Including Sustainability in the Strategic Plan

Whereas the overarching theme of sustainability was absent from the first draft of the Cornell University Strategic Plan made public on January 27th, 2010; and

Whereas ‘Sustainability in the age of development’ was articulated by President Lehman as one of three top priorities that emerged from a broad ‘call-to-engagement’, and was reaffirmed in President Skorton’s commitments to climate neutrality and the Center for a Sustainable Future; and

Whereas the Johnson School, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Engineering, and the College of Human Ecology all have significant commitments to sustainability initiatives in their own plans; and

Whereas Cornell Cooperative Extension has begun promoting sustainability as cross-cutting theme for their centennial celebration in 2011; and

Whereas over 300 members of the Cornell faculty have identified that their research is in sustainability, students lead over 25 sustainability-related clubs, and approximately 10 to 20 alumni events relating to sustainability are organized each year:

Be it therefore resolved that the strategic planning committee acknowledge the strategic and financial opportunities associated with sustainability initiatives across the four pillars of research, curriculum, operations, and extension; and

Be it further resolved that the strategic planning committee incorporate sustainability as an institutional core value; serving both as an academic, interdisciplinary theme and an operational stewardship theme.

Sustainability Committee