Joliet, Ill. – The University of St. Francis (USF) is one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible colleges, according to The Princeton Review.
The education services company features USF in The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges: 2021 Edition. Released on October 20, 2020, and accessible for free at princetonreview.com/green-guide, the guide profiles 416 colleges.
“The University of St. Francis is pleased to be included in the Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges: 2021 Edition. This recognition serves as a nice acknowledgement of our efforts to increase sustainability projects and awareness on our campuses,” said Janine Hicks, USF Sustainability Coordinator.
USF has organized formal sustainability efforts for close to 20 years. These efforts have resulted in the installation of water filling stations in campus buildings, the organization of recycling programs, the creation of bee hives and monarch butterfly sanctuaries, and elimination of general on-campus plastic straw usage. This year’s plans have included or will include the replacing of T3 light bulbs with LED bulbs for free through a program with Com-Ed and Ameren to increase energy efficiency, upgrading of a building automation system to increase energy efficiency, planning for an international sustainability speaker to address the USF community as part of Green Month in April, and the expansion of the USF community garden into additional plots that will be used by employees, students, and the university’s new food service provider, Quest Food Management Services. To keep up with USF’s latest sustainability efforts, follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/StFrancisSustainability.
The Princeton Review chose the schools based on a survey of administrators at 695 colleges in 2019-20 about their institutions’ commitments to the environment and sustainability. The company’s editors analyzed more than 25 survey data points in the process of choosing schools for the guide.
“We strongly recommend the University of St. Francis to students who want to study and live at a green college,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief. “Each and every one of the outstanding colleges in this edition of our guide offers both excellent academics and exemplary evidence of environmental commitment.”
Franek noted that The Princeton Review has seen a high level of interest among college applicants and their parents in colleges with green practices, programs, and offerings. Sixty-six percent of the 12,845 respondents (college-bound teens and parents) to The Princeton Review’s 2020 College Hopes & Worries Survey said that having information about a college’s commitment to the environment would affect their (or their child’s) decision to apply to or attend a school. A report on the survey findings is downloadable at princetonreview.com/college-hopes-worries.
The school profiles in The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges include “Green Facts” sections detailing such matters as the availability of transportation alternatives on campus and the percentage of the college food budget spent on local/organic food. The profiles also provide information about the schools’ admission requirements, cost, financial aid, and student body demographics.
The Princeton Review has published its annual Guide to Green Colleges since 2010. The company is also known for its dozens of categories of annual college rankings, its books, including The Best 386 Colleges and The Best Value Colleges, and its many other education services.
USF was recognized earlier this year by The Princeton Review in its “2021 Best Colleges: Region by Region – Midwestern” listing. For additional details on USF’s national recognition, visit stfrancis.edu/nationally-ranked.
How Schools Were Chosen for the Guide
The Princeton Review chose the 416 colleges based on its survey of administrators at 695 colleges in 2019–20 concerning their institutions’ sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. Survey topics ranged from academic offerings and campus initiatives to career preparation for “green” jobs.
More than 25 survey data points were analyzed by The Princeton Review editors to tally Green Rating scores for the schools on a scale of 60 to 99. Colleges that earned a Green Rating of 80 or higher made it into the guide. Of the 416 schools in the 2021 edition, 393 are in the U.S., 22 are in Canada, and one is in Greece. The 416 schools are listed alphabetically in the guide and not ranked overall from 1 to 416. Colleges that earned a Green Rating of 99 made it onto The Princeton Review’s earlier (August 2020) reported Green Honor Roll, as well as this guide. The Green Rating scores appear in the profiles of the schools in the guide on The Princeton Review website and in profiles of the schools in the 2021 editions of The Princeton Review books, The Best 386 Colleges (published August 2020) and The Complete Book of Colleges (published July 2020).
About The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admission services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school–bound students achieve their education and career goals through online and in-person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors, online resources, and its more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House. The company’s Tutor.com brand is one of the largest online tutoring services in the U.S. It comprises a community of thousands of tutors who have delivered more than 19 million one-to-one tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review is headquartered in New York, NY. The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit PrincetonReview.com and the company’s Media Center. Follow the company on Twitter (@ThePrincetonRev) and Instagram (@theprincetonreview).
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Currently celebrating 100 years of higher education rooted in Franciscan values, the University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 51,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.
University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.
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