| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 74.69 |
| Liaison | Tess Esposito |
| Submission Date | Feb. 9, 2022 |
University of Dayton
EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
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indicates that no data was submitted for this field
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:
University of Dayton (UD) Master of Public Administration students enrolled in MPA 510 (Quantitative Methods in Public Administration) during the Fall 2021 semester developed and administered the Sustainability Culture and Literacy Survey. Students, in collaboration with their faculty advisor, the Sustainability Planning and Evaluation Manager, and various campus stakeholders, created the survey instrument by reviewing both previous UD sustainability surveys and other instruments created by peer institutions. The team retained various measures to maintain consistency with past assessments, while also replicating items included in various highly-respected surveys conducted on other campuses.
A copy or sample of the questions related to sustainability culture:
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A sample of the questions related to sustainability culture or the website URL where the assessment tool is available:
Indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements:
Strongly disagree > strongly agree
I believe potential employers are interested in hiring students with sustainability-related knowledge and skills.
I am aware of sustainability-related programs, organizations, or other on-campus learning opportunities.
I am well informed about my options to enroll or participate in sustainability courses, minors, majors, and other educational offerings at UD.
I have had the opportunity to learn about sustainability through project-based or experiential learning.
I believe sustainability themes have been integrated into my courses required for graduation.
I actively seek sustainability-related courses when enrolling in classes.
Indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements:
Strongly disagree > strongly agree
The University of Dayton demonstrates a strong dedication to sustainability.
The University of Dayton voluntarily implements environmentally friendly policies/procedures.
The environmental stance of the University of Dayton affected my choice of which university to attend/work.
As a Catholic Marianist university, UD should prioritize sustainability more compared to other universities.
Indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements:
Strongly disagree > strongly agree
In general, our current lifestyle is depleting our natural resources at an unsustainable rate.
We need to shift from fossil fuels (coal, oil, etc.) to renewable energy sources (solar, wind, geothermal, etc.).
I am concerned about the changing climate. Our treatment of the environment is a spiritual or religious issue.
I am familiar with Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’.
I have heard climate change discussed in a Church, Synagogue, or Mosque.
Businesses should make decisions that reduce their environmental impact on their local and global community.
We need stricter environmental laws and regulations in the U.S.
Strongly disagree > strongly agree
I believe potential employers are interested in hiring students with sustainability-related knowledge and skills.
I am aware of sustainability-related programs, organizations, or other on-campus learning opportunities.
I am well informed about my options to enroll or participate in sustainability courses, minors, majors, and other educational offerings at UD.
I have had the opportunity to learn about sustainability through project-based or experiential learning.
I believe sustainability themes have been integrated into my courses required for graduation.
I actively seek sustainability-related courses when enrolling in classes.
Indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements:
Strongly disagree > strongly agree
The University of Dayton demonstrates a strong dedication to sustainability.
The University of Dayton voluntarily implements environmentally friendly policies/procedures.
The environmental stance of the University of Dayton affected my choice of which university to attend/work.
As a Catholic Marianist university, UD should prioritize sustainability more compared to other universities.
Indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements:
Strongly disagree > strongly agree
In general, our current lifestyle is depleting our natural resources at an unsustainable rate.
We need to shift from fossil fuels (coal, oil, etc.) to renewable energy sources (solar, wind, geothermal, etc.).
I am concerned about the changing climate. Our treatment of the environment is a spiritual or religious issue.
I am familiar with Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’.
I have heard climate change discussed in a Church, Synagogue, or Mosque.
Businesses should make decisions that reduce their environmental impact on their local and global community.
We need stricter environmental laws and regulations in the U.S.
A brief description of how representative samples were reached (if applicable) and how the cultural assessment is administered:
The assessment was administered through Qualtrics and sent by email to all University of Dayton (UD) faculty, staff, and students in November 2021. The survey was open for members of the UD community to complete from November 1st through November 15th. An initial invitation was sent to all campus members, as well as one reminder email to students only and another reminder to all campus members. The culture and literacy assessments were combined into a single survey. The total number of responses was 723 (campus wide margin of error is +/- 4%). 357 students (49.4% of respondents) responded to the survey. Of these, 78.2% are undergraduate students (compared with 71.8% of all UD students) and 21.8% are graduate students (compared with 28.2% of all UD students). 366 employees (50.7% of respondents) responded to the survey. Of these, 72.4% are staff (compared with 66.1% of all UD employees) and 27.6% are faculty members (compared with 33.9% of all UD employees). These values were determined to be a representative sample of the campus population.
A brief summary of results from the cultural assessment:
Campus community members appear very willing to do “basic” sustainability behaviors like recycling (86.0% often/very often) and reusing water bottles (85.9% often/very often). Behaviors that require a lifestyle change, or spending more money, are not as favored – such as adjusting the thermostat lower (<65 °F) in cold weather and higher (>78°F) in hot weather (29.9% often/very often) or paying upfront costs to make one’s home more energy efficient (26.0% often/very often).
Roughly two-thirds (64.4% strongly/somewhat agree) of respondents believe that UD’s “Catholic Marianist” heritage means that the university “should prioritize sustainability more compared to other universities.” Over 7 in 10 survey respondents do believe that UD “demonstrates a strong dedication to sustainability” and that the university “voluntarily implements environmentally friendly policies/procedures.”
However, students do not seem to believe that the current curriculum integrates “sustainability themes” into required courses – just over one-third (36.8%) somewhat or strongly agree. But it is also the case that only one-third of students “actively seek sustainability-related courses when enrolling in classes” (33.1% strongly/somewhat agree).
Roughly two-thirds (64.4% strongly/somewhat agree) of respondents believe that UD’s “Catholic Marianist” heritage means that the university “should prioritize sustainability more compared to other universities.” Over 7 in 10 survey respondents do believe that UD “demonstrates a strong dedication to sustainability” and that the university “voluntarily implements environmentally friendly policies/procedures.”
However, students do not seem to believe that the current curriculum integrates “sustainability themes” into required courses – just over one-third (36.8%) somewhat or strongly agree. But it is also the case that only one-third of students “actively seek sustainability-related courses when enrolling in classes” (33.1% strongly/somewhat agree).
Optional Fields
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
A combined literacy and culture assessment was administered in 2018, 2020, and 2021, allowing for longitudinal analysis.
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.