Overall Rating Platinum - expired
Overall Score 85.56
Liaison Tonie Miyamoto
Submission Date Feb. 7, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Colorado State University
PA-9: Sustainable Investment

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.91 / 4.00 Tonie Miyamoto
Director of Communications and Sustainability
Housing and Dining Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Option 1: Positive Sustainability Investment 

Does the institution wish to pursue Option 1 (positive sustainability investment)?:
Yes

Total value of the investment pool:
383,614,125.93 US/Canadian $

Value of holdings in each of the following categories:
Value of Holdings
Sustainable industries (e.g. renewable energy or sustainable forestry) 0 US/Canadian $
Businesses selected for exemplary sustainability performance (e.g. using criteria specified in a sustainable investment policy) 0 US/Canadian $
Sustainability investment funds (e.g. a renewable energy or impact investment fund) 14,171,596.29 US/Canadian $
Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) or the equivalent 0 US/Canadian $
Socially responsible mutual funds with positive screens (or the equivalent) 0 US/Canadian $
Green revolving loan funds that are funded from the endowment 0 US/Canadian $

If any of the above is greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the companies, funds, and/or institutions referenced above:
Colorado State University Foundation invests with third-party, external investment managers who manage portfolios of securities and companies. Through its external investment managers, Colorado State University Foundation has investment in renewable energy (wind turbine, solar panels), energy recycling, engineering services for alternative energy installations and other environmentally responsible investments. Also, Colorado State University Foundation chooses third-party investment managers who regularly monitor, address, train and seek to improve ESG (environmental, social and governance) developments within their portfolio.

Percentage of the institution's investment pool in positive sustainability investments:
3.69

Option 2: Investor Engagement 

Does the institution wish to pursue Option 2 (investor engagement)?:
Yes

Sustainable Investment Policy 

Does the institution have a publicly available sustainable investment policy?:
Yes

None
A copy of the sustainable investment policy:
PA9_CSU Socially Responsible Investment Policy_2.pdf

None
The sustainable investment policy:
The Board of Directors of Colorado State University Foundation has adopted an Investment Policy (attached above) that addresses socially responsible investing. Such policy recognizes the existence of social and environmental issues and their adverse impacts to humanity and the world.

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:
Each year the Board of Directors for the Foundation sends the CSU Socially Responsible Investment Policy to all fund managers and tracks their responses to ensure they have read and reviewed the policy. Within the last three years, the CSU Foundation has invested with two different investment managers into three different funds that focus on supporting Colorado technology and on making an impact on Colorado socially and environmentally. We continue to look at investments and investment managers that not only meet our mandate of providing the best possible investment return while preserving the endowment corpus, but also seek to make meaningful socially responsible investments.

Proxy Voting 

Has the institution engaged in proxy voting, either by its CIR or other committee or through the use of guidelines, to promote sustainability during the previous three years?:
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:
The CSU Foundation carefully reviews and votes all received proxy votes in accordance with its Socially Responsible Investment Policy.

Shareholder Resolutions 

Has the institution filed or co-filed one or more shareholder resolutions that address sustainability or submitted one or more letters about social or environmental responsibility to a company in which it holds investments during the previous three years?:
Yes

None
Examples of how the institution has engaged with corporations in its portfolio about sustainability issues during the previous three years:
The CSU Foundation communicates annually its support and involvement in environmental initiatives and stewardship to all of its investment managers. This communication specifically encourages the managers to consider investments supporting and embracing sustainability, renewable energy and community development. Responses from each manager are tracked to ensure that the messages have been received and read.

Negative Screens / Divestment Efforts 

Does the institution have a publicly available investment policy with negative screens?:
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 

Does the institution engage in policy advocacy by participating in investor networks and/or engage in inter-organizational collaborations to share best practices?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the investor networks and/or collaborations:
CSU participates in an annual forum for local Universities looking to review their investment policies. Sustainability and social issues are important aspects of this agenda.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
http://foundation.colostate.edu/

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.