Central Michigan University
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

The Institute for Great Lakes Research, or IGLR, an institute of Central Michigan University, provides monetary and educational incentives to encourages students, faculty, and local scientists to conduct sustainability research. Utilizing a $10,000,000 grant from the EPA, IGLR launched the first-ever Great Lakes basin-wide coastal wetland monitoring program. Students are funded to conduct field research, data collection and analysis to that has resulted in a sustainable ongoing and long-term monitoring system designed to act as a wetland heath/condition assessment. Through this program and collaboration with the Department of Biology, several students have engaged in research of the Great Lakes Wetlands with faculty member Don Uzarski. Through opportunities such as this one, students have more capstone, presentation, study abroad, and conference opportunities related to sustainability.

Through the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, CMU has cultivated over 60 goals, all relating to social and community sustainability. In fact, the Central Michigan University is housed in the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This is ran by two sustainability coordinators: Eric Urbaniak and Teresa Homsi. Through the work of these two student workers, sustainability has become a priority in the Office of DEI, and has spread to Residence Life, and Facilities Management, who now also hire student sustainability coordinators to arrange faculty/student sustainability projects. Faculty are encouraged to conduct research and recruit student help in order to further the universities diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. This will ultimately lead to a larger campus population being knowledgable about the various facets of sustainability. Additionally, students who engage in research with faculty have additional opportunities to engage in conferences, and mentor students. Through these incentives, more faculty are able to engage in research regarding environmental, cultural, social, and community sustainability.

Taken from the CMU website, Academic Affairs page: https://www.cmich.edu/office_provost/AcademicAffairs/InterDisciplinary/Pages/default.aspx

"​​Interdisciplinary programs at Central Michigan University draw from two or more academic disciplines and emphasize integrative learning, critical thinking and creative problem solving. Because these programs are centered on the unique ways in which these disciplines interact, students develop into broad-minded professionals ready to address some of today’s most important issues, and make a valued contribution in our rapidly changing world.

Each of CMU’s interdisciplinary programs is carefully designed by an interdisciplinary council of faculty, including some of the university’s distinguished and award-winning professors. These faculty members formally embrace the creative and innovative interdisciplinary approach to answering questions, solving problems and addressing contemporary issues from multiple perspectives.

More than 30 undergraduate and graduate interdisciplinary programs available at CMU prepare students for careers in the natural sciences, social sciences, communications and multi-media, education, humanities and much more. We invite you to browse our website for a complete listing of interdisciplinary programs and academic advisors available at CMU."

The CMU Library maintains a collection of materials that supports sustainability research. Its collections of journals, books, media items, and other materials is maintained for the purpose of providing research support to both faculty and student researchers. An increasing percentage of the library’s resources are available in electronic formats, meaning they are accessible around the clock and from wherever the researcher happens to be.

If a researcher needs a copy of an item not owned by the CMU Library, there is an interlibrary loan service available. Materials can be obtained from other libraries at no cost, with the typical processing and delivery time being within 24-48 hours.

The library has subject librarians who have expertise in areas related to sustainability (e.g. the sciences, social sciences, health, education). These librarians are available to provide research assistance to both faculty and students and to provide instruction in the use of library services and resources to graduate and undergraduate classes. They can also help faculty identify and access both library-owned resources and open access materials that will support the course development process.

A subject librarian has created a research guide on the topic of sustainability, and it can be found at http://libguides.cmich.edu/sustainability

Positive outcomes include highly specialized research consultants, whom effectively aide in students' efforts to focus literature retrieved for both basic and applied research, leading to more specific, well-informed and defendable research conducted by students and faculty.

All information was taken from the official CMU website.