November 6, 2023 | 3 pm ET

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Welcome to the IEN Community Roundtable, a unique event dedicated to supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). 

Engage with HBCU stakeholders and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) professionals as we explore mission-aligned investing strategies and other critical topics and emerging trends that will shape the future of HBCU investments. 

Discover the distinctive needs and hurdles faced by HBCUs in their sustainable investing journey. Learn from peers and thought leaders and find out how the Intentional Endowments Network can support you along the way. 

Join this opportunity to connect and delve into critical topics related to endowment management and make a positive social and environmental impact with your investments. 

 

Listen to our latest Beyond Carbon podcast episode featuring Dr. Michael Greenstone exploring the economic implications of carbon emissions. Also, IEN Members can now watch our recent webinar recording on how shareholder engagement and proxy voting can support net zero portfolio commitments. 

Additionally, we’re looking forward to our 2023 Fall Forum, a half-day interactive event on October 25th at Virginia Wesleyan University in Virginia Beach, VA. We invite you to register to build relationships and be inspired to take sustainable action.

In this week’s news, we highlight Natixis’ HUB as a resource for investors seeking information on ESG. A ConocoPhillips deal triggers divestment warnings from European pension plans and CalSTRS votes against directors at more than 2,000 firms for inadequate climate action.

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We’re looking forward to joining our member, AASHE in Boston this Fall for the AASHE 2023 Conference & Expo, October 29 - 31. We invite you to register and  join us with other education leaders for an immersive learning experience to advance sustainability efforts in our respective institutions. 

In this week’s news, the Montana youths suing over climate negligence read the remarkable victory, three NYC pension plans look to dismiss a fossil fuel lawsuit, and gender diversity on corporate boards sees incremental progress.

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We are less than a week away from our upcoming webinar on net zero, shareholder engagement, and proxy voting with TIAA and ASU. Register to join Megan Ahern, Anthony Garcia, and Jeff Mindlin next Wednesday, August 16 at 1 pm for a case study on Arizona State University’s engagement on climate issues. 

We also invite you to preview the agenda for our 2023 Fall Forum! Key panels, including a Warren Wilson College case study on racial equity in the investment process, will round out the afternoon’s dynamic conversations. Register today to be a part of the event in Virginia Beach, October 25!

In this week’s news, a Harvard professor and environmental lawyer steps down from a board role at ConocoPhillips, S&P drops numerical ESG scores from debt ratings, and a new paper highlights the greenwashing present in many institutional investment portfolios.

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Join us for our upcoming webinar on engagement, proxy voting, and the implementation of net zero commitments with ASU and TIAA on August 16 at 1 pm ET. 

Sponsorship opportunities are still available for IEN’s upcoming in-person events. Firms interested in sponsoring our 2023 Fall Forum or 2024 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit should contact Harrison Ungar at [email protected]. 

In this week’s news, Impax releases its Stewardship and Advocacy Report, Oregon Tech is awarded $18 million for a revamp of its geothermal energy system, and Church of England organizes an $128 million fund addressing its ties to the slave trade.

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Explore our new blog posts highlighting a presentation of the Mayaan Fund, a student-managed investment fund out of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (HUJI), and a PRI press coverage compilation emphasizing investors’ fiduciary obligation to consider how ESG factors affect investment risk and return.

In this week’s news, Ceres releases a report on U.S. insurers’ climate risk mitigation strategies, research from PIMCO finds DC sponsors reluctant to integrate ESG options into plans, and broken climate heat records across the world have scientists concerned. 

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Proxy voting and shareholder engagement around climate issues continues to create real impact amidst the political headwinds. Join us on August 16 at 1 pm ET to engage with speakers from Arizona State University and TIAA on ways engagement with portfolio companies can help institutions reach net zero portfolio goals.

In this week’s news, UC implements an equity weighted social cost of carbon, Royal Holloway, University of London divests from fossil fuel and armament companies, and Goldman Sachs releases a report on investing in HBCUs.

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We invite you to register to join more than one hundred sustainable investing and higher education leaders at our 2023 Fall Forum, October 25 at Virginia Wesleyan University! The forum will be a half-day convening focusing on dialogue, networking, and action planning.

Also, our SIILK Initiative will also be holding its next quarterly call on Wednesday, June 19 at 10 am ET, featuring a presentation from the Mayaan Fund. Join this early-stage student fund to learn how they are marrying impact and venture capital.

In this week’s news, a survey of asset owners by Morningstar reveals ESG is still an important issue, Seattle University completes its fossil fuel divestment, and a recap of proxy voting season reveals successes despite a challenging political environment.

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We invite you to join our upcoming SIILK Initiative call, which will feature a presentation from the emerging, student-led Mayaan Fund of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Also, IEN members can now watch last week’s reparations finance webinar recording.

In this week’s news, the impact of the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling on companies is examined, European power prices plunge below zero, and blue states counter anti-ESG measures with climate-friendly legislation of their own.

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We were delighted to host a sustainable retirement panel at GreenFin this week, and invite you to read the follow-up remarks from our ED, Georges Dyer, covered by CNBC.

Thank you to those who were able to join our Juneteenth conversation on reparations finance. IEN Members will be able to access the recording next week.

In this week’s news, the Supreme Court strikes down affirmative action, the Church of England pledges to divest, and Larry Fink distances himself from ‘ESG’ (but not sustainable investing).

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We hope you'll join us next Wednesday (6/28) at 12 pm ET to explore how we can effectively raise the bar for endowments and foundations' racial equity efforts, with a focus on reparations' role in eliminating the racial wealth gap and systemic racism.

In this week’s news, the University of St Michael’s College commits to divesting from fossil fuels, Kwantlen Polytechnic University waives tuition for local First Nation students, and the SEC releases a tentative timeline for its finalized ESG rule.

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Recently, IEN’s SIILK Initiative had the pleasure of hosting a presentation from the budding Mayaan Fund, a student-managed investment fund out of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (HUJI). Elana Steinbach and Shir Kahanov, the student-and-faculty leads of the Fund, explained the fund’s inception, its role in the HUJI community and venture capital ecosystem, and the fund structure. 

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Net zero portfolios are an effective and powerful way for investors to reduce risks associated with climate change and the transition to a low-carbon economy. They also accelerate corporate climate action to reduce systemic risk for all investors and to protect current and future generations from climate impacts.

IEN convenes and supports endowments in learning about net zero endowments, making commitments, and participating in shareholder engagement efforts to get portfolio companies onto decarbonization pathways aligned with the 1.5 degree C warming target of the Paris Climate Agreement. This Quarterly Call was open to all IEN members. Participants joined us for presentations from Pedro Henriques da Silva (Director of Shifting Trillions at the Sierra Club Foundation) and Ed Micklem (Vice President and Head of Strategic Partnerships at Tumelo), followed by Q&A and dialogue!

If you or your organization would like to learn more or participate in this initiative, please contact Aicha Ly at [email protected].

 

Recording

IEN's Investment Governance Initiative connects trustees to create opportunities for peer-to-peer learning among college and university fiduciaries on sustainable investing. It also develops documents and other vehicles to clarify for higher education trustees how sustainable investing strategies relate to their fiduciary duties, designed for audiences of trustees, presidents, CIO's, and CFO's.

This quarterly call is open to members only. To learn more about this initiative or IEN membership, contact Georges Dyer at [email protected].

 

 

 

 

Recording

August 16, 2023 | 1 pm ET

Despite political headwinds, there were a number of successes during the 2023 proxy voting season, including proposals on climate transition and emissions reduction plans to improve financial performance. Proxy voting and shareholder engagement around climate issues continues to create real impact at investee companies, a fact that continues to move institutional investors to choose this tack to advance their sustainability goals. 

In this IEN webinar, member institution Arizona State University shares how they're advancing their net zero portfolio commitment through shareholder engagement, including collaboration utilizing proxy voting service As You Vote and direct corporate engagement on greater policy lobbying disclosures. ASU will be joined by TIAA, who will discuss their long-term engagement strategy on net zero goals and sustainability measures.

Participants learned:

• Best practices for shareholder engagement from an institutional investor and a manager
• How to integrate sustainability goals, including a net zero commitment, into shareholder engagement efforts
• How the new universal proxy card rules will affect institutional investors looking to promote equity and diversity in portfolio companies.

Recording

Arizona State University Slides

Nuveen-TIAA Slides

Speakers:

• Megan Ahern - Senior Analyst, Responsible Investing, TIAA / Nuveen
• Anthony Garcia - Director of Responsible Investing, TIAA / Nuveen
• Jeff Mindlin - Vice President of Investments, ASU Enterprise Partners

July 17 - 20, 2023

Hyatt Regency Atlanta 265 Peachtree Street NE Atlanta, GA 30303

Register

 

Endowments are critical to the long-term financial stability and success of our institutions, and HBCU endowments lag far behind PWIs. The session will feature an expert panel of endowment investment professionals and HBCU leaders to share valuable insights on how to improve endowment management, advance sustainable investing strategies, and more effectively steward institutional resources.

We are excited to present a thought-provoking session dedicated to endowment growth and mission-aligned investing at Historically Black Colleges and Universities for the 2023 UNCF UNITE event, "Endowment Growth & Mission-Aligned Investing at HBCUs". Endowments are critical to the long-term financial stability and success of our institutions, and this session will provide attendees with valuable insights and actionable takeaways on how to support and strengthen HBCU endowments.

The session will feature an expert panel of endowment investment professionals and HBCU leaders who specialize in endowment management, fundraising, and climate aware investing. The panel will share their insights on the challenges and opportunities faced by HBCU endowments, and best practices and strategies for increasing endowment growth and addressing climate risk and opportunities in the investment process. 

Attendees can expect to gain valuable insights on how to improve endowment management, advance sustainable investing strategies, and more effectively steward institutional resources. The panel will explore concepts for collaborative action to drive and support endowment growth at HBCUs and other Historically Black Institutions. Key takeaways and next steps will include exploring fundraising techniques, maximizing investment returns, and creating sustainable endowment policies. In addition, case studies of successful endowment campaigns that have been implemented at peer institutions will be shared.

With the right sustainable strategies and policies in place, we can ensure that our institutions are well-positioned to provide high-quality education and support to our students for many years to come. We believe that this session will be of great value to all attendees, and we are excited to contribute to the important conversation around endowment growth at HBCUs.

Speakers on IEN's Panel:

 

 

 

•  Paris Prince, Director JEDI, Intentional Endowments Network

 

 

 

 

 

 Dorien Nunez, IEN Senior Fellow

 

 

 

 

 Hilda Pinnix Ragland, Board Chair, North Carolina A&T State University

 

 

 

 

 

Angela Outlaw-Matheny, Director of Investment Staff & Diverse Manager Equity at Crewcial Partners, LLC

 

 

 

 

 

 Roberta Lobo, Director, Responsible Investing, Nuveen, a TIAA company

The SIILK Network (Sustainable & Impact Investing Learning & Knowledge) is an Initiative of The Intentional Endowments Network (IEN).

This call will feature a presentation by the Mayaan Fund at the Hebrew University. The Mayaan Fund is the venture capital impact investing platform of the Hebrew University community investing in early-stage impact startups.

Presenters:

 Elana Steinbach, Business Administration and History Student at Hebrew University

 Shir Kahanov, Impact and Innovation, The Hebrew University Business School

Recording:

Contact Nicole Torrico at [email protected] with any questions, for more information, or to get involved with the SIILK Network.

IEN Initiative calls are only open to IEN Members and/or students, faculty, or staff stakeholders at colleges and universities pursuing the development and implementation of sustainable investing education. To learn more about IEN membership or to become a member, please contact Harrison Ungar at [email protected].

The 2023 Fall Forum registration is now open! Join us at Virginia Wesleyan University on October 25, 2023, for an afternoon of learning and networking. Sponsorships are also available; please contact Harrison Ungar at [email protected] to discuss sponsorship opportunities.

Additionally, we invite you to register for our Juneteenth season webinar on reparations, taking place on June 28 at 12 PM ET. All proceeds from the webinar will be donated to Reparations Finance Lab, a nonprofit working towards private sector capital allocation for reparations.

In this week’s news, we share different ways to celebrate Juneteenth, companies funding support for HBCUs, the collaborations between HBCUs to expand climate data solutions. Lastly, our office will be closed on Monday June 19th, in observance of Juneteenth.

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