University at Buffalo
PA-8: Committee on Investor Responsibility

The University at Buffalo Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility makes recommendations to the independent legal entity of the University at Buffalo Foundation’s Investment Committee and other relevant bodies on matters of social, governmental and environmental importance, while always recognizing the importance of maximizing investment return for University purposes. The Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility is charged with making professional recommendations based on best practices across the higher education sector that align with core University values—not those of individual committee members. In addition, the Committee on Investor Responsibility will work to employ a triple bottom line approach—a framework with three parts: social, environmental and governance—in their analysis and recommendations.

Martha Bohm, Assistant Professor, Architecture and Planning Colleen Culleton, Associate Professor, Romance Lanugages and Literatures Trina Hamilton, Associate Professor, Geography Ryan McPherson, Chief Sustainability Officer Errol Meidinger, Director the Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy Derek Nichols, Sustainability Engagement Coordinator Aidan Powell, UB Student Ed Schneider, Executive Director, UB Foundation Debabrata Talukdar, Professor, School of Management Cristian-Ioan Tiu, Associate Professor, School of Management

The University at Buffalo Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility works to advance the following objectives: Create a proactive strategy that aligns investment options with institutional values, maximizes long term sustainable revenue and reduces risk to society 1. Create a proactive strategy that aligns investment options with institutional values, maximizes long term sustainable revenue and reduces risk to society 2. Leverage university student engagement and faculty expertise in the field of corporate responsibility 3. Increase transparency where appropriate in response to larger external megatrends 4. Properly utilizes UBF investments as an operational pedagogical teaching tool for students In addition to advancing these objectives the UB Advisory Committee on Responsible Investing has also formally requested action from the University at Buffalo Foundation including but not limited to: 1) Publicly disclose (on its website and or by other means) that it does not directly invest in fossil fuel companies & explain, for context, the general make-up of UBF’s investments (e.g. no individual stock picking) 2) Pledge that the Foundation will not make any future direct investment in fossil fuel companies, partnerships and or joint ventures 3) Conduct a sustainability analysis on the traditional portion of the UBF endowment/portfolio through Mercer’s sustainability filter and disclose those findings to the UB Advisory Committee on Responsible Investing 4) Continue working with the UB Advisory Committee on Responsible Investing to advance best practice responsible investing under the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment, Rating System (STARS), which includes but is not limited to: -Positive sustainability investment which includes direct investment in sustainable industries, sustainability investment funds, socially responsible mutual funds with positive screens, etc. -Investor engagement including negative screens, shareholder resolutions, proxy voting, etc. -Increasing investment transparency