Villanova University Names Chief Sustainability Officer: 3 Things to Know

Villanova University has named Father John Abubakar as chief sustainability officer. Here are three things to know about Abubakar and the university's sustainability strategy.

1. University Scope and Scale: Villanova, based in Pennsylvania, was founded in 1842. It is the oldest Catholic university in the state. Villanova enrolled more than 10,000 students in the fall of 2022, including roughly 7,000 undergraduate and approximately 3,400 graduate students, according to U.S. News and World Report. Roughly 83% of those students live on-campus, the report said.

2. Villanova's Sustainability Strategy: Villanova's sustainability plan -- which stretches from 2020 to to 2030 -- includes roughly 18 goals, according to The Villanovan, a student-run newspaper. Of these, 17 come from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, detailing the urgency of unifying countries to defeat the prevalent environmental issues plaguing Earth, the paper noted.

3. Abubaker's Perspectives on Sustainability: In an interview with The Villanovan, Abubaker noted that he has worked and studied in Nigeria, Rome, the United Kingdom and the United States, making his "scope of opinion an intricate piece of the University’s sustainability objective." 

Abubaker told the paper: “Every part of the world has its particular strengths and weaknesses, so I am hoping to bring in a more global perspective to how sustainability is practiced in terms of policy and relations in Villanova. I often emphasize bringing in a more qualitative dimension. I looked at the plan, it is very heavy in terms of quantitative data, so I hope that my team will be able to add some human dimension.”

Villanova University Sustainability: Why Technology Partners Should Care

By 2027, 25% of Global 2000 companies will have assigned a chief sustainability officer (CSO) responsible for meeting their organization’s ESG goals and making ESG-related IT purchasing decisions, according to IDC.

Technology partners need to extend their sales, marketing, engagement and support strategies to successfully fulfill those CSO needs, Sustainable Tech Partner believes.