| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 59.20 |
| Liaison | Elaine Durr |
| Submission Date | Feb. 27, 2024 |
Elon University
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Elaine
Durr Senior Director of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
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Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture?:
Yes
Which of the following best describes the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered to::
The entire campus community (students and employees) directly or by representative sample
Which of the following best describes the structure of the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered::
Longitudinally to measure change over time
A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted:
Elon University first assessed sustainability culture on campus in the spring of 2008. The initial assessment tool was given to students only. In 2011, the tool was significantly revised and one was created for employees. In 2013, another assessment was conducted using the tools developed in 2011 making only minor changes to improve data quality. Additional assessments were conducted in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022 using the 2013 tools with minor changes each year. The 2019 and 2022 assessments include logic in the online assessment program that allows particular questions to be displayed based on a previous response.
The regular, every other year cycle was interrupted by the pandemic. No Office of Sustainability assessments were conducted in 2020 due to the pandemic. The assessment scheduled for 2020 (the commuter habit survey) was rescheduled to 2021, and the assessment of sustainability culture was rescheduled from 2021 to 2022.
The regular, every other year cycle was interrupted by the pandemic. No Office of Sustainability assessments were conducted in 2020 due to the pandemic. The assessment scheduled for 2020 (the commuter habit survey) was rescheduled to 2021, and the assessment of sustainability culture was rescheduled from 2021 to 2022.
A copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture:
A sample of the questions related to sustainability culture or the website URL where the assessment tool is available:
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A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
The Office of Sustainability coordinates distribution with the Institutional Research Office to avoid conflicts with other major university assessments. The assessment tools are distributed via email through an online assessment software program to all students, faculty and staff. In years it was applicable, a paper version of the assessment tool was provided to departments without regular access to email. No incentives are provided for completing the assessment. The study population includes the entire campus community (students, faculty and staff).
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
Below are a few summarized results from the 2022 assessment:
-Over 68% of faculty/staff and student respondents correctly identified the definition of sustainability, up from over 66% in 2019
-Protecting the environment is the top motivation for practicing sustainable behaviors for students and faculty/staff; climate change is the #2 motivation for students and faculty/staff
-83% or more of student respondents indicated conserving energy, conserving water and reducing waste is very important or important, down from 87% in 2019
-83% or more of faculty/staff respondents indicated conserving energy, conserving water and reducing waste is very important or important, down from 89% or more in 2019
-76% or more of faculty/staff and student respondents indicated they are very concerned or concerned about climate change, down from 82% or more in 2019
-82% or more of faculty/staff and student respondents indicated sustainability is important or very important to them, down from 86% or more in 2019
-73% or more of faculty/staff and student respondents indicated it is important or very important for Elon to be a leader in sustainability, down from 79% or more in 2019
-Over 68% of faculty/staff and student respondents correctly identified the definition of sustainability, up from over 66% in 2019
-Protecting the environment is the top motivation for practicing sustainable behaviors for students and faculty/staff; climate change is the #2 motivation for students and faculty/staff
-83% or more of student respondents indicated conserving energy, conserving water and reducing waste is very important or important, down from 87% in 2019
-83% or more of faculty/staff respondents indicated conserving energy, conserving water and reducing waste is very important or important, down from 89% or more in 2019
-76% or more of faculty/staff and student respondents indicated they are very concerned or concerned about climate change, down from 82% or more in 2019
-82% or more of faculty/staff and student respondents indicated sustainability is important or very important to them, down from 86% or more in 2019
-73% or more of faculty/staff and student respondents indicated it is important or very important for Elon to be a leader in sustainability, down from 79% or more in 2019
Optional Fields
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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