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Universities that Count - HE Benchmarking Report

Universities that Count - HE Benchmarking Report

Posted on Apr 13, 2007

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An important new report out today has benchmarked universities from across En...

An important new report out today has benchmarked universities from across England on their environmental and corporate responsibility performance. It then reveals how they rate against UK businesses. As institutional performance benchmarking evolves and becomes a mainstream business tool for university managers, this is a significant report for the Higher Education Sector.

Funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), Leeds Metropolitan University in partnership with Business in the Community (BITC) and the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC), have tested the appropriateness of Business in the Community’s Corporate Responsibility Index and Environment Index for the Higher Education Sector.

The environmental sector is one of the most rapidly expanding sectors across the globe yet many universities are struggling to get to grips with how to respond. Mark Warner, Project Manager, Leeds Metropolitan University said, “The ultimate goal is to integrate environmental and corporate responsibility into the DNA of all organisations and their employees.”

The project concludes that the benchmarking tools developed by BITC are appropriate and offer much to the Higher Education sector. Patrick Mallon, Director, BITC said, “We believe this work has proven that a voluntary exercise that engages and shares experiences is a winning formula and we look forward to using it to engage all universities who want to play a full part in responsible business practice.”

Only five of the participating institutions fell within the Business Environment Index of 2005 Top 100, yet strong sector results were gained in Workplace Diversity and Social Impact.

Iain Patton, Executive Director, EAUC, said “Whilst this report illustrates universities are taking the first steps towards environmental and corporate responsibility it also highlights that there is a long journey to go before they are flagship organisations.”

The report findings are being presented to HEFCE with the recommendation to continue and further develop the Higher Education Benchmarking Project.

See below for a PDF of the ‘Universities that Count’ Report. For a paper copy please contact Fiona Goodwin (see Press Queries).

Business in the Community is a charity, which engages companies with the leadership to translate corporate values and commitments into mainstream management practice. Companies measure and report on progress and illustrate the action being taken to improve the impact of their operations, products and services on society and the environment. BITC membership comprises over 750 members including 70 of the FTSE 100 companies with a further 2,000 connected through a network of more than 90 global partners. Together BITC members employ over 14.7 million people in over 200 countries worldwide. BITC, in consultation with its member companies, develop and manage the Environment Index and Corporate Responsibility (CR) Index. The Environment Index has been running for 10 years and the CR Index is in its fifth year. Visit www.bitc.org.uk for further information.

The Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) is the UK sustainability champion for further and higher education. The Association, which has over 200 UK and Irish universities and colleges as members, aims to help institutions improve their environmental and sustainability management. Members benefit from being kept up-to-date with developments in the environmental and sustainability sectors through promoting best practice, events and guides. Visit www.eauc.org.uk for further information.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), working in partnership, promotes and funds high-quality, cost-effective teaching and research, meeting the diverse needs of students, the economy and society. HEFCE is investing in improving leadership, governance and management in the higher education sector through the Leadership, Governance and Management Fund (LGM Fund). The fund supports projects that deliver clear outcomes and a positive impact on current practice, value for money, sustainability and effective dissemination. A total of £10 million over three years was available from August 2004 to fund a wide range of projects, and a further £10 million over three years is available from August 2007. Visit www.hefce.ac.uk for further information.

The 25 participating institutions were Harper Adams University College, Sheffield Hallam University, University of Gloucestershire, University of Hull, University of Lancaster, University of Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan University, University of Manchester, University of Reading, University of Sheffield, University of Worcester, University of York, Bolton University, Canterbury Christ Church University, City University, Coventry University, De Montfort University, King’s College London, Kingston University, London School of Economics & Political Science, University of Bristol, University of Liverpool, University of Warwick, University of the West of England and York St John University.