Characteristics and Culture of Sustainability at Colleges and Universities That Employ Full-time Sustainability Coordinators

Abstract

The position of a full-time Sustainability Coordinator at colleges and universities is one that has rapidly gained momentum in the last 5 years, but is far from a new concept. Sustainability Coordinators contribute to institutions of higher education through coordination of sustainability programs, student engagement, carbon footprint reduction, and a plethora of other options that can be unique to the institution based on their mission and goals. As this position is gaining grows, so does the need for literature regarding the position. This research seeks to conclude concepts on the nature of institutions that have established the position. These concepts include 1) The possible trends of characteristics of institutions that have established a full-time Sustainability Coordinator 2) The level of culture of sustainability at institutions with full-time Sustainability Coordinators. The scope of this research is limited to four-year or greater accredited colleges and universities in the United States. This research makes conclusions on the trends of characteristics of institutions with Sustainability Coordinators. This paper also makes conclusions on the level of culture of sustainability at institutions with Sustainability Coordinators. Based on the responses from the survey conducted, this study goes on to make explanations about the nature of the position itself.