Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.68
Liaison Margaret Lo
Submission Date July 21, 2021

STARS v2.2

Ball State University
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Augusta Isley
Senior Proposal Manager
Sponsored Projects Administration
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Student sustainability research incentives 

Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
Yes

A brief description of the student sustainability research program:
Ball State University's Aspire Internal Student Grant Program provides project support for travel, research, and creative endeavors.

Programs of the Academy for Sustainability provide students with interdisciplinary studies that examine the interactions of social, economic, and environmental factors which challenge our ability to maintain sustainable systems for future generations. These programs help prepare 21st century leaders who apply systems thinking to envision and implement solutions that contribute to the healthy viability of cultures, ecologies, and economies.

The Cohen Memorial Fund was established in 1984 to support the Benjamin V. Cohen Peace Fellowship Program, which awards funds to Ball State faculty members and graduate students for research in fields related to progress toward a peaceful world.

Faculty sustainability research incentives 

Does the institution have a program to encourage academic staff from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
Yes

A brief description of the faculty sustainability research program:
The Center for Energy Research/Education/Service (CERES) at Ball State University, is an interdisciplinary academic support unit focused on issues related to energy and resource use, alternatives and conservation. Faculty associated with CERES have engaged in research ranging in scale from community planning to materials technology. The primary emphasis of the CERES research is the interrelation of disciplines in energy-related methods of analysis, performance evaluation, and decision-making.

The Cohen Memorial Fund was established in 1984 to support the Benjamin V. Cohen Peace Fellowship Program, which awards funds to Ball State faculty members and graduate students for research in fields related to progress toward a peaceful world.

Discovery is a women’s collaborative philanthropic group created to support and fund innovative projects and programs at Ball State University – impacting students and benefiting our local, national, and international communities. Discovery funds projects that are in line with Ball State University's Beneficence Pledge, and will contribute to the University's aspiration of being a model student-centered and community-engaged university.

Ball State University's Aspire Internal Faculty Grant Program provides funding to faculty to support projects in the areas of research, scholarly studies, and creative endeavors.

Ball State University’s Office of the Provost and Office of Immersive Learning provide support for projects that are considered “immersive learning.” Immersive Learning is considered collaborative, conducted under a faculty mentor, fills needs for a community partner, conducted by a team of undergraduate research, and results in a specific outcome or deliverable. Funding comes in pilot projects (one year) or three year sustained project grants. Interdisciplinary research is encouraged.

The SUBMIT incentive program is designed to provide individual support to investigators that submit an external proposal for over $20,000. Project Investigators (PI) or Co-Investigators (Co-PIs) who follow the University’s Proposal Submission Policy are eligible to receive funding that may be used for research-related expenses through a Research Incentive Fund (RIA) transferred monthly.

Recognition of interdisciplinary, transdisciplnary and multi-disciplinary research 

Has the institution published written policies and procedures that give positive recognition to interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research during faculty promotion and/or tenure decisions?:
Yes

A copy of the promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
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The promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
BALL STATE UNIVERSITY GUIDELINES FOR PROMOTION AND TENURE:

35.2. Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure - Definitions:

35.2.11. Scholarship is the process of attaining new knowledge, creating a new work, or recreating/interpreting existing works, and disseminating the results. Generally this takes the form of appropriate peer reviewed publications, presentations or exhibits, performances, other creative endeavors and grant proposals. Scholarship can occur in four areas: discovery, integration, application, and teaching.

35.2.11.1. The scholarship of discovery is traditional research and creative endeavors that pursue and contribute to new knowledge for its own sake.
35.2.11.2. The scholarship of integration makes connections across disciplines bringing together isolated knowledge from two or more disciplines or fields to create new insights and understanding.
35.2.11.3. The scholarship of application applies knowledge to address significant societal issues.
35.2.11.4. The scholarship of teaching studies the development of knowledge, skill, mind, character, and/or ability of others.

45. Policy for Evaluation of Scholarship:

45.1 Ball State University recognizes the importance of providing a climate in which professors pursue independent or collaborative scholarly activities or creative endeavors.

45.1.1. Departments will recognize and reward the four areas of scholarship: discovery, integration, application, and teaching.
45.1.2. Each department or school shall define its own emphases and the appropriateness of each faculty member's scholarly productivity and creative endeavors.
45.1.2.1. Faculty shall not be required to participate in each of the four areas of scholarship.
45.1.3. Each faculty member shall communicate clearly to the chairperson or director his or her goals and accomplishments which contribute to the departmental goals and emphases.
45.1.4. Each faculty member shall communicate clearly to the chairperson or director the appropriateness of his or her creative endeavors and means of disseminating results of scholarly productivity. The traditional methods of dissemination through refereed publications, presentations, exhibitions, productions, concerts, and other recognized professional formats currently evolving will be considered.
+ Date Revised: June 29, 2022

Library support

Does the institution have ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s library support for sustainability research:
The university offers a "subject guide" in Natural Resources & Environmental Management, which includes articles, internet resources, literature reviews, and annotated bibliographies. Additionally, users are able to virtually "ask a librarian" or work one-on-one in person or over the phone to receive individualized assistance with research projects. Additional "subject guides" are available for sustainability-related topics in architecture, landscape architecture, biology and urban planning.

https://bsu.libguides.com/

Architecture Library: https://www.bsu.edu/academics/libraries/research/architecture-library
Materials collection, highlighting sustainability building materials: https://bsu.libguides.com/c.php?g=41265&p=262967

Science Library: https://www.bsu.edu/academics/libraries/research/science-library

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s support for sustainability research is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.