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-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Merry Rankin
ISU Director of Sustainability
Facilities Planning & Management
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Is the institution an active member of a national or international sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Iowa State is 1 of 16 founding university members of the national organization, Building Healthy Academic Communities (BHAC). BHAC “is dedicated to crafting a comprehensive framework that enriches the health and wellness of students, faculty and staff. Members have the opportunity to set national standards for academic health and wellness, share evidence-based practices to enhance health and wellness in students, faculty, and staff, serve as the primary resource for health and wellness programming at American universities and colleges, participate in nationwide research and project evaluations, serve on the Advisory Board, committees and task forces, assist with future BHAC summits, determine educational content for webinars, and gain access to the members-only website for evidence-based tools and resources”. We participate in monthly phone calls and have contributed to the BHAC resource toolkit.

Is the institution an active member of a regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network?:
Yes

The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):
USGBC Iowa seeks to create a positive impact on the region's built environment by accelerating the adoption of green building practices, technologies, policies, and standards. We endeavor to move the green building industry forward with education, awareness, advocacy, and market-based solutions. Iowa State has many faculty and staff members.

Has the institution presented at a sustainability conference during the previous year? :
Yes

A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):
Iowa State, along with the Iowa Board of Regents Universities including University of Northern Iowa and the University of Iowa, hosted an informational booth at the 2016 AASHE conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The informational table included several of the sustainability initiatives that Iowa State, as well as the other Regent institutions, is currently pursuing.

Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to a sustainability awards program that is inclusive of multiple campuses? :
Yes

A list or brief description of the awards program(s) and submission(s):
NECA stands for National Electrical Contractors Association. It is a national trade association for electrical contractors across the United States, with smaller chapters running their own geographical area. Those chapters can sponsor a student chapter at a college or university. Like most of the student organizations in the Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering department , NECA hosts monthly meetings. Contractors, designers, and other professionals are invited to speak on a topic that is relevant to the industry and to our students. We try to organize a few tours of job sites each year, and we often team up with the other student orgs (such as MCA) to host social events. Back in 2013, NECA’s then-president got together with MCA’s president to start the MEP Career Fair, which now occurs every semester. The purpose of this career fair is to connect students with mechanical, electrical, and plumbing-based companies who are looking to hire the future of the industry. One of NECA’s main projects, however, is participation in the Green Energy Challenge. Every year, student chapter advisor, Beth Hartmann, interviews and selects students to be on that year’s Cyclone Energy team. Over the years, Iowa State’s chapter of NECA has seen much success with the competition, and has had the opportunity to travel to Las Vegas, Washington D.C., Chicago, and now San Francisco.

Has the institution had staff, students or faculty serving on a board or committee of a sustainability network or conference during the previous three years? :
Yes

A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):
Margaret Smith, a Value Added Agriculture Extension Specialist, is the Advisor to the Iowa Organic Association Board. http://www.iowaorganic.org/board

Does the institution have an ongoing mentoring relationship with another institution through which it assists the institution with its sustainability reporting and/or the development of its sustainability program?:
No

A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:
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Has the institution had staff, faculty, or students serving as peer reviewers of another institution’s sustainability data (e.g. GHG emissions or course inventory) and/or STARS submission during the previous three years?:
No

A brief description of the peer review activities:
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Has the institution participated in other collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year, e.g. joint planning or resource sharing with other institutions? :
Yes

A brief description of other collaborative efforts around sustainability during the previous year:
The Iowa Board of Regents selected the Deloitte Consulting to conduct an efficiency review of the three state universities (Iowa State, Iowa and Northern Iowa). The consultants will look at administrative and academic operations with the aim of maximizing resources, improving efficiencies and containing costs. The review begins this spring with public forums on each campus and could be completed by early next winter. Implementation of review recommendations will take longer. http://web.iastate.edu/efficiency/

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.