The University of Rhode Island’s research ocean vessel, the Endeavor, has started using refined biofuel. To fuel its trek around the globe, the vessel recently filled up with a mix of recycled oil from fast food restaurants and regular diesel.

The University of South Carolina has unveiled a new Student Sustainability Fund, which will allow the campus community to submit proposals for sustainable projects. While $25,000 in seed money has been allocated to the fund, an optional student fee will add to it in the future. A committee of 14 students and five faculty members are in the process of accepting and reviewing proposals.

The University of Texas at Arlington is the first higher education institution to be certified by the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES). The voluntary, national rating system and set of performance benchmarks for sustainable landscapes recognized the university for its Green at College Park, which features an open lawn, pedestrian promenade, shade arbor, native plants in rain gardens and a water detention system. The Green is one of three projects to receive recognition from among 150 pilot projects seeking certification since summer 2010.

The University of Vermont has launched a new sustainable campus innovation certificate program that can be taken entirely online. The program will equip those working within higher education operations, administration and student leadership with the training to inspire and guide a green transformation across their campus and surrounding community. Participants will learn how to institute sustainable practices, drive environmental innovation to boost enrollment of eco-savvy students, and incorporate sustainability into the curriculum to encourage student participation and retention.

Students in the Net Impact chapter at Antioch University, New England (NH) have signed the Perpetual Food Pledge. Aiming to bring awareness to the fact that the number of people who experience food insecurity in New Hampshire has increased by 90 percent since 2006, the pledge states that a nonperishable food item to help feed the hungry will be purchased with every trip to the grocery store.

Arizona State University’s Polytechnic campus has announced plans for a 1-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant. The facility will be developed by SunPower Corp., which will sell the energy produced back to the university. The plant is expected to produce an amount of energy equal to that needed to serve about 225 SunPower customers.

Austin Community College (TX) has installed 18 electric car charging stations available to the campus community and the public as part of the ChargePoint America program. At $2 per hour-long charge, the college hopes the stations will help create a support network for environmentally friendly vehicles.

Bristol Community College (MA) has announced a pilot project with a local high school that will expose both high school and higher education students to sustainable and green energy technologies. With a combination of theory, experimentation and field trips to a solar farm and green energy plant, students will learn about wind energy, efficient lighting, brownfield redevelopment, city planning and transportation, urban agriculture, solar thermal design and greenhouse technology.

California State University, Fullerton has installed three solar power systems on the roof of campus buildings, each 1.16 megawatts in size. Including solar powered electric vehicle charging stations, the systems are expected to produce enough electricity per year to equal the elimination of 5,181 passenger vehicles from the road over the next 25 years.

Central Lakes College (MN) has announced a new Local Food College program that will aid farmers in increasing the production of food in the region. The low-cost sessions include an overview of whole farm planning, fruit and vegetable production, and business planning. Participants will learn from practitioners and educators and share personal experiences with others who are part of the growing movement to build resilient local food systems.

In a response to a Campus Climate Survey, Duquesne University’s (PA) Council on Diversity has announced plans to host more events and programs that showcase diversity. The survey revealed that students and faculty are in favor of actively promoting gender, racial and religious equality. Goals include monitoring the campus social climate; planning events to celebrate and promote diversity on campus; and recruiting and retaining minority faculty, staff, administrators and students.

Ivy League students recently crashed a handful of investment banking firm recruiting sessions at Harvard (MA), Brown (RI) and Princeton (NJ) universities, reports an Inside Higher Ed article. "...we protest the campus culture that whitewashes the crooked dealings of Wall Street as a prestigious career path. We are here today as a voice for the 99 percent, shut out by a system that punishes them just for being born without privilege," a group of 18 Princeton students said collectively during one recruiting session. "What we need is not a university for the 1 percent, but a university in the nation's service, and in the service of all nations." The tactic marks a shift for the college Occupy movement, says the article, "which up to this point had primarily targeted either their institutions or Wall Street as a whole."

Kalamazoo College (MI) has received a $23 million grant for its Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. The largest grant in the college's history will endow scholarships and internships for students, fellowships and professorships for faculty members, lectures and conferences, local and global partnerships, and residencies for social justice scholars and activists. The grant is from the same foundation that established the center three years ago.

The Lane Community College (OR) Board of Education has approved a watershed science technician associate degree. The water conservation curriculum will provide career opportunities for students who previously only had the certificate option.

Michigan State University's College of Education has named Donald E. Heller, a national expert on higher education access issues, as its new dean. The former director of Pennsylvania State University’s Center for the Study of Higher Education has spent much of his career studying how government and institutional policies affect college access and choice for low-income and minority students. At a time when both the state and federal governments are stepping up their focus on higher education financing, accessibility and outcomes, says Michigan State University’s provost in the Chronicle of Higher Education article, "someone who understands education policy and the role of the university in helping to shape that policy is extremely attractive."

Middlebury College (VT) has announced plans for a small solar farm consisting of 34 solar trackers that will produce enough electricity to power one of its residence halls. The system, slated for a spring installation, will also be used as an opportunity for student learning and research.

Following a recent National Task Force for Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement report noting that community college students in particular benefit from civic learning, Mount Wachusett Community College (MA) has received a $2 million donation from an anonymous donor to establish a civic learning center, reports the American Association of Community Colleges' (AACC) Community College Times. The center will establish best practices; support programs, activities and community events that highlight the value of civic engagement and its relationship to healthy communities; and help fund awards for the college's students who show commitment and provide mentorship in areas of civic learning.

Portland State University (OR) has received $3.5 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for sustainable transportation research and education. One of 63 applicants for 22 grants, the university will focus on research and education programs that improve health and safety for all users; increase the efficiency and understanding of cycling, walking and transit; make the best use of data, performance measures and analytical tools; integrate multimodal transportation with land use; and take long-term action on transportation emissions and climate change.

Princeton University (NJ) has started the installation of a new 5.3-megawatt solar photovoltaic panel field, to be completed by summer 2012. The university will host the field and lease the equipment from the project's funder and owner, Key Equipment Finance. After eight years, the university will have the option to purchase it at fair market value.

The president of the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities announced at a recent conference that the state's population of students in dire financial need grew by half in the 2009-2010 academic year, reports a Washington Post blog. This is a crisis for colleges, says the article, because while the federal government's Free Application for Federal Student Aid has determined that many more students bound for Wisconsin colleges should have their expenses covered entirely through aid, it hasn't stipulated where that aid will come from. The neediest students are eligible for $5,550 in federal Pell grants. Beyond that, grant and scholarship dollars come mostly from individual schools.

The University of Arizona has installed two self-serve bicycle repair stations on campus. Users are able to suspend their bikes and make minor adjustments using the 17 tools that are tethered to the unit.

A record high of 91,512 students from diverse ethnic, geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds applied for fall 2012 admission to the University of California, Los Angeles. Latino applications grew by 15.6 percent over last year, while African American and American Indian applications increased by 13.7 percent and 12.9 percent, respectively. The university also continued to experience gains among students from low-income families.

The University of California, Santa Barbara has announced the installation of four bike repair stations on campus, with two more on the way. The stations, which feature a metal stand designed to suspend a bicycle for repairs and a variety of tools including wrenches, screwdrivers and an air pump, are free to the campus community.

In an effort to increase student awareness of its sustainability efforts and successes, the University of Connecticut's Office of Environmental Policy and Communications and ResLife departments worked with a graphic design firm to develop an informative display for campus. The wall-size mural, which includes three-dimensional pieces that can be updated, features a collage of pictures and short text paragraphs explaining what the university is doing to reduce its environmental impact.

The University of Illinois at Chicago has approved a refundable $4.00 per semester sustainability fee for students. The fee was proposed by students to assist the university in aligning its operations and academics with the principles of sustainability. A student-led committee, supported by faculty and staff, will decide which student-driven initiatives receive funding through the initiative.

The University of North Carolina, Greensboro’s School of Education building has achieved LEED Gold certification. Thirty percent of the $47 million project features regional materials and 88 percent of the construction waste was recycled. Sustainable features include drought resistant plants, low-flow plumbing, a bio-retention pond and sand filter systems.

The University of Pennsylvania has replaced two 1970s-era Zambonis with energy-efficient ice-resurfacing machines for its campus ice rink. The university also replaced a gasoline-powered ice edger with a zero-emissions model. With support from the Green Fund, the university plans to install a new water densification system this spring, designed to help reduce energy use in the arena.

In an effort to make education more affordable and accessible, Sewanee: The University of the South (TN) has announced that it will freeze the cost of tuition, room and board for the next four years for the class entering next fall. Tuition and fees for these students will remain level through spring 2016. The university previously announced a 10 percent reduction in tuition and fees for the current 2011-2012 academic year, which will remain in effect for returning students next fall.

The University of Washington, Seattle has announced the latest round of Campus Sustainability Fund project winners. Collected through a quarterly $118 student fee, the $180,227 will be split between five projects including a new sustainability service learning coordinator student liaison, on-campus composting facility, parking lot bioswale, green wall and feasibility study for a student biodiesel campus cooperative.

Professors at Western Washington University and the University of Washington have been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement to help fund a study to create more efficient solar panels. The team will research new ways to refine the technologies used in solar panels, as well as test less expensive and greener materials that can be used to achieve the same power generation as a standard solar cell.

Wilfrid Laurier University (ON) has implemented a building dashboard system on campus to monitor energy consumption in real-time. The Lucid Design Group dashboard was funded by a $150,000 grant from the university president's Innovation Seed Fund.

Sixty-five signatory campuses of the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) have submitted public greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories since the last update in the AASHE Bulletin on Nov. 8, 2011. The GHG inventory is the first major reporting requirement of the Commitment and is due within a year of signing. In alphabetical order, new inventories were submitted by: Albion College (MI); American University (DC); Austin College (TX); Bard College (NY); Bowdoin College (ME); Bowie State University (MD); Chatham University (PA); Clark University (MA); Coastal Carolina University (SC); Delta College (MI); DePauw University (IN); Eckerd College (FL); George Mason University (VA); George Washington University (DC); Gonzaga University (WA); Grand Valley State University (MI); Hamilton College (NY); Haverford College (PA); Indiana State University; Lorain County Community College (OH); Macalester College (MN); Maharishi University of Management (IA); Massachusetts College of Art & Design; Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts; McLennan Community College (TX); Montclair State University (NJ); Ohio University; Ohlone College (CA); Oregon State University; Phoenix College (AZ); Seattle University (WA); Sewanee: The University of the South (TN); Southern Polytechnic State University (GA); St. Lawrence University (NY); St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley (MO); State University of New York College at Oswego; Stetson University (FL); The City College of New York; Trident Technical College (SC); University of Arizona; University of Arkansas; University of California, Irvine; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, San Francisco; University of Colorado Boulder; University of Hawaii at Manoa; University of Maryland Baltimore; University of Maryland Baltimore County; University of Maryland College Park; University of Massachusetts Lowell; University of Minnesota-Crookston; University of Minnesota-Rochester; University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; University of Missouri-Columbia; University of Missouri-Kansas City; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; University of Vermont; University of Washington Tacoma; University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; Valdosta State University (GA); Villanova University (PA); Wentworth Institute of Technology (MA); Wesley College (DE); West Chester University of Pennsylvania; and Western Washington University. In related news, State University of New York Institute of Technology has released a greenhouse gas inventory.

Champlain College and the University of Vermont have announced a subsidized car sharing membership for full-time students, faculty and staff. Offered through the Campus Area Transportation Management Association and CarShare Vermont, the program's $150 annual membership fee has been underwritten by the two Vermont institutions in an effort to triple the number Champlain College and the University of Vermont members in 2012.

Clemson University (SC) has partnered with car sharing program WeCar to offer four cars to the campus community. Car sharing is encouraged with prime parking spots for those who split the costs of a parking permit and carpool to the university. Other programs in development include a way to post routes online for other commuters to hitch a ride and better parking spots for those driving EPA-approved low-emission vehicles.

Duke University (NC) has debuted its latest residence hall, designed to achieve LEED Silver certification. The 75,000-square-foot building will use 35 percent less water and 12 percent less energy than an average building of the same size. Sustainable features include a storage room for bicycles, recycling bins and low-flow plumbing. Seventy-five percent of construction materials were recycled.

As part of Duke University's (NC) effort toward a more sustainable holiday season, about 600 campus community members took the Green Devil Challenge, which encouraged meaningful gift-giving and waste minimization. As part of the challenge, students, faculty and staff made commitments to make donations to charities and volunteer time to help others.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced the winners of its 2011 Game Day Challenge. Seventy-eight schools participated in the fall competition, targeting 2.7 million fans and diverting more than 500,000 pounds of waste. With the highest recycling rate and the greatest greenhouse gas reductions, the University of Virginia is 2011's Recycling Champion and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Champion. Central Connecticut State University earned the title of Waste Minimization Champion; the University of California, Davis held onto the title of Diversion Rate Champion from 2010; and Marist College (NY) also kept its title of Organics Reduction Champion.

Hagerstown Community College (MD) has opened its new energy-efficient Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) building. Sustainable features include sunshades, improved air quality and a system that catches rainwater for use in toilets. The college plans to eventually install solar panels and green roofs.

The Lumina Foundation has launched a collaborative partnership to strengthen ventures in metropolitan areas that show promise in improving the higher education access of Latino students, the fastest-growing student population in the U.S. Lumina will provide a total of $7.2 million over a four-year period to 12 partnerships in 10 states with significant and growing Latino populations. The partnerships will leverage community leaders across policy, education, business and nonprofit sectors to build, implement and sustain place-based efforts that capitalize on their local talents and ingenuity. Participating institutions include Georgia-based Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah State University and Savannah Technical College, which will work to double their percentage of graduated Latino students.

A new report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy says that a focus on minority-serving institutions is essential to transforming our educational system, meet workforce demands and bolster the economy. To meet the Obama administration’s goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020, those working in the areas of college access should address this largest-growing demographic, says the report. Minorities, whose rates of college attainment are the lowest, are expected to climb from 31 percent today to 52 percent by 2050 in the U.S.

New England Institute of Technology (RI) has completed a green renovation of its East Greenwich campus. Sustainable features of the building, which sits on 25 acres of land, include recycled and reused construction debris, low-VOC materials, a groundwater harvesting system and motion-detected lights. Additionally, 60 LED lights were installed on light poles across campus.

Portland State University's (OR) Institute for Sustainable Solutions has launched the 2012 Solutions Generator, offering student awards to carry out a physical installation, event, solutions-focused research paper, new program or recommendation to make the campus and community more sustainable. Each student involved in a selected proposal will receive up to a $1,000 Leadership Service Award and in addition, selected proposals will be awarded up to $1,500 toward budgeted project expenses.

Purdue University’s (IN) student government, with support from the provost's office, is encouraging the campus bookstore to sell environmentally friendly essay books instead of the standard blue books. The "green" books are made with a minimum of 30 percent post-consumer recycled materials and cost a penny more. While some classes administer quizzes online, the university doesn't have the technology yet to administer tests online that include essay questions.

Rochester Institute of Technology's (NY) M. Ann Howard, senior associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts, has earned the American College Personnel Association's Champion of Sustainability award. Howard has been working in the field of community sustainability for more than two decades and established the University/Community Partnerships program in cooperation with resident leaders of neighborhoods in northeast Rochester. The program has yielded a 10-year community health initiative, community-based asset mapping and a community garden network.

Saint Michael’s College (VT) has announced its participation in Casella Waste System's Power of Three closed-loop recycling initiative. The program takes collected recycling and gives it back to the customer in the form of hand towels, tissue paper and toiletry items. The university’s recycling will be returned in the form of 100 percent recycled paper products.

As tuition revenue per student continued to climb between the fall of 2010 and the fall of 2011, tuition discounts grew as well, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education. The article sites the third annual analysis of tuition revenue by Moody's Investors Service based on responses from 257 of the institutions whose creditworthiness Moody's rates. Noting that discounts "are becoming increasingly important in attracting and retaining students in light of growing pricing sensitivity," the analysis revealed "more and more public institutions are following the private colleges' lead on discounting." About 42 percent of public universities increased their discount rates during the analysis period while nearly 54 percent of private colleges increased their discount levels.

The University of Chicago's (IL) Facilities Services recently added three electric vehicles to its fleet. The first Neighborhood Electric Vehicles on campus, the 100 percent-electric cars will replace two gasoline-powered trucks and a van. The department aims to invest in further green technologies.

Four student organizations at the University of California, Santa Barbara have partnered with the Plastic Pollution Coalition to ban single-use plastic bags and raise awareness of the detrimental affects of plastics on the environment. The campus is the pilot institution for the coalition's global “Plastic-Free Campuses” project. The university will kick-off the campaign by displaying a single day’s worth of plastic on campus, as well as a sculpture made completely of plastic found on local beaches.

In a blind taste test held recently by the University of the District of Columbia's Sustainability Initiative and Student Government Association, 52 percent of campus participants preferred the taste of filtered tap water over bottled spring water. To promote the use of tap water on campus, the groups also gave each of the 54 participants a short quiz to gauge their knowledge of the bottled water industry. The university's director of planning and sustainability, Howard Ways, tells the Bulletin that 24 hydration stations will be installed throughout campus. Five stations have been installed so far.

As part of a partnership among the Government of Canada, Canadian universities and industry to boost producer profitability through green agriculture technologies, the University of Manitoba has received $3 million to the to study cost-effective greenhouse gas mitigation practices for the cattle sector. Funded through the Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Program, a five-year, $27-million initiative that focuses on the development of on-farm greenhouse gas mitigation technologies, the university's research will lead to the development of new beneficial management practices toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the cattle sector.