Unity Environmental University
Endowment Value: $18 million (2025)
Unity Environmental University is a private university with a student body of 10,390 (’24 -’25). Its main campus is located on the Pineland Farms campus in New Gloucester, Maine. Unity is also known as “America’s Environmental University” and is a founding member of the Intentional Endowments Network.
J.P Morgan Chase and the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees manage the University’s $18 million-dollar endowment. In 2012, the University’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to fully divest from fossil fuels, making them the first institution of higher learning in the United States to do so. A report released by Unity’s finance officials showed that the University’s investment portfolio had exceeded performance expectations following the decision to divest.
“Unity Environmental University is proud to have been the first institution of higher education to divest its endowment from fossil fuel,” said President & CEO Dr. Melik Peter Khoury. “It was our goal to be the roadmap that showed other institutions this is possible. Now that universities like Harvard and Dartmouth, with their massive endowments, have followed our lead, we have seen fossil fuel divestment become a norm and turn into a $40+ trillion-dollar movement,” said Dr. Khoury.
In 2020, Unity was featured in the Intentional Endowments Network’s case study on ESG investing. The study found that schools using ESG investment strategies achieved returns that were comparable to, or better than, those using traditional investment approaches.
“This has been a great decision for Unity College as well as the environment. Since divesting, our portfolio has outperformed many indexes,” said Dr. Khoury.
Resources:
Unity Environmental University
Divested: The campus movement to shun fossil fuels
Unity Environmental University Celebrates Decade of Divestment