Royal Roads University
ER-18: Sustainability Research Incentives

Royal Roads University has ongoing programs which encourage students in many different types of academic disciplines and programs to conduct research in sustainability. Sustainability is one of four core pillars set by Royal Roads University which include; sustainable development, leadership, entrepreneurship, and conflict resolution which are stated to be reflected throughout the research, curriculum, and day to day activities of students. Ongoing programs which involve the students in the conducting of research which incorporates sustainability include the following:

Scholarships/Financial support: an example of this support can be seen currently through Royal Roads University having a number of graduate students who have secured more than $200,000 in combined funding to support research for master’s degrees. A majority of these research projects include sustainability issues such as environmental guardianship, environmental world views of children living in an oil extraction dependant community, and food security.

Fellowships: many fellowships are available to the students at Royal Roads University. They are integrated in the form of small student numbers per classroom where the learning experience is heightened and in this type of setting and student/teacher rate of interaction is increased. Fellowships are also offered in the form of post-graduate opportunities in Mongolia, the gathering of student alumni to partake in fellowship activities such as workshops and key note speakers which occurred in 2008, and the Bateman Fellowship in Sustainability Award

Mentorships: According to the Research Department at Royal Roads University the school curriculum is involved in the cross-mentoring between academic programs which link students and their disciplines. This type of mentorship can also be seen in the extra-curricular groups such as SIFE which is set up by the Bachelor of Commerce program. The mission of this group is to conduct research and create projects that strengthen communities and develop socially responsible business leaders through
incorporating student networking in business world. Involving other program members such as the Bachelor of Environmental Science program and the Conflict and Disaster Management program allows for the incorporation of sustainable initiatives as each discipline works together to create common goals. Mentorship opportunities are offered in the form of in-class projects such as the creation of Sustainable Wiki’s which creates research opportunities for students to become involved in the conception a sustainable community plan for the city of Colwood, BC. These Wiki’s were then presented to the Colwood City Council, where students could also partake in the planning stages as well as the entire stage of the research project under the supervision of the professor. Royal Roads University student are also a part of the Moodle on-line system which encourages continuous communication between faculty and students

Royal Roads University has ongoing programs which encourage faculty from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research on many different types of sustainability topics. Sustainability is one of four core pillars set by Royal Roads University which include; sustainable development, leadership, entrepreneurship, and conflict resolution which are required to be reflected throughout the research, curriculum, and day-to-day activities of staff members. Ongoing programs that provide faculty with incentives to conduce sustainability research include:

Financial Support: Two types of research themes are involved at Royal Roads University; innovative learning and sustainable communities and societies. Approximately 98% of Royal Roads University staff are contributing members to sustainable research projects. Seen on the Royal Roads University website are a large list of the externally funded research projects and the staff conducting them? Some of these projects are also funded through the Royal Roads University Foundation.

Faculty Development: Seen in the Royal Roads University Sustainability Plan are goals in which the institution as a whole, has committed to incorporating sustainable practices among staff and students. All staff at Royal Roads University is encouraged to become involved in the Campus Green plan which focuses on the operational improvements of the campus as a whole, as well as annual eco-innovation signature projects. Other forms of faculty development involve the use of lecturer’s and presenter’s who are invited to Royal Roads University to give talks on a variety of sustainable initiatives such as local community projects, international environmental issues, cultural and economic subjects. Royal Roads University staff member are also a part of the Moodle on-line system which encourages continuous communication between faculty and students.