Hopkins has made a slight improvement over the past year in its attempts to provide a sustainable future, according to the Sustainable Endowments Institute.
In the College Sustainability Report Card, the Institute gives letter grades to Canadian and U.S. colleges and universities according to eight categories of sustainability. It awarded Hopkins with an overall B- grade in sustainability for the year 2008, up from a C+ in the 2007 report.
According to the Institute, Hopkins is a leader in administering sustainable initiatives and in providing sustainable transportation, but its otherwise average or exemplary grades are tainted by failing grades in the categories of "endowment transparency" and "shareholder engagement."
"There is nothing we need to change; we're doing good work. We just need more of it," said Davis Bookhart, Manager of Energy and Environmental Stewardship for the University.
Although Hopkins received As and Bs in six categories (including "Climate Change and Energy" and "Green Building"), the Report chastised the University for how it handles the endowment.
One of the failing grades was in the category "Endowment Transparency," which evaluates the ease with which the public can access a list of the University's endowment holdings and proxy voting record.
The Report claims that a free flow of investment information helps to "foster constructive dialogue about opportunities for clean energy investment, as well as shareholder voting priorities."
Hopkins does not make this information readily available to anyone except members of the University administration and those who are on the Committee on Investments (a part of the Board of Trustees).
"It is not in Johns Hopkins's interest to publicize widely its investments or strategies," Chief Investment Officer Kathryn Crecelius said.
"Our job is to maintain the purchasing power of the endowment - net of payout - for current and future students. That is the way we view 'sustainability,'"
Hopkins was not alone in its poor grade for transparency - 58 percent of all colleges that the Institute evaluated received an F.
Hopkins's other failing grade came in the "Shareholder Engagement" category, in which the Institute evaluates how colleges conduct shareholder proxy voting.
Because colleges invest their endowments, they have the opportunity to consider and vote on sustainability-related shareholder resolutions.
The Institute suggests that colleges allow faculty, students and alumni to form a committee in which these decisions can be made.
Hopkins makes these decisions via its investment managers.
"We choose our investment managers carefully and delegate to them proxy voting. They understand the companies best and are best positioned to vote in the interest of shareholders," Crecelius said.
Hopkins joined 66 percent of colleges in receiving this failing grade.
These abysmal grades aside, Hopkins did very well in several categories - even being designated a "leader" in its administrative and transportation policies.
In administration, the Report Card applauded the Johns Hopkins Sustainability Initiative, headed by Bookhart, which is tasked with making Hopkins "a showpiece of environmental leadership by demonstrating smart, sensible and creative actions that promote the vision of sustainability," according to its Web site.
The 'A' that Hopkins received in this category was a full letter grade improvement over the 2007 report.
The Institute also cited the President's Sustainability Committee, which includes representatives from each of the 10 academic divisions and major offices, in its evaluation of the administrative category.
All of the categories in which Hopkins received an A or a B are overseen by Bookhart's office.
Hopkins's 'B' grades in "Climate Change & Energy," "Food & Recycling" or "Green Building," did not change between 2007 and 2008, which was somewhat surprising to Bookhart.
"I think that last year, we started a program where we were just getting started ... [This year]?we just had another year," he said.
"This year we will have lots of projects that we started last year. There will be a dorm energy competition in the spring, a green idea generator as a way for students to be hands on," Bookhart said.
The 'A' that Hopkins received for transportation was justified by the JHMI shuttle service. Hopkins boasts the second largest bus system in the state and is experimenting with a biodiesel blend of fuel.
The Report Card also applauded the University's support of bicyclists with commuting workshops and tune-ups.
University officials seemed somewhat ambivalent toward the report.
"Nothing will be done in reaction to the report card. We think about what would be best for JHU; we're less likely to think about what the report card said," Bookhart said.
Bookhart noted something that he thought was missing from the Report.
"There isn't a category on student involvement. Some of the accomplishments we've had were student run. We are a university! If there was a category on student involvement, we would get a good grade on that as well," he said.
Still, the Report provided the University with a record of a concrete step toward sustainability, at least as defined by the Institute.
"My final reaction is that I am pleased. There is a long way to go. I hope the Report Card goes beyond looking at the grade; the Report Card reminds us why [sustainability] is important," Bookhart said.
