Guided by Professor Du’Bois A’keen, the project examined how climate-related and broader sustainability risks intersect with financial, legal, reputational, and physical challenges facing the University. The work was designed to support Columbia’s long-term resilience and strategic decision-making as it continues to advance the goals of Plan 2030 amid a rapidly evolving regulatory, environmental, and social landscape.
Over a 100-day timeline, students conducted extensive desk research, interviewed stakeholders and peer institutions, and benchmarked how universities and businesses are integrating sustainability risk into governance and operations. The team analyzed regulatory risks such as key New York City local laws affecting campus operations; social and reputational risks connected to the student experience, community relationships, donors, and immigration policy impacts on international students; and climate risks including heat waves and coastal flooding that pose heightened concerns for Columbia. By situating these findings within emerging U.S. and international policy developments, the project offered a holistic view of risk areas—both within and beyond traditional climate and sustainability domains.
The capstone culminated in a suite of actionable deliverables, including a written report, executive presentation, peer benchmarking summary, and risk frameworks to help prioritize and monitor risks over time. Together, these outputs provide practical tools to understand the broader risk landscape, learn from how other institutions are responding, and integrate climate and sustainability considerations into enterprise-wide risk management. The Office of Sustainability plans to share key insights with campus partners, helping embed climate and sustainability risk awareness into long-term planning and reinforcing Columbia’s leadership in building a resilient, future-ready university.
This project supports the Office of Sustainability’s Campus as Lab (CAL) initiative, which allows students to use their coursework to solve real-world sustainability challenges on Columbia’s campuses.
