Sustainability Commitment

Student Website

USF Sustainability Statement

As an expression of our Catholic Identity, the University of St. Francis community demonstrates, respect for all creation by being responsible and ethical stewards of God’s resources, meeting current needs without sacrificing the survival, health and success of future generations and by advocating on behalf of the under-served in our world. Affirming our commitment to ensure all of God’s creation is used and sustained in manners that safeguard the health and survival of God’s gifts, the University will:

  • Ensure graduates will have a mindset of sustainability by incorporating environment, ethical, social and economic impacts in the University-wide education programs and experiential learning opportunities.
  • Model sustainability in all aspects of institutional functions, including planning, operations, purchasing, and maintenance and will both collaborate with as well as contribute leadership and expertise to local and regional community environmental efforts.
  • Establish a system to monitor and assess practices to reduce the consumption of materials and energy as well as the emission of pollutants without adversely impacting the quality of education, scholarly work, and services provided.

USF Signs Illinois Campus Sustainability Compact

University of St. Francis President Michael J. Vinciguerra joined the leaders from 11 other south suburban universities signing the Illinois Campus Sustainability Compact (Adobe PDF).

The university representatives, who are part of the South Metropolitan Higher Education Consortium (SMHEC), signed the agreement on Sept. 14, 2010.

“Sustainability is very important to us at the University of St. Francis, and we work to keep it at top of mind in all we do, as a teaching by our patron saint, St. Francis, and as a part of our Franciscan values of respect, integrity, service and compassion, ” Vinciguerra said.

By signing the compact, the university is accountable for the completion of certain tasks working toward measured improvements and integrated sustainability in campus operations, academic and research programs, student activities and community outreach.