CURRENTS

December 3, 2007

Currents--University of Rochester newspaper

President’s sustainability council to address ‘global challenge’

By David Andreatta

david.andreatta@rochester.edu

President Seligman has created a Council on Environmental Sustainability to energize environmentally conscious initiatives under way at the University and to set the groundwork for future efforts.

The 17-member council, cochaired by Provost Ralph Kuncl and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering Peter Lennie, will be responsible for cultivating a vision around which the University will frame its environmental sustainability practices for years to come.

Council on Environmental Sustainability

In addition to Provost Kuncl and Dean Lennie, members of the council will include:

Raffaella Borasi, dean of the Warner School

Kendra Bussey, graduate student and president of the School of Medicine and Dentistry Graduate Student Society

Patricia Chiverton, dean of the School of Nursing

Ben Ebenhack, senior lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering

Harry Groenevelt, cochair of the Faculty Senate and associate professor at the Simon School

David Guzick, dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry

Katrina Smith Korfmacher, research assistant professor of environmental medicine

Alvin Lomibao ’09, president of the Students’ Association

Douglas Lowry, dean of the Eastman School

Bill Murphy, vice president for communications

Ronald Paprocki, senior vice president for administration and finance

Kevin Parker, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

James Thompson, senior vice president and chief advancement officer

James Zavislan, associate professor at the Institute of Optics

Mark Zupan, dean of the Simon School

Board of Trustees Chair G. Robert Witmer ’59 and board members Nathan Moser ’75 and Janice Willett ’78S (MBA) will serve on a board advisory committee on sustainability issues.

“In the broadest sense, I am proposing a University-wide conversation about an issue that will affect all of our lives,” said Seligman in a statement to the University community. “What I ultimately seek is principles and initiatives that both will make the University of Rochester a leader in environmental sustainability and that are well harmonized with our ongoing strategic planning initiatives.”

Much of the council’s initial work is expected to build upon the recent findings of the Sustainability Task Force appointed by Seligman earlier this year. Charged with itemizing existing sustainability efforts and recommending future strategies, the task force proposed in a report to Seligman last month that the University consider adopting 12 Environmental Sustainability Principles and 25 Environmental Sustainability Initiatives.

Among the initiatives: implementing an environmentally preferred procurement policy, hiring a recycling coordinator, and strengthening the University’s mortgage incentive program to encourage living close to campus.

In his statement, Seligman called on the council to endorse or modify the 12 principles and recommend which of the 25 initiatives could be implemented consistent with the strategic plans of the University’s six schools.

“Few issues present a more global challenge than environmental sustainability,” says Seligman. “Much of the response to this challenge inevitably will involve national or international efforts. But the University, as with many colleges and universities, for a considerable period has been engaged in efforts to do our part to minimize the adverse impact of our operations on the environment.”

Seligman set a deadline of February 15 for the council to develop its vision and anticipated the council’s suggestions would be presented to the Board of Trustees at its March meeting.