Students advocate for Coordination of Sustainability Activities:

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On May 16 Chancellor Herman shared the following:

Dear Members of the Campus Community:

In our 2006 strategic plan, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign defined an ambitious strategic intent to undertake a comprehensive set of efforts focused on sustainability.  That strategic intent is expressed in the following paragraph from the campus plan:

"Through the Illinois Sustainable Energy and the Environment Initiative we will assemble other leading universities, corporations and private enterprises, and government in the state to develop new technologies, models, and practices that will shape national policy, promote responsible stewardship of resources, and build the Sustainable Energy and the Environment Initiative.  In this initiative, we will both pursue the discoveries of basic science and seek to understand the social aspects of life in a complex society, focusing on key areas such as power generation and networks, transportation and portable energy, water supply and use, and landscapes and urban architecture. We will transform the campus into a learning laboratory for demonstration of sustainable technologies while we develop curricula to prepare students with skills required to tackle the challenges of a sustainable society.  We will position the state of Illinois as a recognized leader in research, education, and practices to promote sustainable utilization of energy, water, and land."

At the Board of Trustees meeting, May 17, 2007, Lawrence C. Eppley, Chair of the Board of Trustees stated the "importance for the University of Illinois to slow the increase in demand for energy, reduce consumption where possible, and change business and management  processes in ways that take energy conservation into account.  He asked the president of the University and the campus chancellors to recommend a University energy policy that would position the University as a leader in the State in this area."  

At its meeting on November  14, 2007, the Board of Trustees approved a University Energy Policy calling on the University to "assume a leadership role in Illinois and beyond in achieving greater efficiency in energy production and consumption, in developing renewable energy sources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions."  Further, it directed that "the University will expand its teaching, research, and public engagement programs related to energy production and conservation and alternative and
renewable energy sources."      

Over the past two years, the campus community (students, staff, and
faculty) has fostered an impressive set of activities and programs that respond to sustainability challenges and opportunities.  A few examples of these efforts include achieving significant energy savings from retro-commissioning of key campus buildings, students designing a rain garden to improve water management in the community, and establishing, in collaboration with public and private sector partners, the Energy Biosciences Institute to advance the frontiers of knowledge relating to bioenergy.  In February, 2008, the campus became a signatory to the
American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.      

The campus activities and programs underway have made important strides towards achieving the strategic intent of the campus.  Attaining the full potential of that strategic intent now requires targeted campus-level organizational support to foster and coordinate growth of campus activities relating to sustainability.  Therefore, I am establishing two campus leadership entities, the Campus Sustainability Council and the Office of Sustainability.  These two entities will operate in an integrated fashion to provide leadership for the extensive efforts across campus focused on responding to the societal challenges associated with global climate change and its potential impacts.  The scope of their activities will be comprehensive, encompassing not only the academic functions of education, research, and engagement but also operations of the campus physical infrastructure.  

The Campus Sustainability Council, which I will chair, will provide strategic direction and oversight for sustainability initiatives on campus.
 Relative to opportunities and challenges associated with sustainability, the Council will be responsible for fostering campus initiatives to empower tomorrow's societal leaders, reengineer the campus infrastructure and practices, create knowledge and technology, and engage with external constituents.  The Director of the Office of Sustainability will serve as Vice Chair of the Council.  Additional members of the Council will include the Provost, campus Vice Chancellors, the Executive Director of Campus Facilities and Services, the Executive Director of the Institute for Natural Sciences and Sustainability, as well as representatives of the Environmental Council, the Council of Deans, student groups, and the local community.

The Office of Sustainability will provide operational leadership to campus sustainability efforts, significantly enhancing communication and coordination across the relevant campus domains.  The Office will work with colleges and other campus units, e.g., the Environmental Council and student groups such as the Students for Environmental Concerns and the Student Sustainability Council, to develop and promote opportunities for engaging faculty and students with the critical environmental, social, and economic issues of sustainability at this time and into the future.
Initially comprised of a small staff focused on enhancing communications and coordination of campus activities, the Office of Sustainability will have reporting responsibilities to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Public Engagement.  Because of the broad scope of its activities, however, the Office of Sustainability will need to maintain strong linkages to the entire set of campus administrative units.

The Office of Sustainability has lead responsibility for implementation of the elements of the campus' strategic plan involving sustainability.
Selected specific activities of the Office of Sustainability include:


* Achieve the responsibilities associated with the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment including development of a comprehensive plan (with a comprehensive inventory within one year and an institutional action plan within two years) and initiation of action steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

* Coordinate actions to enhance campus infrastructure and policies relating to energy use and sustainability with campus academic functions

* Facilitate curricular enhancements, including incorporation of service learning opportunities in the community, which better prepare students for leadership and citizenship as society responds to climate change

* Encourage innovative research collaborations focused on creating knowledge and technologies which will better enable society to reduce emissions and achieve climate neutrality

* Foster collaboration with external constituencies, including especially our local communities, to apply broadly the lessons learned from campus operations and from our knowledge creation activities

* Provide forums by which the broad cultural, social and technological dimensions of the campus intellectual capacity can engage in meaningful dialogue regarding the challenges and opportunities associated with sustainability.


I look forward to working with you to create a sustainable campus that will serve as a national model.

Warm regards,

Richard Herman
Chancellor