| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.42 |
| Liaison | Jen Jones |
| Submission Date | Feb. 18, 2020 |
College of Charleston
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 4.00 |
Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
A brief description of the student sustainability research program:
As part of the Quality Enhancement Plan ("Sustainability Literacy as a Bridge to Addressing 21st-Century Problems"), the Center for Sustainable Development distributes up to $15,000 annually to support student-driven sustainability research and innovation. With mentorship from a Cougar faculty member, individual students or teams are encouraged to conduct research during the academic year or over the summer break. Financial awards help to cover research needs, including required materials or travel, and an hourly wage of $10 per student.
Does the institution have a program to encourage academic staff from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
A brief description of the faculty sustainability research program:
Faculty mentors supporting student-driven research have the opportunity to also receive awards for guiding and shaping student research funded through the Quality Enhancement Plan. Faculty mentors receive approximately half of the awards granted for student-driven research to support time and leadership commitments.
Beginning in 2020, the Center for Sustainable Development aims to add a faculty research component in plans to implement the Quality Enhancement Plan and incentivize sustainability literacy research. We intend to award faculty members financial awards for studying sustainability literacy in coordination with students. Alternatively, we are exploring opportunities for funding conference participation or research related to sustainability.
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?:
A copy of the promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
The promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
Does the institution have ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning?:
A brief description of the institution’s library support for sustainability research:
The College of Charleston Libraries provide research guides on sustainability related coursework and topics like food security, environmental studies and social welfare policy.
The library also helps promote sustainability by featuring a Sustainability Literacy Book Nook that houses a collection of print books, DVDs and other materials related to the annual campus-wide sustainability theme (in 2019-20, the selected theme is food security). Additionally, on the second floor of our primary university library, Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library, library leadership support a rotating exhibit and art display that connects to and explores the campus-wide theme. For example, the second-floor exhibit currently shares the stories of Gullah farmers and their relationship with the land and waterways of the Lowcountry and efforts to adapt to climate change.
Since 2017, library leadership have also developed sustainability literacy curriculum by offering four sections of a Library Research Skills course as sustainability focused or related. Finally, faculty and staff members have supported the cultivation of sustainability-specific research databases.
Website URL where information about the institution’s support for sustainability research is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.