Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.23
Liaison Merry Rankin
Submission Date Sept. 1, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Iowa State University
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.25 / 1.00 Merry Rankin
ISU Director of Sustainability
Facilities Planning & Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution conduct an assessment of sustainability culture (i.e. the assessment focuses on sustainability values, behaviors and beliefs, and may also address awareness of campus sustainability initiatives)?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered to::
A subset of the campus community or a sample that may not be representative of the entire community

Which of the following best describes the structure of the cultural assessment? The assessment is administered::
Without a follow-up assessment of the same cohort or representative samples of the same population

A brief description of how and when the cultural assessment(s) were developed and/or adopted:
During the fall of 2014, an online survey was sent to all undergraduate and graduate students of Iowa State University through Qualtrics. The survey was part of an undergraduate independent study project and was developed by Drs. Kurt Rosentrater and Brianna Burke and Director of Sustainability, Merry Rankin as well as undergraduate Douglas Todey.

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 assessment was sent out to the entire student body via email. The assessment was conducted using the Qualtrics program, which tracks how many individuals completed the assessment and their responses.

A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment, including a description of any measurable changes over time:
The results of this survey found that students overall are learning about the key issues of sustainability and climate change and the impacts it has on society. They also understand ways of helping improve their local communities through environmentally friendly policies and actions. They understand the need for recycling and responsibility at an individual level if the policies enacted are to have any long lasting effect. They also support green initiatives that could be implemented on the campus of Iowa State University. However, they are reluctant to front the costs for those initiatives, often citing the already high cost of college. Overall, the student body of Iowa State realizes what impact an individual has on the environment and how a single person can adjust their daily actions to reduce that impact. Many students already follow simple daily sustainable practices because they understand the impact they have. The results of this survey show that college students are being properly educated on these important issues and they care enough to make changes in society to make the world a better place for everyone to live. Iowa State students recognize the impact they have on the environment and want the university to do more to help minimize that impact. 1,226 students completed the assessment.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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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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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.