U of I earns two national recognitions for sustainability

MOSCOW, Idaho — University of Idaho helped shape the new Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability — then became one of the first 14 institutions to earn it. U of I was also named a Top Performer in Curriculum in the 2026 Sustainable Campus Index, earning a 100% score.

“In Idaho, sustainability shapes real decisions about land, water, energy and the communities that depend on them,” said Madison Dougherty, interim sustainability director. “We want students to encounter those questions in their education and see the university working through them, too. Having both efforts recognized is exciting, but the work doesn’t stop with an award.”

The Carnegie classification looks at sustainability across a university, from teaching and research to operations and community engagement. U of I was one of 20 colleges and universities in the 2025 pilot program. Participants completed a self-study and helped test the classification before its national launch. U of I will retain the classification through 2033.

“The first group of inaugural institutions help bring this new classification to life,” said Timothy F.C. Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. “We’re proud to recognize their leadership and the many ways they are advancing sustainability across their campuses and communities.”

The Sustainable Campus Index is published by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). U of I’s 100% curriculum score represents all the points applicable to its report under the association’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS). The curriculum category considers courses, academic programs, hands-on learning and assessments of what students learn.

“Achieving this distinction reflects years of commitment, collaboration, and sustained progress across the institution,” AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser said. “Top-performing colleges and universities like University of Idaho demonstrate what is possible when sustainability is embedded into institutional priorities and translated into measurable action, helping raise the bar for higher education as a whole.”

At U of I, students can pursue a 12-credit sustainability certificate with courses drawn from across the university. The sustainability certificate is available to students of all majors at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. U of I students can also put their sustainability ideas to work outside class.

Since 2007, the Student Sustainability Cooperative has funded more than $160,000 in student projects, including native plantings and alternative energy initiatives. U of I’s achievement of the Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability and its recognition as a top-performing university in sustainability curriculum adds to the university’s list of sustainability accomplishments, including being an AASHE STARS Gold rated institution for sustainability in higher education.

Media contact

Madison Dougherty
Interim Sustainability Director
Office of Sustainability
208-885-7718
mdougherty@uidaho.edu