SUNY-ESF’s commitment to divest from fossil fuels should act as a catalyst for increased dialogue regarding divestment within the State University of New York system.

However, it is not the decision itself that should be seen as a model action to spur discussion, but rather the comprehensive approach the college took in evaluating whether divestment was a sensible step in respect to the college’s financial standing and institutional mission.

Before making the decision, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry College Foundation, which controls the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s endowment, explored the possible financial repercussions of divesting from fossil fuels. These concerns included whether divestment would affect the number of scholarships the college would be able to offer students, lead to decreased funding for academic programs or leave the college in a vulnerable position without a diversified investment portfolio.

Beyond the fiscal components, the board also gauged whether divestment was the right thing to do from an environmental standpoint and considered the five-year campaign from SUNY-ESF students to achieve divestment.

As the first college in the SUNY system to move forward with a decision of this kind, SUNY-ESF has the potential to create a ripple-effect in the largest university system in the United States when it comes to encouraging in-depth conversation regarding divestment. In this way, SUNY-ESF’s thorough process of assessment serves as an example and promotes a method that emphasizes feasibility and responsibility to ensure decisions are being made for the well-being and future of SUNY institutions.

Although Brenda Greenfield, executive director of the SUNY-ESF College Foundation, cited students’ passion for divestment as the ultimate deciding factor in the move to divest, it is clear the college was conscious of the fact that student input is only one factor in a very complex equation — a mentality that should also be undertaken by other SUNY schools.

Rather than rush to address student demands, New York state’s public colleges and universities should follow in SUNY-ESF’s example of taking the time to analyze the institution’s finances, respective investment portfolio and the implications of the decisions to divest or to not divest.

Alex Poisson, a sustainability coordinator at SUNY-ESF, said other SUNY schools — including Onondaga Community College, the State University of New York at Buffalo, the State University of New York at New Paltz and the State University College at Geneseo — have been taking steps toward divestment.

But while each of the 64 SUNY institutions are different and should be able to make their own decisions on the issue of divestment, the choice to follow in SUNY-ESF’s thorough process of assessment should extend to each campus.

Published on January 20, 2016 at 12:56 am

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