about us

The Coalition for Responsible Investment at the University of Houston is a registered campus organization seeking to establish sustainable investment practices throughout the UH System.

Principles:

• Shareholder Engagement

The University of Houston System boasts a sizeable $521 million dollar endowment, which is invested in stocks, mutual funds, and other such financial assets. As a large institutional-investor, the university owns tens of thousands of stocks in hundreds of companies.Shareholders (i.e., people who own stocks) are legally guaranteed certain rights over companies in which they hold shares, one such guarantee allows for shareholders to direct the behavior of a company through a democratic voting process. For instance, if a single of General Motors’s investor introduces a bill that demands the company increase its fuel efficiency standards, and a majority of shareholders agree, GM would be legally obligated to comply.Environmentally and fiscally responsible investors regularly present “bills” to be voted on at shareholder meetings, and quite often, they receive enough votes to be seriously considered. A 2006 study at the University of Sydney validated the effectiveness of shareholder engagement in enhancing a company’s environmental performance. In fact, many prestigious universities, including but not limited to Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Dartmouth, Stanford, Vassar, and Brown, all of whose endowments are far more substantial than our own, have already adopted such voting policies.Currently, the University of Houston does not utilize its shareholder voting power.

• Endowment Accountability

In the state of Texas, it is illegal for a publicly-funded organization to invest in companies doing business in Sudan. Unfortunately, such investments do occur and go unnoticed. Of course, this is but a single example. The University of Houston System has investments in countless organizations are suspect of social and environmental abuses. CRI-UH intends on holding the University accountable for its investment decisions.

• Endowment Transparency

Members of the University of Houston community ought to know how their donations and tuition fees are being invested. CRI-UH aims to make readily accessible the university’s investment information. Such practices will ensure that irresponsible investments are highlighted and rightfully discouraged.

Officers:

Sameer Siddiqi, President,

Mike Katsus, Chairman

Will Nelson, Chairman