Climate Champion #6: Sac State president advocates for future of planet, youth
When Robert S. Nelsen, a first generation college student and graduate of BYU and the University of Chicago, became President of Sacramento State in July of 2015, he chose to prioritize the voices of his students. Initially, this meant focusing on lowering tuition and improving graduation rates and course accessibility.
Now, with the climate crisis threatening the future of youth globally, Nelsen has upheld his promise to advocate for his students and has taken the lead on sustainability – signing an open letter urging President Trump and Congress to invest in climate research, the low-carbon economy, and achieving the scientific targets laid out in the Paris Agreement. He has also joined the “Put a Price on It” carbon pricing initiative and committed Sacramento State campus to achieving carbon neutrality by 2040.
“I believe that we, as a university and as citizens of the world, have to take responsibility for our actions today to ensure we are creating a better world tomorrow,” Nelsen said in a Sacramento State News release. “Institutions of higher education are places where scientific advancements are made and solutions to global problems are realized.”
Under Nelsen’s presidency, Sacramento State has achieved gold status in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System and is a marker of Sacramento’s capacity for environmental stewardship.
