Colorado State University Advances to “Finest Four” Round in Environmental March Madness Tournament

For the second year in a row, Colorado State University has been chosen as part of the “Finest Four,” and has moved on to the final round of the annual Environmental March Madness Tournament, a national competition recognizing colleges and universities in environmental excellence.

The tournament is sponsored by Enviance Inc., provider of environmental management and tracking software, in partnership with GreenBiz Group and Qualtrics. The “Finest Four” were narrowed down by the judges from last week’s “Environmental Eight” round by demonstrating exceptional environmental academics, student opportunities and on-campus sustainability initiatives, as well as outstanding student and faculty engagement.

Colorado State is now in the running for “National Champion” title, to be announced on April 9. Also listed are George Mason University, Ohio State University and the University of Washington.

Colorado State also made the list of four finalists in last year’s competition.

"We are honored to be selected as one of the Finest Four," said Diana Wall, director of the School of Global Environmental Sustainability (SoGES), an umbrella organization at Colorado State for campus-wide sustainability research and engagement. "I am very proud of the students, faculty and staff at CSU for the high level of commitment to environmental, social, and economic sustainability. We have dedicated involvement in facilities management, student organizations, education curriculum, research, and much more. I am constantly impressed by the efforts of this campus and community."

“Each of the schools advancing to the ‘Finest Four’ has a rock-solid academic curriculum for environmental/sustainability studies and has demonstrated the ability to inspire a new generation of environmental professionals by combining their curriculum with innovative initiatives that capture the passion and imagination of their students, faculty and administrators,” said Lawrence Goldenhersh, CEO and president of Enviance, and a tournament judge. “From beehives to waste diversion to rain gardens, the student submittals – supported by faculty and staff – powerfully demonstrate that these institutions are priming their students to bring their ‘A’ game to the important task of solving the most pressing environmental and sustainability issues affecting our economy and society today.”

The Environmental March Madness tournament was designed to evaluate colleges and universities on environmental degree programs and curriculum, environmental opportunities for students, and campus sustainability efforts. To move on to the “Finest Four,” CSU and the rest of the “Environmental Eight” were evaluated by an expert panel of judges from leading environmental nonprofits, top media and education publications and large for-profit companies defining sustainable business operations.

Tournament prizes include a $5,000 grant for the winning school as well as one all-expenses-paid trip to San Diego for a faculty member to attend and speak at the Enviance User Conference, April 22-26. Additionally, two students will also be awarded Google Nexus tablets.

For more information on the Environmental March Madness Tournament, go to http://www.enviance.com/march-madness.

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