To the NAU Foundation Board,
We are students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Northern Arizona University (NAU) concerned with the misalignment between NAU’s Elevating Excellence and the university endowment investment policy.
NAU’s Elevating Excellence Strategy commits us to “effectively utilize our physical, technological, and financial resources in support of our vision and mission, with a commitment to the responsible use of environmental resources, innovative use of technology, and mission-driven financial investments and philanthropic activity.” NAU also promised carbon neutrality by 2030. We believe these commitments require that we redefine the priorities of our endowment’s investment policy. We thus call on you to:
Align the endowment investment policy with NAU’s Elevating Excellence Strategy.
At a minimum, this must include:
- Divestment from the fossil fuel industry and other companies whose business models depend on pumping vast amounts of greenhouse gas pollution into our atmosphere.
- Implementation of a transparent stakeholder engagement process to collect input and feedback from the NAU community about priorities for our endowment investment policy.
Our endowment supports amazing initiatives and individuals who advance the mission and vision of NAU. However, it is contradictory to advance this mission, which prioritizes long-term environmental stewardship, through the financial rewards of being a shareholder in fossil fuel companies. Aligning the endowment investment policy with Elevating Excellence is compelling for many reasons. Among them…
- Divestment from the fossil fuel industry and implementation of a stakeholder participation process would elevate NAU’s performance in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) and support the university’s goal to achieve a Platinum ranking. This accomplishment would further elevate NAU as a leader among sustainable university campuses.
- Students are drawn toward NAU’s commitment to sustainability and the beauty of the sacred, Indigenous land of this place. A demonstrated commitment to sustainability in our investments would only serve to increase the appeal of NAU to prospective students, likely boosting enrollment.
- NAU’s commitment to the Sustainable Stewardship of Resources in Elevating Excellence is more important than ever. We are already seeing the devastating effects of climate change in our lives. Our Arizona communities face increasing risk of wildfires, intense flooding, prolonged extreme heat, and threats to our long-term water supply.
As caretakers of this university, the NAU Foundation Board owes it to current and future NAU communities to align the endowment investment strategy with NAU’s mission and vision for our sustainable future.
Follow this link to add your name to our letter and join the growing list of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and student clubs who are calling on NAU to divest from fossil fuels!