Questions for Sustainability Coordinator candidates
We will soon bring several candidates to campus for our new sustainability coordinator position.
As someone working in this line of work, do you have recommendations for questions from the search committee?
Any topic ideas a 15- to 20-minute presentation, which will be open to campus (one of the candidates is internal, so we want to ensure everyone has a fair chance)?
Thanks in advance!
There are a few ideas for questions that I'd like to add for those hiring sustainability staff who will head offices or departments (officers, directors, vps, deans). I don't know how to phrase them best as questions so I'll present them as ideas for you to phrase.
One of the most challenging parts of working within higher education is that campus operations, academics and administration can tend to be territorial. Sometimes this is a result of silos created by academic disciplines. Sometimes it can be the result of the budgeting process ("That's not coming out of my budget!"). And, occasionally, it can just be personality-driven, such as when a particular leader decides to run their part of the campus like a fiefdom. This kind of terrtoriality frustrates many cross-campus initiatives, whether the intiative is focused on IT integration, diversity, curriculum requirement revisions or sustainability. It takes skill to win support for your cross-campus initiative - particularly when you are a high-level administrator with a budget. If you are a VP of Sustainability with a budget, for example, don't be surprised if the departments you approach with sustainability program ideas expect you to pay for any additional costs associated with the program (an unrealistic expectation given that your budget probably only covers staffing and office expenses). They might also react defensively, because having a VP that is not in their direct chain of command poking around in their business might seem like a violation or at least a slippery slope. It's important, therefore, when hiring for a high-level sustainability position to make sure that you have a candidate that is familiar with these dynamics and adept at working successfully within them. (If you want to know what I think a good answer to this quandary is, feel free to email me. I guess I shouldn't write it here and taint potential candidate answers. ;)
It is important that sustainability offices not be perceived as drains on the institution's resources. One part of addressing this perception is to make the business case for any sustainability initiatives (it attracts applicants; it reduces energy costs; etc.). Another part of addressing this perception, that is particularly important in times of alarming budget cuts, is finding and bringing in *new* money and resources. There are more grants available now that can be pursued for higher education sustainability initiatives than ever before. There are more alumni than ever before that are interested in having their contribution to their alma mater be a "green" one. More companies interested in partnering with campuses on sustainability initiatives, including swapping investments in campus clean energy infrastructure in return for tax credits. (For an example of this, see University of Colorado at Boulder's recent announcement of their solar panel tax credit swap with Rockwell Financial Group.) The point is, it would be very valuable to have a high level sustainability officer that is equipped with the skills needed to bring in new money (or new infrastructure for free). A good question would be one that asks them to demonstrate that they have those skills.
Those are just two ideas of mine. Take them for what they are worth. Perhaps others will chime in with theirs.
-Sam Hummel
AASHE IT Team
sam@aashe.org
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I think questions probably need to be tailored to the job description. Is this a high-level administrative position? Is this a staff role within the Facilities Department? That said, there are some questions that I think apply across the board:
Recognizing that resources are limited (particularly now), how would you make the case for spending resources on sustainability initiatives?
As on most any campus, there is a wide number of places and ways that the campus could be made more sustainable. How would you prioritize what to work on first?
Describe a situation in which you were able to bring a skeptical decision-maker or colleague around to supporting the implementation of a sustainability initiative.
How do you see the person in this role working with each of these groups of campus community members: Administrators, Staff, Faculty, Students and Alumni.
As with any job, some questions targeted at skillsets required in the job description are important. Budgeting, public speaking, etc.
Hope that helps get you started.
-Sam Hummel
AASHE IT Team
sam@aashe.org