In our early years, COA stopped investing in tobacco. Then, in 1983, we divested temporarily from South African-based companies to protest apartheid. And, in 2006, we sold our holdings in ExxonMobil.

The fossil fuel divestment campaign began in January 2013, with students and faculty members collecting signatures, researching our investment portfolio, and working with the administration to formulate a proposal. One week after the initial call to action, students met with members of the Board of Trustees. While a provisional agreement to divest was accepted, the resolution needed a vote by the board. This was slated to take place in April, but the administration decided to expedite the process. At a special meeting of COA’s Board of Trustees on March 11, 2013, the student proposal was accepted. On March 12, less than 24 hours after the divestiture resolution was passed, the college fully divested its approximately $1 million in fossil fuel-related investments.

In 2015 a group of students and staff launched a sustainable investment group, charged with developing guidance for sustainable investment and overseeing a small portion of the college’s endowment.

 


COA divestment in the news: