Socially Responsible Investment, the Stewardship of University Resources, and Integral Ecology

2021 ◽  
pp. 135-168
Author(s):  
Gerald J. Beyer
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Catholic Social Teaching ◽  
Colleges And Universities ◽  
Socially Responsible Investment ◽  
Social Teaching ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Catholic Colleges ◽  
Responsible Investment ◽  
Catholic Colleges And Universities ◽  
Integral Ecology

This chapter stresses the need for Catholic colleges and universities to engage in the just stewardship of resources. First, the author argues that all Catholic institutions must take seriously the notion of socially responsible investment, informed by the principles of Catholic moral theology and Catholic social teaching. The chapter then considers whether divestment from fossil fuels is a moral imperative and discusses how socially responsible investment principles should also inform whether Catholic institutions can accept donations from individuals, corporations, or government agencies that may have done grave harm to either people or the planet. The author advances the argument that Catholic colleges and universities have a duty to fulfil the vision of integral ecology in Catholic social teaching by implementing “micro-level actions” and promoting systemic level changes to promote sustainability. The chapter also surveys some of the efforts of Catholic institutions to green their campuses and contends that these institutions must recognize that integral ecology relates to both environmental sustainability and human welfare, including the welfare of workers on campus and in their supply chains.

scholarly journals Taking the Check or Checking the Take

Elements ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-74
Author(s):  
Aaron Salzman
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Colleges And Universities ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Catholic Colleges ◽  
Responsible Investment ◽  
Ex Corde Ecclesiae ◽  
Catholic College ◽  
College And University ◽  
Catholic Colleges And Universities ◽  
American Catholic

This essay studies the endowments of modern American colleges and universities. It examines the norms that govern the activities that affect the size of the endowment, specifically spending, acceptance of donations, and investment of endowment funds. The norms regulating the latter two are found to be insufficient, as is evidenced by their inconsistent application. However, American catholic colleges and universities apply the norms regulating investments more consistently than other schools. Catholic colleges' and universities' Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) practices are found to be rooted in the catholic church's official teaching on catholic universities as found in ex corde ecclesiae and the catechism of the catholic church. These documents suggest the need to develop, codify and apply even more rigorous norms governing the acceptance of donations and investment of endowment funds at every American catholic college and university. 

Introduction

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Gerald J. Beyer
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Catholic Social Teaching ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Teaching ◽  
Catholic Higher Education ◽  
Catholic Colleges ◽  
Responsible Investment ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽  
The University

The introduction describes the author’s purpose, aims, and methodology of the book and why it should matter to all who care about Catholic higher education. The author discusses his own indebtedness to Catholic higher education and acknowledges that Catholic colleges and universities in the United States serve students and society in laudable ways. However, the introduction presents the thesis of the book: many Catholic institutions of higher education have failed to embody the values of the Gospel and the principles of Catholic social teaching (CST) in some important institutional policies and practices. Just Universities argues that the corporatization of the university undermines the fidelity of Catholic higher education to its mission by hindering efforts to promote worker justice on campus, equitable admissions, financial aid, and retention policies, just diversity and inclusion policies, and socially responsible investment and stewardship of resources. The author acknowledges the argument of the book represents one perspective and is intended to generate more sustained conversation about ways that Catholic social teaching should shape the life of Catholic institutions of higher learning.

scholarly journals The Link Between SRI and Financial Performance: Effects and Moderators

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe Revelli ◽  
Jean-Laurent Viviani
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Socially Responsible Investment ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Empirical Methods ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Responsible Investment ◽  
Counting Approach ◽  
Performance Effects ◽  
Vote Counting

Over the last twenty years, the debate on financial performance of socially responsible investment (SRI) has not yielded a clear consensus, arguing mainly that there was no difference in performance between SRI and ‘conventional’ investment, although SRI could underperform or outperform in some cases. Our research, based on a meta-analysis ‘vote-counting’ approach of the empirical literature, allows us to observe that the effects of SRI on financial performance are multiple. Second, we conclude that the financial performance of SRI is radically changing according to the empirical methods employed by researchers.

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