Santa Clara University
AC-10: Support for Research

The Environmental Ethics Fellowship, a program of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, explores the ethical dimensions of sustainability. The Fellowship in Environmental Ethics has been awarded annually to an outstanding Santa Clara University undergraduate to support a project that examines the ethical implications of an environmental topic. Past projects include developing a Carbon Footprint Calculator for college students to measure their impact, specific to their campus. The students also wrote instructions for other campuses to develop their own calculators. The tool has been replicated in at least one other campus.

The Sustainability Research Initiative aims to establish a vibrant, productive, collaborative research community with projects related to justice and sustainability. The Initiative includes research grants (up to $90,000 each year for three years), professional development grants for faculty and staff (up to $5,000 each year for three years), and a research retreat each year. The Initiative is funded by the President's Office.

While faculty are expected to contribute to their home disciplines, they are also encouraged to engage in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research. Such research is recognized in evaluation and promotion decisions. The University’s internal grants programs also support interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research. The Office of Research Initiatives is currently coordinating three interdisciplinary research initiatives: the Sustainability Research Initiative, the Advanced Biosciences Initiative, and the Critical Gender Studies Initiative. The University has also established three Centers of Distinction (Markkula Center for Applied Ethics; Center for Science, Technology, and Society; and Ignatian Center for Applied Ethics) which actively support interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research through their own research programs. The University’s 2001 Strategic Plan propounded six Fundamental Values, including the value of "Integrated Learning," which it described in part this way: "While valuing the integrity of established disciplines, we endeavor to integrate different forms of knowledge..." The 2001 Strategic Plan presented three Strategic Initiatives. The first goal under the initiative called "Building a Community of Scholars" was: "Stimulate and support cross-disciplinary inquiry." Although the University’s 2011 Strategic Plan is not as explicit as the 2001 plan in referring to interdisciplinary research, the fact that interdisciplinarity is part of the ethos of the University is clear from the plan’s five strategic priorities: Excellence in Jesuit Education, Engagement with Silicon Valley, Global Understanding and Engagement, Justice and Sustainability, and Academic Community. Among the metrics the 2011 plan identifies are: "Number of presentations, publications, grants, awards, and professional leadership positions related to justice and sustainability," "Number of research collaborations on justice and sustainability among Santa Clara’s faculty, between faculty members and students, and between faculty members and external organizations," and "Increase in tenure-stream faculty positions for teaching scholars with expertise in integrating sustainability and justice."

The Library maintains a selection of Research Guides in a variety of topics categorized by course and/or theme. Themes include Global Warming Resources, Sustainability Videos, Sustainability, Green/Sustainable Building, Sustainable Energy