Diversity & Affordability
Introduction
Higher education opens doors to opportunities that can help create a more equitable world, and those doors must be open through affordable programs accessible to all regardless of race, gender, religion, socio-economic status and other differences. In addition, a diverse student body, faculty, and staff provide rich resources for learning and collaboration.
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Case study evaluation: PIEER internship program and its impact on interns’ self-reported attitudes and behaviors regarding environmental health equity
- University of Northern Iowa (IA)
Environmental health disparities case studies are explored through a combination of lens including the naturome/nurturome, exposome [nature vs nurture] and multiple exposure-zone [place as predictor of health and wellbeing] concepts. …
- Posted May 11, 2022
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Internationalization, Whiteness, and Biopolitics of Higher Education
- The Ohio State University (OH)
From a postcolonial perspective, U.S. higher education is entangled with the colonial past and the neoliberal neo-colonial present as an economic actor that dominates global educational markets through internationalization. The …
- Posted May 11, 2022
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Enabling Sustainable Development by Embedding Tongan Knowledge into University Science Curricula
- University of Auckland
Sustainable development requires the valuing of Indigenous knowledges. The complex and intertwined processes of coloniality and globalisation have contributed to spreading a dominant set of Western knowledge, values, and practices …
- Posted May 11, 2022
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Beyond Western and Indigenous Perspectives on Sustainability: Politicizing Sustainability With the Zapatista Rebellious Education
- University of Stavanger
This article discusses the contributions of different worldviews to the debates on what a transformative sustainability education could be. It focuses on mainstream and alternative strands of thought present in …
- Posted May 11, 2022
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Turtle Island (North America) Indigenous Higher Education Institutions and Environmental Sustainability Education
- University of Waterloo (ON)
This article explores the environmental and sustainability programs of Indigenous Higher Education Institutions (IHEIs) in North America. There are 38 Tribal Colleges and Universities in the United States and 26 …
- Posted May 11, 2022
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Sustainability from a Social Justice Lens
- Mount Holyoke College (MA)
- University of Houston (TX)
- University of Minnesota, Morris (MN)
- AASHE (MA)
- Association of College Unions International
Join our presenters as they look at sustainability, social justice, and the connection between the two. We start by looking at the topic from a theory point of view. Then, …
- Posted May 11, 2022
- Videos & Webinars
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Thinking Ahead: A Tale of Joining Environmental and Social Justice Forces for a Stronger Future
- AASHE (MA)
- WorldStrides (VA)
Many organizations have been trialing ways to incorporate sustainability initiatives into their processes as environmental concerns have been elevated by the global community over the years, but there is a …
- Posted May 5, 2022
- Videos & Webinars
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Plant Sale and Compost Giveback
- City University of New York, College of Staten Island (NY)
On April 11th, as part of our Earth Month activities at the College of Staten Island (CSI). This was CSI Sustainability's second plant sale of the season and gave away …
- Posted May 2, 2022
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Who Pays? How Industry Insiders Rig the Student Loan System—and How to Stop It
- Roosevelt Institute (NY)
In Who Pays? How Industry Insiders Rig the Student Loan System—And How to Stop It, Julie Margetta Morgan explains how powerful industry players have succeeded in taking what they need …
- Posted April 28, 2022
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The Role of Universities Towards a Sustainable Future: Integrating the Sustainable Development Goals
- York University
We live in an era of unprecedented planetary and social challenges, including: the climate crisis, globalization of economic markets, social injustice, inequalities, poverty, food insecurity, biodiversity loss, migration, technological automation, …
- Posted March 10, 2022
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How the Design of National-Scale Environmental Education Programs Support Equity and Inclusion
- University of Texas at Arlington (TX)
- University of Michigan (MI)
- National Wildlife Federation (VA)
In this session, two National Wildlife Federation EcoLeader Graduate Student Fellows will present the findings and recommendations of their recent research exploring how the design of the NWF EcoLeaders Program …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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An ‘EDJI’ Conversation: Believing in Equity, Diversity, Justice and Inclusion at Catawba College
- Catawba College (NC)
Join co-chairs, Dr. ChaMarra Saner and Dr. Mercedes Quesada-Embid, in conversation for a podcast-style session centered on successful strategies, unanticipated accomplishments, systemic challenges, surprising opportunities, and mobilizing moments related to …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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University of Wisconsin-Madison Badger Tour
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI)
The UW-Madison Sustainability Interns take a tour of the campus, highlighting its sustainability features, the 10,000 years of indigenous history, and the iconic places and spaces that make the campus …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Keynote Presentation with Dina Gilio-Whitaker
- California State University, San Marcos (CA)
- University of Hawaii System Office (HI)
Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Colville Confederated Tribes) is a lecturer of American Indian Studies at California State University San Marcos and an independent educator in American Indian environmental policy and other issues. …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Integrating Equity and Basic Needs Programs into Higher Education Sustainability Initiatives
- University of California, Santa Cruz (CA)
Amidst a global pandemic the expectations and experiences for students within their higher education institutions are indicating increased challenges to well-being and student success. International to first generation and non-traditional …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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BIPOCs in Sustainability Networking
- AASHE (MA)
This networking and discussion session will ideate around best practices and strategies sustainability professionals can use to center BIPOC voices. We aim to provide a safe space while giving voice …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Fun with Food Systems: Creative Ways to Increase Food Sovereignty and Build Community Remotely
- Portland Community College (OR)
Food shortages skyrocketed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and community college students were notably affected. Normal campus supports such as in-person food pantries, learning gardens, and our campus …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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College Campuses as the "Great Equalizer" - Or Are They: A Critical Perspective to Sustainability
- Winthrop University (SC)
College campuses have often been touted as the great equalizer, a place where those who are marginalized, either racially or economically, have as much ability to succeed as their non-marginalized …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Growing Future Leaders: How to Foster Growth in Sustainability Leadership Programs
- Bentley University (MA)
- Boston University (MA)
- Tufts University (MA)
- GreenerU (MA)
In this session, you will hear from the sustainability offices with well-developed student leadership programs, and share your questions, suggestions, and learn lessons from being a student leader or managing …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Creating an Equity-Based Climate Action Plan Through Stakeholder Engagement
- Portland Community College (OR)
- GreenerU (MA)
Many college campuses are looking for paths to climate neutrality - that is - reducing and sustaining zero-emissions operations. Climate action planning is one strategy to achieve this goal. But …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Change Management Campfire Stories: Telling Stories About Our Stumbles and What We Learned
- Georgetown University (DC)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
- Stanford University (CA)
- University of California, Office of the President (CA)
This session will provide a virtual campfire story swap where long-time campus sustainability professionals will talk about their stumbles, unexpected outcomes, how they felt, and what they learned. The saying …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Advocacy for Justice: Classrooms, Colleagues and Community
- Catawba College (NC)
This session will provide an opportunity for an in-depth and perceptive discussion surrounding the intersections of justice across the varied social landscapes within Higher Education. Connected to this is an …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Sustainably Revisioning the Future: Insights to Build Upon from the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Texas A&M University-Commerce (TX)
- University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (WI)
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a unique global opportunity to reset longstanding practices. The societal, economic, and environmental challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic have reached every facet of life …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Keynote Presentation with Heather McGhee
- Portland Community College (OR)
- AASHE (MA)
Heather McGhee designs and promotes solutions to inequality in America. She is the author of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together (2021). …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Moving from 'Sustaina-splaining' to Inclusion
- California State University, San Marcos (CA)
- University of California, Santa Cruz (CA)
This presentation will highlight the work of several professionals (2 sustainability officers, 1 diversity, equity and inclusion practitioner and 1 campus center director) at two California universities. We will will …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Keynote Presentation with Dr. Michael J. Sorrell
- Paul Quinn College (TX)
- University of Texas at Arlington (TX)
Named one of America’s 10 Most Innovative College Presidents, Dr. Michael J. Sorrell is pioneering the “New Urban College Model” as the President of Paul Quinn College. With a rallying …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Identifying Assessment Practices That Support Sustainability Competencies
- MacEwan University (AB)
Have you ever wondered if your grading and assessment practices are supporting or hindering the development of sustainability competencies? When most of us think about how to improve our courses …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Regeneration & Reclamation in Environmental Justice Projects by Contemporary Artists and Educators
- Colorado State University, Pueblo (CO)
- George Washington University (DC)
- Parsons (IL)
- ViVA Virtual Visiting Artists (OH)
For many years, internationally renowned award-winning contemporary artists around the country have been leaders of community-based social practice projects that feature creative approaches to urban renewal and communal agriculture, native …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Integrating Wellness and Diversity Into the Sustainability Model
- Augsburg University (MN)
- Bemidji State University (MN)
- St. Catherine University (MN)
The Bemidji State University (BSU) Sustainability Office realized in 2008 that the work they felt called to do required a different visual representation than the typical Venn diagram that includes …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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The Future of Transnational Education: Principles and Practices to Address the UN SDGs
- De Montfort University
Transnational Education (TNE) is a significant area of activity for higher education (HE) institutions in the West, involving universities establishing overseas partnerships or campuses to enable international students to study …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Earth Law and the Rights of Nature: A New Generation of Laws Built for Nature
- City University of New York, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (NY)
- Environmental Education Fund (NJ)
Forget doom and gloom. Let's educate students about the Rights of Nature, an inspiring, evolving legal development which is gaining traction in the US and around the world, and which …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Connecting Your Campus Across Intersections of Climate, Race, and Internationalization
- The GREEN Program (PA)
- Climate Action Network for International Educators (CANIE) (Victoria)
Environmental justice is racial justice. Sustainability necessitates addressing racism. Higher education must play its part to proactively strategize and foster interdepartmental collaboration to address environmental justice at our campus and …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Food Waste and Food Insecurity: A Multidimensional Approach With Three Pillars of Sustainability
- University of Kentucky (KY)
Food insecurity, a growing concern due to unsustainable and unjust food systems, has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic whereas food waste issues remained prevalent. The pandemic has disproportionately affected …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Collaborative Back-casting Game for Audacious Sustainability Visions
- University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (WI)
Several sustainability researchers that collaborate with cities have proposed a visioning game to connect audacious goals with action-oriented strategies (Reutter, 2018; Withycombe Keeler, Beaudoin, Lerner, John, Beecroft, Tamm, Wiek, Lang, …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Pedagogies for Cultivating Critical Consciousness: Engaging With Social Justice and Sustainability
- Arizona State University (AZ)
The challenge to support students in higher education to navigate complex issues related to not only sustainability but racial equity and social justice has become increasingly dynamic yet essential. Cultivating …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Putting the Equity in Sustainability Curriculum
- University of Texas at Austin (TX)
This session will address some of the successes and struggles of modifying environmental curriculum to address social justice. The Environmental Justice Collective of the University of Texas at Austin's Campus …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Finding Intersectional Solutions to Environmental Sustainability & Social Justice
- Augsburg University (MN)
During the summer of 2021 and continuing into the 2021-2022 school year, Nyasa is conducting research with Monica McDaniel, the Sustainability Officer at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to identify …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Building the Future We Desire: Crossing Boundaries & Challenging Historical Ideas of Sustainability
- University of Minnesota, Crookston (MN)
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
The Student Engagement Leadership Forum on Sustainability (SELFsustain) is a five-campus collaborative retreat that rotates between campuses. In April 2021, UM-Crookston hosted a provocative online series on indigenous identity, community …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Using a Sustainability Framework to Advance Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
- University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (TX)
Accredited social work programs in the U.S. train students to advance "social, economic, and environmental justice" (CSWE, 2020). Often, however, the curriculum addresses each type of justice independently, as though …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Healing to Transform - A Trauma-Informed Approach to Education for Sustainable Development & Wellbeing
- Arizona State University (AZ)
Our society and our planet are desperate for healing from embodied trauma passed on from generation to generation—be it fueled by institutionalized racism, forced displacement, gender and economic inequality, resource …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Advancing Indigenization Through AASHE STARS Adaptation
- British Columbia Institute of Technology (BC)
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) provides a Sustainability Tracking and Reporting System (STARS) to measure progress by participating post-secondary institutions in their sustainability efforts. …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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High Impact Low Carbon Exchanges: Teaching Sustainability Through Global Classroom Partnerships
- Salisbury University (MD)
- Universidad Latinoamericana De Ciencia Y Tecnología (ULACIT)
Studying abroad allows students from across the globe to experience different cultural, political, learning, and natural environments. For these reasons and many others, learning institutions (including universities) have prioritized this …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Understanding Diverse Student Participation in Campus Sustainability Programs
- University of Georgia (GA)
Nationwide a lack of diversity in sustainability roles and initiatives is well documented. Many attribute this lack of diversity to the limited representation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Keynote Presentation with Dr. Ian Haney López
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
- University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (TX)
Dr. Haney López’s keynote address will explain how the climate movement cannot succeed unless race, class and gender solidarity are at the heart of everything we do. Dr. Ian Haney …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Using the Pursuit of Equitable Tree Canopy to Combat Effects of Redlining in Lexington, Kentucky
- University of Kentucky (KY)
The historical housing policy of redlining reflected systemic racism in the home lending industry; it disproportionately impacted people of color and created socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods in intentional and negative ways. …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
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Campuses as Living . . . Archives: Using Campus Histories to Explore Diversity, Equity, and Belonging
- Johnson County Community College (KS)
Are you working at an institution struggling to effectively respond to and support student-led-protests for social justice and equity? You may have an unexplored treasure trove of useful and inspirational …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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A Campus Framework for Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion-Centered Climate Resilience Planning
- University of California, Office of the President (CA)
- University of California, Los Angeles (CA)
- University of California, Santa Cruz (CA)
- Integral Group (CA)
"Climate resilience planning" has been a growing buzz phrase across the country for years. Although many municipalities are beginning to incorporate current and future climate realities into their planning efforts, …
- Posted Jan. 21, 2022
- Conference Presentations
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Launching the Emerging Environmental Leaders (EELs) Program in Minnesota
- University of Minnesota, Morris (MN)
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
University of Minnesota campuses (Twin Cities and Morris) collaborated with the State of Minnesota to launch the Emerging Environmental Leaders (EELs) program in the spring of 2021. The program brought …
- Posted Jan. 3, 2022
- Case Studies
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Racial Equity Tools Glossary
- Racial Equity Tools
Many of the terms in this glossary have evolved over time. For example, given the changing demographic trends in the United States, the word “minority” no longer accurately reflects the …
- Posted Dec. 9, 2021
- Tools
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CSUF Food Pantry
- California State University, Fullerton (CA)
Addressing food insecurity among college students has been a CSU system-wide effort for a number of years. The Pantry is a new and permanent program to the CSUF campus that …
- Posted Dec. 9, 2021
- Photographs
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This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.
All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.
PA 5: Diversity & Equity Coordination
- Description of the institution’s cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities
- Description of the diversity and equity committee, office and/or officer
- Website URL - Diversity & equity coordination
PA 6: Assessing Diversity & Equity
- Description of the diversity and equity assessment process
- Description of recent diversity and equity assessment findings
- Diversity and equity assessment report or summary (upload)
- Website URL - diversity and equity assessment report or summary
- Website URL - Diversity & equity assessment
PA 7: Support for Underrepresented Groups
- Non-discrimination statement
- Discrimination response policy or protocol
- Programs to recruit students, academic staff, and/or non-academic staff from underrepresented groups
- Programs to support students, academic staff, and/or non-academic staff from underrepresented groups
- Programs to prepare students from underrepresented groups for careers as faculty members
- Website URL - Support for underrepresented groups
PA 8: Affordability & Access
- Percent of need met, on average, for students who were awarded need-based aid
- Percent of students graduating without student loan debt
- Percent of entering students that are low-income
- Graduation/success-rate for low-income students
- Website URL - Affordability and access programs
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.