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Sustainability Working Group (SWG)

Initial approach to realizing the 2030 Strategic Plan

Sustainability Commitment: Advance and implement an integrated campus sustainability strategic plan that showcases by 2030 how knowledge is generated and applied to effect institutional and societal change toward a just and sustainable environment and society for all communities present and future.

Sustainability Commitment in brief: A commitment to advance a campus sustainability plan that showcases how a research university can foster a just and sustainable world.

Actions implied:

  1. By the conclusion of the AY 22-23, updated campus sustainability strategic plan that addresses the commitment: “showcases how a research university can foster a just and sustainable world”
     
  2. Implement the strategic plan (execution, assessment of progress, communicating progress)

Need: Structure(s) and processes for both bullets above.

 

Proposal

Establish a Sustainability Work Group (SWG) to facilitate development of, and oversee progress on, an updated campus sustainability strategic plan. The sustainability strategic plan should address the objectives of the sustainability commitment in ways that support achievement of the UC Merced Strategic Plan and that maintain UC Merced’s leadership in reaching UC system, state and campus sustainability goals.

 

Charge: The SWG is charged with

  1. Developing an inclusive process for updating the sustainability strategic plan such that the sustainability strategic plan supports the UC Merced Strategic Plan 2021-2031 and maintains UC Merced’s leadership in reaching UC system, state and campus sustainability goals
  2. Coordinating development of strategic plan components to deliver the 2030 sustainability commitment
  3. Overseeing implementation of the plan, including evaluating, tracking and communicating progress on the Sustainability commitment

 

Membership:

  1. Co-Convener, Chair, Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability and Director, Office of Sustainability, or delegate
  2. Co-Convener, Chair, Faculty Advisory Committee on Sustainability, Chair, or delegate
  3. Member, ASCUM Sustainability Commissioner
  4. Member, graduate student representative
  5. Member, Staff Assembly representative
  6. Member, Faculty Senate Representative
  7. Representative for Equity, Justice and Inclusive Excellence
  8. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, or delegate

 

Relation to existing stakeholder groups

 

Three stakeholder groups exist to support the work of the Sustainability Working Group: CACS, FACS, and ASCUM-Sustainability Commission. As coordinating committees for specific stakeholder groups, these three entities will

 

  1. Bring information/ideas to the SWG
  2. Consult on ideas generated by the SWG
  3. Implement actions to deliver the 2030 sustainability commitment

 

The proposed structure is consistent with existing formulations of relationships among campus sustainability entities: https://sustainability.ucmerced.edu/facs/charge/organization-structure

Sustainability Working Group (2022 - 2023)