Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 50.52
Liaison Alicia Hodenfield
Submission Date Feb. 18, 2021

STARS v2.2

Sonoma State University
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 4.00 Steven Karp
Associate Vice President, Research and Sponsored Programs
ORSP
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Student sustainability research incentives 

Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
No

A brief description of the student sustainability research program:
The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs supports students at all levels in their related research, scholarship, and creative endeavors by providing information, resources, and opportunities to conduct, prepare, and present scholarly research and creative projects. Through active engagement with faculty members, student researchers share in the excitement of discovery, learn the value of teamwork and collaboration, broaden their career and academic options, and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in their chosen field. Our internal grant program includes additional funding for faculty who include paid students in their research projects, which led to increased student involvement in recent years.

Faculty sustainability research incentives 

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 CSU Campus as a Living Lab Program sponsors grants through the California State University system supporting sustainability projects.
We also have the Center for Environmental Inquiry to facilitate research in environmental studies and research.
And our internal grant program provides funds for faculty research and has increased sustainability in recent years.

http://cei.sonoma.edu/projects/funding

Recognition of interdisciplinary, transdisciplnary and multi-disciplinary research 

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:
The promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
SSU recognizes the importance of interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research, making faculty connections whenever possible and coordinates webinars and in-person workshops supporting this, including some in recent years.
Please refer to the "Evaluation Criteria for Tenured and Probationary Faculty" of the policy for a more detailed guideline about the recognition of interdisciplinary research during the promotion.
Each school and department has its own personnel policy and criteria which can be found under the website here:

http://academicaffairs.sonoma.edu/faculty-affairs/tenured-faculty/re-appointment-tenure-promotion

Library support

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 Library actively supports collecting materials related to sustainability; it is part of our collections policy.
Our special collections emphasize regional and environmental history. Notable collections include the Bill Kortum papers, the Charles Rinehart papers, and materials about environmental community organizing, such as the activism that prevented the construction of the Bodega Bay nuclear reactor.
The Library recognized the one-year anniversary of the 2017 wildfires with an exhibit featuring local artists and an exhibit reception attended by close to 100 people from campus and the community. The Library also developed a research and study guide:

http://library.sonoma.edu/about/gallery/reflections-after-fire

http://libguides.sonoma.edu/wildfire

Optional Fields 

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:
There are many other programs/project websites available upon request.

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.