ACIR to Host Forum on Responsible Investment at Duke, Monday

The Advisory Committee on Investment Responsibility (ACIR) will hold its annual forum on Monday, October 21 from 4:00 to 5:00 PM in the Holsti-Anderson Room of the Rubenstein Library. Committee members will update the community on proceedings from the past year—including recommendations for actions to be taken—and an ongoing effort to strengthen the investment responsibility process moving forward.

Last spring, the ACIR voted to request that President Price and the Board of Trustees reconsider the structure of the process by which students, faculty, and staff can raise issues about the university’s investments. ACIR chair Lawrence Baxter, David T. Zhang Professor of the Practice of Law, noted that while the existing process has produced several successful recommendations, the current structure is not able to effectively manage the concerns voiced by members of the Duke community.

To that end, Duke University Board of Trustees Chair Jack Bovender has appointed a working group of faculty, students, and administrators to consider how the investment review process might be updated. This working group, chaired by Senior Vice President and Secretary of the Board of Trustees Richard Riddell, will consult with experts in ESG investing and university governance to design a system that is more responsive to the Duke community.

“I greatly appreciate the President’s and Board’s responsiveness to these concerns,” said Professor Baxter. “I am optimistic that the Duke community will find the structure that emerges to be more effective and less frustrating than has grown to be the case under the present system.”

All faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to participate in the ACIR Forum on Monday, which is an opportunity to give input into the review process of the board’s policy and procedures for socially responsible investing.