Sustainability Designations
Seal of Excelencia
UTRGV’s commitment to ensuring the enrollment and success of its students through innovative educational programs, grant initiatives and enrollment strategies has propelled the university to earn the coveted Seal of Excelencia certification. For its efforts in accelerating Latino student success in higher education, UTRGV was named among 10 universities from across the United States to receive the 2021 distinction.
AASHE STARS Gold Designation
UTRGV was designated the gold AASHE STAR in the years 2018 -2021. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is the first in the UT System and one of only three universities in Texas to earn AASHE STARS “Gold” status for its sustainability initiatives.
Carnegie Foundation Designation
UTRGV is one of just 119 colleges and universities in the United States to receive the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification for 2020. The Carnegie Foundation on January 31, 2020, announced the classification, which honors an institution’s commitment to community engagement and its collaborations with local, regional, state, national, and global partners.
Tree Campus Higher Education Designation
UTRGV has been designated as a tree campus for 6 consecutive years by Tree Campus Higher Education. Tree Campus Higher Education, formerly known as Tree Campus USA, is a national program launched in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation. UTRGV is one of three in the UT System to receive the designation – the others were UT-Austin and UT-Dallas – and one of 27 universities and colleges in Texas.
Bee Campus USA Designation
UTRGV has been a bee campus affiliate since 2018-2021. Schools with this designation are recognized for driving change and ensuring a better future for their communities and pollinators. Campus Living Labs such as UTRGV's Brownsville Campus's Pollinator Garden and events hosted by the UTRGV's Office for Sustainability such as Earth Fest are contributing reasons for this designation...
The Princeton review green colleges Rating
"The Princeton Review chose the 416 colleges based on its survey of administrators at 695 colleges in 2019–20 concerning their institution's 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. "
Sierra Cool Schools Sustainability Ranking
"Participation in Sierra magazine's 14th annual Cool Schools ranking was open to all four-year undergraduate colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, along with two-year community colleges. This is the third year that we opened the rankings to two-year schools. This year’s scores were based on the “STARS reports” created by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Any valid STARS report from the last three years was eligible for Sierra magazine’s rankings. Schools that submitted data through the AASHE STARS system by our March 6, 2020, deadline are represented in the 2020 rankings."
UI Green Metrics Designation
UTRGV ranked #13 in America in 2020, #18 in 2019, #30 in 2018, and #25 in 2017. UI Green Metrics "selected criteria that are generally considered to be of importance by universities concerned with sustainability. These include the collection of basic information of the size of the university and its zoning profile, whether urban, suburban, or rural. Beyond this we would like to see the degree of green space. The next category of information concerns with electricity consumption because of its link to our carbon footprint. Then we would like to know about transportation, water usage, waste management, setting & infrastructure, energy & climate change, and education & Research. Beyond these indicators, we would like to get a picture about how the university is responding to or dealing with the issues of sustainability through policies, actions, and communication."
