Furman University earns no. 7 ranking in sustainable campus index
November 1, 2016
Furman University has been recognized as one of the top overall performers in the 2016 Sustainable Campus Index, claiming the seventh spot overall in the rankings among baccalaureate institutions nationally.
The 2016 Sustainable Campus Index, a publication of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), highlights top-performing colleges and universities in 17 areas and overall by institution type, as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).
AASHE’s STARS program is the most widely recognized report card in the world for grading sustainability performance in higher education. Furman currently holds a STARS “Gold Rating” in recognition of its sustainability achievements, and is one of just a few institutions in the Southeast to reach this rating.
“Over the past few decades Furman has established itself as a sustainability leader in higher education, both in terms of its curriculum and its campus operations,” says Dr. Weston Dripps, Executive Director of the David E. Shi Center for Sustainability. “Being recognized as a top sustainability performer nationally speaks to our ongoing hard work, efforts, and sustainability achievements.”
“Furman University’s strong performance overall demonstrates significant leadership and commitment to advancing sustainability,” said AASHE’s Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “We are pleased to recognize Furman for working to secure a thriving, equitable and ecologically healthy world by incorporating sustainability into campus operations, administration, engagement and academics.”
The full Sustainable Campus Index report is available at:
https://stars.aashe.org/pages/about/2016-sustainable-campus-index.html.
Furman’s STARS report is publicly available on the STARS website:
https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/furman-university-sc/report/.
For further information, contact the Furman News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.
About STARS
The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS was developed by AASHE with broad participation from the higher education community. The credits included in STARS span the breadth of higher education sustainability and are organized into four categories: Academics, Engagement, Operations, and Planning & Administration. All reports are publicly accessible on the STARS website. For more information, visit www.stars.aashe.org.
About the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
AASHE empowers higher education faculty, staff and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation. AASHE enables members to translate information into action by offering essential resources and professional development to a diverse, engaged community of sustainability leaders. We work with and for higher education to ensure that our world’s future leaders are motivated and equipped to solve sustainability challenges. For more information, visit www.aashe.org.
