Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 76.05
Liaison Jack Byrne
Submission Date March 4, 2022

STARS v2.2

Middlebury College
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Jack Byrne
Director of Sustainability Integration
Environmental Affair
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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:

Our office offers internships to students wishing to work on sustainability projects. For example, a senior is currently researching conservation behavior and the effects of reminders regarding energy usage.

Our two primary programs to support students in research are the Sustainability Solutions Lab and the Climate Action Capacity Project. The SSL aims to provide students with an experience of professional development while working on sustainability-oriented projects throughout the campus and greater Middlebury community. CACP is focused on finding ways to best engage and equip students to become agents of change through onramps and launchpads.

Sustainable Study Abroad Grants are available to students studying abroad through Middlebury College. Students have received funding for sustainable study abroad projects that will lead to a senior thesis through Mellon Research Grants as well.


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 Dean of Sustainability and Environmental Affairs offers support for faculty to attend sustainability-related conferences, forums, symposia, to help them pursue sustainability interests related to their discipline.

The Provost Academic Council also supports initiatives that further Middlebury’s strategy including those that build upon Middlebury’s Energy 2028 initiative.


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:

This is included in the faculty handbook. The interdisciplinary program directors and chairs contribute a letter for candidates during the promotion and tenure process that describes the value of their research in the field, which are regarded at the same levels as departmental letters.

Additionally, we received conditional support from the Energy 2028 initiative, administered by the Provost’s Office, for a MIDD based co-creative Vermont Center for Behavioral Science Research on Climate and the Environment. Given the urgency of the environmental situation, our primary goals for this Center are to:

· Create an innovative, vibrant, research hub that supports like-minded faculty and researchers, across Middlebury and the state of Vermont, in connecting, sharing, and collaborating with each other, and students, on environmental projects.

· Capitalize on Middlebury’s status as a leader in environmental research and education to connect Vermont businesses, utilities, non-profits, and governmental offices to MIDD behavioral science scholars interested in testing applied research questions.

Through this Center, we provide a diverse group of future environmental leaders an immersive, experiential-research opportunity that encourages data literacy, justice awareness, and the foundations of scholarly inquiry.


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 Dean of Middlebury's Library, Mike Roy, is supported by the Environmental Council to create data visualization around Middlebury's sustainability efforts.

In upcoming Spring 2022, we have a specific Sustainability Solutions Lab project which will collaborate with the library on creating visualizations around those efforts.

Additionally, Environmental Studies and School of the Environment have research liaisons in the library. Liaison support includes library collection development, research classes and assistance, web pages, Moodle or WordPress (for course sites), digitization, and other technology projects.


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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