1. Graph the current university endowment expansion or contraction. Estimate percentage invested in fossil fuel companies.
2. Graph the current university stock portfolio performance. Demand release of this information. Board has fiscal responsibility to maximize revenue, so compare fossil fuel stock performance with solar/wind.
3. Graph components of portfolio (fossil fuel, military, other)
4. Scope the Board of Trustees:
• their corporate status (CEO, etc),
• their membership on boards of other corporations
• their corporate, family, friendship connections with leaders of fossil fuel
• Is there a student trustee?
5. List the major donors to university
* their connections to fossil fuel industry
• their investments in fossil fuels
• their connections to trustees
• their personal charities and sponsors
6. Research university's federal/state/corporate research contracts with fossil fuels, especially engineering department.
7. Create a Reinvestment Timeline detailing shift from fossil fuels to Socially Responsible Investments (SRI), especially renewable fuels. Confer with Business majors and professors. For example, propose 20% shift in the first year and each of next four years until divestment is complete.
8. Secure agreement from Trustees.
If YES, celebrate, publicize and verify. Stanford University was pressured to divest from coal in 2014. Their trustees agreed to do so and got big publicity. Two years later they quietly reversed. The trustee who promoted divestment left the Board soon after. He owned a solar company.
So trustees might agree to divest, then wait for divestment leaders to graduate.
9. If NO,
• publish your report of trustee corporate connections: "Your Tuition at Work."
• Create a Solar Alumni Association. Graduates would take the Sunshine Pledge not to donate to the university's general fund, building fund, or endowment, unless trustees divest of fossil fuels. They'd pledge to donate instead only to specific campus renewable energy retrofits. Appeal to fellow students and alumni according to their major.
• publish the list of universities which have divested of fossil fuels and encourage future students to enroll in those.
• Sue the trustees for fiscal irresponsibility, since renewable stocks outperform fossil fuels.
• Sue the trustees for reckless endangerment of students, faculty, staff and their children.
See also: Responsible Endowments Coalition and Powershift Divestment
Glover is author of “How to Take Power” and other books.