Investments
"The Carleton Responsible Investment Committee (CRIC) is hereby formed to advise the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees via the Vice President and Treasurer regarding ethical and social issues that arise in the management of the college endowment"
-CRIC Charter
The management of Carleton's endowment is important to Carleton's sustainability because the college financially supports those companies in which it chooses to invest. In addition, as a shareholder in those companies, Carleton has the ability to vote on issues that may pertain to the social responsibility and sustainability of the companies. Making decisions about where to invest and how to vote is no easy task when one considers how many different ways there are to define what qualifies as sustainable or socially responsible investment. These considerations are further complicated by the fact that the ultimate goal of the Investment Committee (appointed by the Borad of Trustees to manage the school endowment) is maximize returns.
Links
Endowment Institutes's Sustainability Report Card 2006:
http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/index.html
Carleton Responsible Investment Committee
http://apps.carleton.edu/governance/cric/
Contacts
Contacts for More Information
Fred Rogers, Vice President and College Treasurer, CRIC [ex officio]
frogers@acs.carleton.edu
Sue Traxler, Associate Director of Administrative Computing, Staff representative on CRIC,
straxler@acs.carleton.edu
Indicators
Find out the signs of responcible investment.CRIC and Proxy Voting
CRIC's recommendations on proxy voting allow CRIC some influence over the companies that Carleton invests in without directly encouraging investment or divesting.Transparency
Ensuring that all investment information is transparent will help the college to make responsible financial decisions.Responsible Investing
Making sure that the college only invests in companies that follow socially responsible practices.Goals
Greater transparency, open communication between investment committee and Carleton community and a concrete framework for responcible investing in the future.