For the 2010-11 academic year and beyond, Mansfield has assembled a Task Force to Create a Safe and Sustainable Campus Environment to Support Learning. Mansfield University will improve the campus culture and climate. We will strengthen and maintain an aesthetically stimulating, inspiring and green campus that supports opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community members to engage; our sensitivity to and stewardship of our resources will give the campus a distinct identity. While attempting to maintain an appropriate balance in the institutional environment that supports academic endeavors, we will seek to ensure campus safety and security of our diverse constituents on campus.
Do you have questions or suggestions for the committee? Contact Jimmy Guignard at jguignar@mansfield.edu.
You can read the details at: Strategic Plan
DRAFT: MU Initiative for Creating a Sustainable Campus
Mansfield University’s Initiative for Sustainability strives to take the lead in promoting environmental sustainability in our campus community and the region. MU stresses the importance of teaching students to realize their full potential as human beings while recognizing that all growth requires thoughtful constraint with an eye to the future. MU takes a two-pronged approach toward achieving sustainability. First, MU leads by example by engaging in sustainable practices and policies wherever possible and continually seeks ways to reduce the institution’s use of natural resources. Second, MU seeks to integrate sustainable thinking and practices into the curriculum because the university community recognizes that sustainable thinking and practices grow hand-in-hand with developing students of intelligence and character. MU understands that sustainability is another word for security, and the institution seeks to enact these values in its day-to-day operations and teaching.
DRAFT: MU Initiative for Creating a Safe Campus
The mission of Mansfield University to create a safe campus is to work with our students, staff, and faculty to ensure that the university remains a safe place to live, learn, and work; to welcome visitors and ensure their stay is enjoyable; to protect life and property; and to reduce the presence of hazards and opportunity for crimes to occur on campus.
This will be accomplished through systems and building design improvements, increased education on safety issues, and the availability of emergency notifications systems. Mansfield University will provide increased awareness on safety issues throughout the campus community. Enhancements in safety and security policies and procedures will create a safer campus community.
Buying recycled products - the other half of the equation
During the past few years, Mansfield University purchasing has made a conscious effort to buy materials made from recycled products. One example the 15 benches that are located around campus. These benches are manufactured from 100% recycled plastic materials, as are the 4 tables scattered around the mall area at the center of campus. In addition, many of the cleaning products used on campus are certified "green" products by one of several legitimate green third party organizations. Also, virtually all of the bathroom tissue purchased by Mansfield U is made from 100% recycled paper. Finally, the used cooking oil from Food Services at Manser is reused at Southern Tier Hide and Tallow.
Sustainability in Practice at Mansfield University
Mansfield University incorporates the principles of sustainability in its business operations by incorporating the principles of sustainability in its policies and procedures. For example, in the mid 1990's, MU installed a state-of-the-art temperature monitoring system in all buildings on campus. The system's sensors are connected to all floors in all buildings on campus. The sensors are read via real time on master computer screens where temperatures can be adjusted as needed. The system allows us to establish and monitor building temperatures, schedule week-end and night time temperature setbacks and be alerted to system failures before they become critical. The system currently monitors and controls over 1,200,000 Gross Square Feet or approximately 98 percent of the campus space inventory.
Further, Mansfield University has entered into an agreement with Honeywell to conduct an energy inventory and replace all out of date, energy wasteful objects on campus. The work is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2009 and will address items ranging from light bulbs to building cooling technologies to heat loading. In addition, the University strives to utilize "Green Seal" environmentally friendly cleaning products where economically viable.
Finally, the University adapted the policy requiring all new campus facilities to follow LEED guidelines. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, was developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. Since its inception in 1998, LEED has grown to encompass more than 14,000 projects in 50 US States and 30 countries covering 1.062 billion square feet (99 km²) of development array also adapted a policy requiring existing facilities renovations to follow the LEED-EB rating system.