Seattle University
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

The Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability’s (CEJS) annual fellowship program has supported student scholarship in environmental justice and sustainability since 2013. Proposals may be submitted by individual students or by student teams. Proposals for student fellowships are encouraged from all disciplines and for all types of scholarly research on topics related to environmental justice or sustainability. Projects that include collaboration across disciplines or schools/colleges are particularly encouraged. The program provides support for new projects and for extending previous endeavors. CEJS student fellows are expected to produce a tangible scholarly product, such as a substantial academic paper, a conference presentation, an artistic exhibit or presentation, or other pre-professional product as a result of their participation in this program. Each Fellowship Award is a $2500 stipend per student project.
Read more: https://www.seattleu.edu/cejs/ejs-research-at-su/cejs-fellowships/

1. In Academic year 2023, with support from the Office of the Provost, the "Laudato Si" Faculty Fellowships were established to honor Pope Francis's initiative to promote integral human development by encouraging concrete actions in the care of our common home. The fellowships are offered by the Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability (CEJS) to faculty members who dedicate their scholarly endeavor to the research of tools, resources and solutions that advance sustainability in the holistic spirit of integral ecology.

CEJS awards two annual faculty fellowships (with a course release or $6,000 summer stipend). Through the fellowship program, CEJS also hopes to foster collegiality of EJS scholars on campus and opportunities for multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary scholarship across Seattle University’s schools and colleges. The fellowship program is intended to support scholarly research by faculty in all disciplines on topics related to environmental justice or sustainability. The program will provide fellowships for at least two faculty or for one team of two collaborating faculty. CEJS faculty fellows are expected to produce a tangible scholarly product, such as a grant proposal, a peer-reviewed article or artistic presentation that resulted from their participation in the fellowship program. Read more: https://www.seattleu.edu/cejs/ejs-research-at-su/cejs-fellowships/


2. The Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture (ICTC) offers Faculty Research Summer Fellowships that advance the University’s Jesuit Catholic Mission. The Summer Faculty Research Fellowships (up to $7,100) encourage the exploration of a rich Catholic intellectual tradition that has made contributions to literature and the arts, natural and social sciences, social movements and social teachings. Applications that focus on recent areas of exploration by the ICTC are especially encouraged, such as integral ecology and environmental justice; immigration, migration and displacement; imagination and the arts; racial justice and inclusion; hope for the youth; and interreligious & interspiritual dialogue. Through the ICTC fellowships, faculty members are able to travel for research purposes, study archives, and ethnographic work. See here for more info: https://www.seattleu.edu/ictc/faculty/research-fellowships/

Please see page page 7 of the Faculty Handbook posted at: https://www.seattleu.edu/media/academic-affairs/Faculty-Handbook.pdf. While we do not use the exact words of “interdisciplinary,” we utilize “will recognize original scholarly contributions in peer-reviewed publications as well as integrative and applied forms of scholarship that can involve cross-cutting collaborations with business and community partners, including translational research.” At SU, translational research (which encourages and promotes multidisciplinary collaboration) was the best inclusive language for all our current disciplines.

The Faculty Handbook states the following (p.7):

"SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Seattle University faculty members engage in scholarship and professional development throughout their careers. Scholarly activity is defined broadly to include traditional research, the integration of knowledge, the transformation of knowledge through the intellectual work involved in teaching and facilitating learning, and the application of knowledge to solve a compelling problem in the community. Seattle University values an inclusive view of scholarship in the recognition that knowledge is acquired and advanced through discovery, integration, application, teaching, and engagement. Given this perspective, promotion and tenure reviews and the annual performance evaluation process, as detailed in the criteria of individual departments, schools, and colleges, will recognize original scholarly contributions in peer-reviewed publications as well as integrative and applied forms of scholarship that can involve cross-cutting collaborations with business and community partners, including translational research. In addition, the university also supports the concept that peer validation and can occur in many ways, including peer-refereed publications. The following non-exhaustive list of examples illustrate the range of scholarly activity recognized at Seattle University:
i. traditional research;
ii. interpretive or theoretical articles or monographs for the profession;
iii. pedagogical articles or monographs, books, and textbooks;
iv. professional presentations;
v. reports of professional consultations;
vi. applied and public scholarship;
vii. community engaged scholarship; and
viii. creative work in art, dance, music, theater, film, broadcasting, or literature.

For some faculty members, depending on their disciplines, other professional activity with a demonstrably positive impact beyond Seattle University—including computer programs, website development, and innovative coursework, curriculum, and program development—may also be considered scholarship. Applied and public scholarship, and community engaged scholarship must be reviewed both by experienced peers within the faculty members’ discipline and by qualified community partners. Seattle University expects faculty involved in graduate-level education to give special attention to the production of scholarly activity and writing and/or engagement in professional activities that contribute to the growth of knowledge or to professional excellence in fields external to the University."

In addition to the Law School curriculum and courses, Seattle University has several undergraduate and graduate degree programs that support sustainability topics, including Environmental Studies, Environmental Science, Public Administration and Leadership. To support these programs, the library provides access to a broad array of print and electronic resources including articles, ebooks, ejournals, and databases related to sustainability, ecology, environment, laws, justice, policy, and leadership.

Library Faculty use SpringShare’s LibGuides’ content management system to curate knowledge and share information, organize class and subject specific resources, and to create and manage websites. Information literacy instruction sessions not only promote information literacy, but they help students discover library resources, specific Internet sites, organizations and agencies that provide a relevant focus on sustainability and environmental topics.

The university funds the library’s annual Books and Materials budget that support the acquisition and licensing of print and electronic resources across the curriculum including the needs of the Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability.

The library is also a member of The Orbis Cascade Alliance, a library consortium serving academic libraries in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The Alliance runs a shared library management system and discovery interface, works on collective purchasing, facilitates access to unique and local collections, and coordinates resource sharing for our members. Membership in The Alliance provides students and faculty alike with significantly enhanced access to resources in a variety of formats.