Approach our operational decisions with greater intentionality through advancing sustainability in university operations, business partnerships, and workforce composition as we demonstrate our values to achieve meaningful, beneficial impact in our own backyard.
Through operational administration and strategic external partnerships, we will make substantial contributions to improved quality of life for all community members, contribute to addressing the racial wealth gap through inclusive spending, and work toward the well-being of the entire region.
We operate at a significant scale, and our operational decisions have a meaningful impact on our city, state, and region.
With greater intentionality in our energy use, our business partnerships, and our workforce composition, we have an opportunity to demonstrate our values and achieve meaningful, beneficial impact in our own backyard.
We have a duty to improve the environmental impact of our operations. WashU has a special role and responsibility to confront the challenge of climate change by advancing sustainability in our university operations. Reducing energy use and emissions remains one of the university’s top priorities, and we will continue to meet this challenge through best-in-class innovations in energy efficiency, energy management, and renewable energy deployment.
WashU can leverage its status as a major purchaser and investor to create greater equity in the city, state, and regional business environment. Although the St. Louis region has many programs to promote the success of minority and women-owned businesses, myriad obstacles persist for such businesses. WashU will expand our partnerships with concentrated focus and intentionality to promote supplier diversity.
By working with community groups to help further connect resources and businesses, we will move our region towards a more equitable business ecosystem. These types of collaborative partnerships will ensure that our workforce reflects the demographics of the greater St. Louis community and our expenditures create opportunities within the community to build and enhance generational wealth.
Our WashU community will be reflective of the St. Louis region. Through operational administration and strategic external partnerships, we will make substantial contributions to improved quality of life for all community members, contribute to addressing the racial wealth gap through inclusive spending, and work toward the well-being of the entire region. These ambitions will be achieved by expanding outreach and recruitment in the north city and county zip codes, establishing workforce partnerships on core categories of job needs, and building institutional infrastructure that promotes access and on-ramps to employment and retention opportunities. This would include, but not be limited to, building career ladders around entry- and mid-level positions to foster continued wage gains and leadership development career paths.