Stanislaus State ranked in the Top 10 among 674 campuses for “Well-being and Work” as determined by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). The results, based on a three-year period (2018-20), will appear in the organization’s November publication.
The ranking stems from Stan State’s silver rating in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) awarded by AASHE in 2020.
AASHE looked at four criteria in determining campuses that best addressed well-being and work: employee compensation, assessing employee satisfaction, having a wellness program and workplace health and safety.
Among the factors in Stan State’s rankings:
- Stan State pays 97 percent of its employees a living wage;
- the Department of Human Resources 2018 staff survey about their satisfaction with the campus environment;
- the presence of a Student Health Center, Health Education and Promotion, Psychological Counseling Center and Employee Assistance Program; and
- Stan State’s adhering to California Occupational Safety and Health guidelines.
“It means now we can quantify what we’ve been doing,” said Sustainability Coordinator Wendy Olmstead. “The great thing is we’re receiving recognition as one of the sustainable campuses across the country.”
Olmstead points to a number of reasons for Stan State’s success as a sustainable campus and its inclusion in the Top 10 in wellbeing and work.
“We live in a state where you can do sustainability,” Olmstead said, noting there are states with laws in place prohibiting such practices as the banning of single-use cups and plastic straws. “And, we work at a campus where it’s supported at multiple levels, from our senior leadership to the Council on Sustainable Futures. It takes a village. I have strong faculty support, too.
I’m grateful because I have a lot of great people who help me do this.”
The work is not done, though. Well-being and work is one of 17 categories in which AASHE awarded rankings. To that end, Stan State’s Council for Sustainable Futures continues to pursue ways to improve in other areas.
