2012 SCUP K.C. Parsons Founders Award for Distinguished Achievement in Higher Education Planning

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has been named recipient of the SCUP 2012 K.C. Parsons Founders’ Award for Distinguished Achievement in Higher Education Planning.

The awards committee said, “the nerve and energy touched by AASHE is at the center of the soul of higher education. AASHE is advancing higher education and moving the needle forward.”

AASHE played an instrumental role in developing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and managed implementation of a reporting system on campus-wide climate planning. As a result, hundreds of committed campuses engaged in integrated planning across internal institutional boundaries not often breached.

AASHE also developed the Sustainability Tracking & Rating System (STARS) that engages students, teachers, and administrators in sustainability data collection and reporting that again crosses internal institutional boundaries.

AASHE is a perfect fit for the K. C. Parsons Founders Award and is recognized for its accomplishments and positive impact on higher education. Although young in calendar years, their impact on planning for higher education is widespread and has deeply affected institutions from students to administrators. AASHE addresses a full range of topics from research to education to implementation that affect campuses in their planning and operations.

AASHE's efforts in community outreach and sharing knowledge have increased institutional and surrounding community awareness of the importance of sustainability which by its definition affects every nuance of campus life. They are innovative in their approach and grounded in the practicalities of its implementation. Nothing better represents K.C. Parsons’ drive for planning to make contributions to humanity than the triple bottom line of sustainability. SCUP recognizes AASHE for their major early contributions of a continuing force for thinking about the campus and institution as integrated systems.