting
Yes
None
A copy of the proxy voting guidelines or proxy record:
---
None
A brief description of how managers are adhering to proxy voting guidelines:
Individual managers vote the proxies on the Foundation's behalf
Shareholder Resolutions
No
None
Examples of how the institution has engaged with corporations in its portfolio about sustainability issues during the previous three years:
---
Negative Screens / Divestment Efforts
No
None
A brief description of the negative screens and how they have been implemented:
---
None
Approximate percentage of the endowment that the negative screens apply to:
---
Investor Networks
Yes
None
A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:
ASU Foundation, along with ASU, are founding members of Intentional Endowments Network. A staff member or Committee member attends at least one IEN conference per year. Additionally, ASU Foundation hosted the Intentionally Designed Endowment Forum at ASU in January 2015. Additionally, ASUF's CEO was a stakeholder in the 'Fiduciary Duty in the 21st Century' whitepaper.
Optional Fields
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Lisa Jacobson
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.