Friend of the Environment: Environmental Innovation Award
| Published: 06/28/2012 |
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In May, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) awarded WAICU one of its nine annual Friend of the Environment Awards. WAICU won the Friend of the Environment: Environmental Innovation award for its EPA/DNR Environmental Health and Safety Audit program. Milwaukee School of Engineering is a member of the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU), the official organization of the private, nonprofit institutions of higher learning in this state.
MSOE, with the other WAICU members, saved hundreds of thousands of dollars as a result of this one WAICU program. Even more important, the program and the WMC award reinforces WAICU’s and MSOE’s deep commitment to protecting the environment.
MSOE was the first private university in Wisconsin to begin voluntary environmental health and safety inspections. MSOE joined 19 other private colleges and universities in Wisconsin in stepping forward with a green initiative that won the support of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in September 2008. The colleges and universities performed voluntary selfâaudits to assure compliance with major environmental laws.
“There are a large number of laboratories on the MSOE campus with industrial-grade equipment and hazardous material, and we have a long history of safely operating these labs. As a result of the peer audit and subsequent upgrades to our policies, we have raised safety and related compliance matters even further,” said Armund Janto, MSOE vice president of finance and CFO. “We belong to WAICU so we can work together to advance educational opportunity. Our faculty, staff and students are extremely cooperative and safety-conscious. We care about the environment and being responsible citizens.”
“Our peer audit program continues to evolve,” explained WAICU president Dr. Rolf Wegenke. “It is through WAICU members’ willingness to collaborate and innovate that we have been successful in our efforts to safeguard the environment.”
“Wisconsin businesses are dedicated to protecting our natural resources, not only because it’s smart business, but because it’s the right thing to do,” said Mr. Kurt Bauer, WMC president/CEO. “The winners of this award are the best of the best when it comes to keeping Wisconsin clean and creating jobs.”
MSOE is an independent, non-profit university with about 2,500 students. MSOE offers 18 bachelor’s degrees and nine master’s degrees in the engineering, engineering technology, building and infrastructure engineering, health-related engineering, computer, business and nursing fields. The university has a national academic reputation; longstanding ties to business and industry; dedicated professors with real-world experience; and extremely high placement rates and the highest starting salaries of any Wisconsin university according to PayScale Inc. MSOE graduates are well-rounded, technologically experienced and highly productive professionals and leaders.