| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 59.82 |
| Liaison | Joanne Wong |
| Submission Date | Feb. 10, 2021 |
Mills College
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Kate
Karniouchina Dean, Lorry I. Lokey School of Business and Public Policy Lorry I. Lokey School of Business and Public Policy |
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:
Mills College encourages sustainability research through participation in a directed research project in Environmental Science for credit during the academic year and also through summer student research, such as in Biology (Barrett Fellowship), which offer stipends for summer, plus some funds for materials and equipment. Many faculty conduct research in environmental science, broadly defined, in both the Chemistry and Biology departments.
UROP Mini-Grants
Mini-grants are small grants intended to reimburse undergraduate students for out-of-pocket expenses during the planning and execution of an independent research or creative project, or the presentation of such projects at conferences, exhibitions, or shows.
The Master’s Policy Report
For their capstone project, students in our MPP and joint MPP/MBA programs serve as pro bono policy consultants to governmental or nonprofit clients. Guided by faculty advisors, students gain real-world experience assessing policy alternatives, evaluating program effectiveness, designing a new program or service model, and/or planning strategies for organizational improvement. Each project culminates in a Master’s Policy Report, a professional paper that enables each student to leverage their toolkit of policy skills to address the needs of their client.
Past clients have encompassed a range of advocacy groups, local chambers of commerce, city commissions, and public health organizations.
Green for Green Grant Program
Individual students or a group of students can receive funding for campus sustainability projects.
https://inside.mills.edu/about-mills/sustainability/get-involved.php
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:
Mills Faculty Research Grant
All full-time members of the faculty who wish to conduct research or scholarly or creative work are eligible for this grant. The grant may be used towards transportation and lodging, meal costs, and supplies and equipment.
https://www.mills.edu/center-for-faculty-excellence/grants-and-awards/faculty-development-grants.php
Research Justice at the Intersections (RJI)
An interdisciplinary research group at Mills College that fosters social justice-oriented research and groundbreaking critical analysis. RJI encourages scholars to consider new forms of knowledge production that challenge traditional research hierarchies, mobilize the leadership of those directly affected by the investigated phenomena, and acknowledge and engage subaltern ways of knowing.
Growing out of the Mills College Ethnic Studies Department’s involvement in hosting the National Association for Ethnic Studies’ (NAES) conference “Research as Ceremony: Decolonizing Ethnic Studies” in 2014, RJI supports research that centers an intersectional analysis of race, class, gender, sexuality, religion, and nation, within a context of globalization and transnationality. Supported by the Provost’s Office, the RJI Fellows program is coordinated by a faculty steering committee and hosted by the Center for Teaching and Scholarship.
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:
In evaluating faculty, the policy of the Mills College Committee on Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure is to consider all evidence of scholarly productivity, within and across disciplinary boundaries.
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 Library supports the research needs of the curriculum, with many of our students choosing research topics relating to sustainability. We also meet their needs through collection development, purchased materials related to sustainability across fields, standard multidisciplinary database packages and our subscription to GreenFILE, a free research database covering all aspects of human impact to the environment.
The Library encourages faculty to use open access resources, linking specifically to the DOAJ and Open Textbook Network in our faculty resources.
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:
In general, faculty research is self-selected because the Mills hiring process centers on recruitment of faculty whose focus are on these topics.
In general, faculty research is self-selected because the Mills hiring process centers on recruitment of faculty whose focus are on these topics.
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.