Black Hills State University
AC-9: Research and Scholarship

Institution has conducted an inventory during the previous three years to identify its sustainability research activities and initiatives and makes the inventory publicly available. The research inventory should be based on the definition of “sustainability research” outlined in G. Standards and Terms and include, at minimum, the names and department affiliations of all faculty and staff members engaged in sustainability research. Research for which partial or incomplete information is provided may not be counted toward earning points for this credit.

Part 1

Institution produces sustainability research as measured by the percentage of faculty and staff engaged in research that are engaged in sustainability research.

Part 2

Institution produces sustainability research as measured by the percentage of academic departments that conduct research that include at least one faculty member who conducts sustainability research.

Any level of sustainability research is sufficient to be included for this credit. In other words, a researcher who conducts both sustainability research and other research may be included.

This credit applies to all institutions where research is considered in faculty and/or staff promotion or tenure decisions. Institutions that do not consider research in promotion or tenure decisions as a matter of policy or standard practice may choose to either omit or include the Research subcategory.

Pursuing one or more Research credits and omitting other credits in the subcategory as “not applicable” is not allowed.

Each part is scored independently.

Part 1

Institutions earn the maximum of 6 points available for Part 1 of this credit when 15 percent or more of faculty and staff that are engaged in research are engaged in sustainability research. Incremental points are awarded based on the percentage of researchers that are engaged in sustainability research. For example, if 7.5 percent of faculty and staff that are engaged in research are engaged in sustainability research, an institution would earn 3 points (half of the points available for Part 1).

Points for Part 1 of this credit are calculated automatically in the STARS Reporting Tool as follows:

Part 2

Institutions earn the maximum of 6 points available for Part 2 of this credit when 75 percent or more of departments that conduct research are engaged in sustainability research. Incremental points are available based on the percentage of departments that conduct sustainability research. For example, if 25 percent of departments that conduct research are engaged in sustainability research, an institution would earn 2 points (⅓ of the points available for Part 2).

Points for Part 2 of this credit are calculated automatically in the STARS Reporting Tool as follows:

Timeframe

Report the most recent data available from within the three years prior to the anticipated date of submission.

Institutions may choose to report research activities from one, two, or three academic years, as long as both the total number of research faculty and staff and the number of faculty and staff engaged in sustainability research are measured during the same time.

Sampling and Data Standards

Each institution is free to choose a methodology to identify sustainability research that is most appropriate given its unique circumstances. For example, an institution may distribute a survey to all faculty members and ask them to self-identify as being engaged in sustainability research or ask the chairperson of each department to identify the sustainability research activities within his or her department.

The “total number of the institution’s faculty and/or staff that are engaged in research” must include, at minimum, all faculty members for whom research is considered in promotion and/or tenure decisions. Institutions may report on faculty only, or choose to include staff researchers and/or graduate student employees that conduct research, as long as they are reported in both the count of faculty and staff that are engaged in research and the count of faculty and staff that are engaged in sustainability research. Likewise, institutions may report on faculty and staff regardless of status (e.g. full-time, part-time, adjunct, graduate student), as long as they are counted consistently.

An institution that has developed a more refined approach to conducting the research inventory that is appropriate given its particular context may use that approach as long as it is consistent with the definitions and guidance provided in this Technical Manual. For example, a large research institution may limit the inventory to funded research.

Institutions that do not have academic departments should report fields of study, programs, subject areas or the equivalent.