Those investing Ohio University's financial resources must meet their fiduciary responsibilities to Ohio University and its public purposes. One of the ways to meet fiduciary responsibilities is to consider Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors when making investments.
Investments with high ESG ratings typically are lower risk, higher yield, and less subject to negative public attention. At Ohio University, two student groups (the Fixed Income Management Group and the Equity Management Group ) have been investing several million dollars of the University’s general fund following ESG investment guidelines for most of the past decade.
The Sustainability Project Laboratory is a database of sustainability-related project proposals. This resource hosts projects and project ideas that can be adopted by faculty, staff, and students for course projects, capstone or senior projects, theses, and more.
To find investment related projects just type "investment" into the search bar at the top of the database.
Accessibility View of Investing Graphic
Where we are now (2017): Progress toward 2011 Sustainability Plan
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Benchmark 21: Assess endowment investment in sustainable corporations and entities and recommend strategies for increasing investment in these corporations and entities. Target met and in progress. OUSEMG and OUFIMG invest using sustainable investment guidelines.
Investment Graphics
Moving Forward: 2017 Sustainability & Climate Action Plan Goal
Goal: Increase investments that support sustainable economic activity from 0.6% ($3.3M) to 1.2% invested in high-scoring Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), to be determined using MSCI ESG Manager, Bloomberg or Sustainalytics data
Potential Strategies
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Continue student investing program with ESG investing guidelines for entire portfolios
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Continue investment disclosure program
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Capture sustainability related investments and services in Tech Growth activities
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Analyze percentage of endowment already invested in high-scoring ESG investments
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Analyze carbon emissions from endowment investments as a possible proxy for sustainable investments
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Carbon emissions from Foundation Investments have not been calculated for Ohio University.
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Benefits of the Goal
- Improved reputation
- Improved investment performance
- Increased community environmental benefits
Costs of the Goal
- Staff time
Current Data
Initiatives
2022 Hub-Supported Initiatives
| Initiative (Lead Department/Unit) | SCAP Alignment |
| Sustainable Investment Group (College of Business) Experiment exercise run by students to manage investment funds for sustainable portfolios for the University. |
Increase investments that support sustainable economic activity |
Hub-Related Initiatives
Triple Bottom Line Cost Benefit Analysis GUI Tool
Please visit our Sustainability Project Laboratory to view our database of available projects
Ohio University Experts & Area Stakeholders
OHIO Experts
| Name: | Contact: | Description: |
| Adam Rapp | rappa@ohio.edu | Professor of Sales; Executive Director Schey Sales Centre |
| David Stowe | stowed@ohio.edu | Associate Professor of Finance, College of Business |
| David Gaume | dgaume@ohio.edu |
Chief Investment Officer, Foundation Accounting |
| Geoffrey Dabelko | dabelko@ohio.edu |
Professor and Associate Dean Voinvovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs |
| Fogt Ryan | fogtr@ohio.edu | Sustainable Administration Hub Coordinator and Professor of Geography |
| Elaine Goetze | goetze@ohio.edu | Director of Energy Management & Sustainability |