UI-Green Metric
[7.10]Availability of a unit or office that coordinates sustainability on campus
1. Summary
AASTMT maintains a dedicated, multi-layered institutional structure for coordinating sustainability across all campuses. This structure operates on three linked levels:
- An executive sponsor: the Vice President for Community Service, Sustainable Development, and Training, who chairs strategic sustainability sessions and holds institutional authority over the university's sustainable development mandate.
- A standing governance body: the Sustainability Committee, a permanent, multidisciplinary, cross-campus committee with representation from executive leadership, academic deans, quality assurance, campus operations, SDG-aligned faculty coordinators, and elected student representatives.
- A dedicated coordinating office and distributed officer network: the Sustainable Development Directorate (housed under the Deanery of Scientific Research and Innovation), which supervises a network of 17 SDG Officers, one per UN Sustainable Development Goal, each supported by a multi-disciplinary working group, compiling a committee of 36 officers.
Together, these three levels demonstrate that sustainability coordination at AASTMT is not confined to a single office but is embedded in university governance, administration, and grassroots implementation alike.
2. Governance and Coordination Structure
|
Level |
Function |
|
Vice President for Community Service, Sustainable Development, and Training |
Permanent executive member and chair of the Sustainability Committee's strategic sessions; institutional authority for the university's sustainable development mandate; ensures sustainability is integrated into institutional priorities and resource allocation. |
|
Sustainability Committee |
Permanent, multidisciplinary, cross-campus governance body. Reviews and evaluates sustainability initiatives, approves action plans and targets, oversees institutional ranking reporting, and guides external partnerships. |
|
Sustainable Development Directorate |
Housed under the Deanery of Scientific Research and Innovation. Supervises and guides the entire SDG Officer network, ensuring strategic alignment across all 17 SDGs and institutional reporting to global sustainability ranking systems. |
|
SDG Officer Network (17 Officers + working groups) |
One dedicated SDG Officer per UN Sustainable Development Goal, each officially appointed by the university President and supported by a multi-disciplinary working group of staff and faculty from different colleges, departments, and campuses. |
3. Sustainability Committee Composition
The Committee is a multidisciplinary, cross-campus body ensuring sustainability principles are integrated into education, operations, infrastructure, student engagement, and external partnerships:
| Member / Role | Capacity |
|
Vice President for Community Service, Sustainable Development, and Training |
Executive Leadership Representative (Committee Chair for strategic sessions) |
|
Deans and Associate Deans from selected academic colleges |
Academic leadership representation |
|
Institutional Research and Quality Assurance Office representatives |
Data, reporting, and accreditation oversight |
|
Campus operations and facilities managers |
Operational sustainability implementation |
|
Designated SDG-aligned faculty coordinators |
SDG-specific programme coordination and reporting |
|
Student representative(s) from the elected Student Union |
Student voice and engagement in sustainability governance |
The Committee meets on a regular basis to review university-wide initiatives, provide strategic recommendations on infrastructure, curriculum, and community engagement, approve action plans and targets, oversee ranking-related reporting, and guide external partnerships.
4. SDG Officer Network — Structure and Responsibilities
Rather than relying on a single office, AASTMT uses a distributed leadership model: each of the 17 SDGs is championed by an assigned SDG Officer — a faculty or staff member selected on the basis of expertise and institutional role — supported by a multi-disciplinary working group and coordinating directly with the Vice President for Community Service, Sustainable Development, and Training.
| Responsibility Area | Details |
|
SDG Integration |
Promoting goal-specific initiatives across education, operations, and community outreach. |
|
Program Leadership |
Leading awareness campaigns, training sessions, and events related to the assigned SDG. |
|
Data and Reporting |
Collecting indicators, evidence, and impact metrics for ranking and audit purposes. |
|
Collaboration |
Engaging faculty, students, alumni, and partners in SDG-aligned programs. |
|
Capacity Building |
Empowering staff and students to contribute to sustainable development. |
Example: the SDG 3 Officer coordinates health awareness campaigns, the SDG 5 Officer leads gender equity workshops, and the SDG 13 Officer oversees climate-related initiatives and green campus audits.
5. Outcomes and Impact
- Increased alignment of academic curricula with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- Multi-campus sustainability initiatives launched, covering energy efficiency, waste management, and green events.
- More than 50 SDG-focused campaigns and events organised across campuses in the past year.
- Integration of sustainability themes into university courses, student clubs, and research projects.
- Measurable advancement in AASTMT's position in global sustainability rankings.
- A governance model that empowers cross-functional, inclusive, and transparent decision-making on sustainability matters.
Decree No 421 / 2021 for establishment of Sustainability Committee
