California State University, San Marcos
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

The Planet Mentorship program that was developed in 2021 is a part mentorship program but there is a research component to the program where students conduct research on a specific topic and then create an art piece related to the research. This is an on-going, paid opportunity for students.

As part of our CSUSM strategic planning priority goal of achieving academic excellence, as a campus, we are working towards expanding research and grant activities that push the boundaries of knowledge, solve critical issues (such as climate change and sustainability) and strengthen communities.

We do have a written policy that states research may be interdisciplinary. This is part of our University Retention, Tenure and Promotion Policy.

https://csusm.policystat.com/search/?q=Retention%20Tenure%20and%20Promotion

The library provides access to approximately 19,000 ebooks and streaming videos and 450 print books and DVDs directly on the topic of sustainability, and we have annual collections funds that are devoted to acquiring materials on ecology, environmental science, social justice and inclusion. The Library also provides access to several scholarly databases that provide access to current research in sustainability, including EBSCO’s GREENFile database (which covers all aspects of human impact to the environment and includes content on the environmental effects of individuals, corporations and local/national governments, and what can be done at each level to minimize these effects), ScienceDirect (which provides full-text access to several hundred journals related to ecological health and environmental sciences) and others. The Library also coordinates efforts to share resources with other libraries through InterLibrary Loan (ILL) and a network of resource sharing among the other California State University (CSU) campuses called CSU+. With this network the Library provides access to material, including access to materials supporting sustainability research, without having to purchase the material and the services are free for users. The Library also promotes access to open access and open educational resources (oer) by making these resources available through our catalog and discovery search tools.

Also, a the following resource was created for open access, which we believe is part of sustainability: CALM guide for open education resources https://microsites.csusm.edu/calm/