| Overall Rating | Bronze |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 43.72 |
| Liaison | Karen Marin-Hines |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2022 |
Texas Tech University
PA-2: Sustainability Planning
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 4.00 |
Jessica
Bunyard Analyst BIMAR |
Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address sustainability in curriculum and/or research?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to academics and the plan(s) in which they are published:
Texas Tech University will continue to expand research, scholarship, and creative activity to discover and advance knowledge, to improve quality and sustainability of life for the citizens of our state, nation, and world, and to support technology transfer and other activities that enhance economies. We will strengthen our status as a national research university that resulted in Texas Tech’s inclusion in the 2015 Carnegie Classification R1 ‘Highest Research Activity' category as we transform lives through our research and creative endeavors.
Strategic Priority:
Enable innovative research and creative activities
Goal 1: Increase the productivity and impact of research, scholarship, and
creative activity that advances knowledge, benefits society, improves
quality of life and contributes to economic development.
Goal 2: Enhance capacity and opportunities for research, scholarship, and
creative activity for faculty, students, and staff.
Goal 3: Advance entrepreneurial activity, collaboration, innovation, and
technology transfer.
Strategies:
• Increase extramurally funded research
• Grow the number of extramurally funded centers of research excellence
• Increase institutional support for the humanities, social sciences, and fine and performing arts
• Increase the number of fellowships and awards in professional societies, national and international recognitions, and members of the National Academies
• Expand and enhance the undergraduate and graduate student and postdoctoral research enterprise
• Increase seed grants that foster growth in extramural awards
• Increase the number of endowed chairs and professorships
• Increase multi-investigator, multi-institutional, and multi-national interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration
• Expand strategic research collaborations with private sector partners
• Increase research and scholarly collaboration among TTU System institutions
• Provide suitable investment and develop effective strategies to recruit, enable, and retain faculty and staff of the highest quality
• Help faculty expand and enhance recognition and research capacity
• Decrease the administrative research burden on faculty by enhancing support for development, submission, and management of awards
• Expand and optimize physical infrastructure and financial resources to support research, scholarship, and creative activities
• Create a vibrant entrepreneurial culture that contributes to economic development and increases patent applications and license agreements through industry engagement, technology acceleration, and start-up incubation
•Texas Tech has sustainability supportive initiatives in place for academics.
•Bayer CropScience Project Revolution – Collaborative partnerships between industry and academic scientists are helping to create next-generation cotton fiber through the marriage of classical plant breeding and advanced genomics techniques.
•Climate Science Center – Students and faculty are completing vital interdisciplinary research that provides the science, tools, and information for decision-makers to anticipate, monitor, and adapt to the effects of climate change.
•Water – Interdisciplinary researchers are pursuing technologies and practices to create more resilient water systems and protect the nation’s water quality, with developments including innovative wastewater recycling and treatment to help meet rural and urban water needs, energy development, and agricultural applications.
•Humanities Center – This hub for humanities research facilitates collaboration among the diverse research communities of Texas Tech and coordinates humanities resources and initiatives across campus and provides support for humanistic inquiry.
•As a part of this strategic priority, research and scholarly themes have been identified for which Texas Tech University is positioned to be a world leader. Growth in these themes will require support for increased development of personnel and infrastructure resources. As such, we aspire to leadership in:
•The interconnections of water, land, food, and fiber
•Energy production, distribution, and utilization technologies
•Health, well-being, and quality of life
•Creative inquiry and expression across the arts, humanities, and sciences
Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address student, employee, or community engagement for sustainability?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to engagement and the plan(s) in which they are published:
"Strategic Priority:
Transform lives and communities through strategic outreach and engaged scholarship
Goal 1: Foster an engaged campus that recognizes outreach and engaged
scholarship as an essential component of institutional activity.
Goal 2: Achieve a sustainable outreach and engaged scholarship program
through diverse funding streams and long-term campus-community partnerships.
Goal 3: Enhance recognition of faculty and staff who contribute to outreach
and engaged scholarship activities that impact local, state, national,
and global communities.
Goal 4: Increase and strengthen collaborative, mutually beneficial community
partnerships that stimulate creativity, innovation, and social and
economic development.
Strategies
• Enhance communication processes to grow campus and community
understanding of outreach and engaged scholarship and to increase
awareness of scholarship activities and opportunities for campus-community partnerships
• Build outreach and engaged scholarship capacities in faculty, staff, and
students through professional development, mentoring, undergraduate
research, co-curricular activities, and service-learning programs, as well
as web-based resources and tools
• Provide recognitions, rewards (e.g. merit salary, promotion, and tenure,
comprehensive performance evaluation), and other incentives for faculty,
staff, and students involved in outreach and engaged scholarship
• Build campus and off-campus infrastructure to guide, coordinate, and
support outreach and engagement
• Establish community and business networks that integrate campus,
business, and community knowledge, skills, and resources We will focus on continued growth in creative activity, scholarship, and research, that will foster an environment that
produces success for faculty, staff, and students, while yielding new knowledge and promoting discoveries that
will improve the quality and sustainability of life around the globe. Moreover, our research enterprise will provide for
the transfer of technology and other activities that will stimulate economic development. These accomplishments will be
done in the context of robust efforts to increase external funding for research, with a focus on areas that make the
most sense for the state and region."
• Texas Tech has sustainability supportive initiatives in place for engagement. “Higher education outreach and engagement comprises a spectrum of activities that engages the university beyond its campus borders and into the community, delivering outcome-based results with community partners. Scholarly engagement promotes new knowledge creation; student development; quality of life enhancement; education transformation; and technology discovery and transfer that culminate in community, business, and economic development. We recognize that partnerships with business, industry, and community can be a catalyst for discovery, innovation, societal well-being, and economic development. Such partnerships complement the Texas Tech University mission and commitment to enhancing the social and economic development of the state, nation, and world.”
• Arts Initiative in Medicine – This interdisciplinary collaboration brings the arts and medical sciences together to advance research in health and human performance, both inspiring creative thinking and facilitating wellness by connecting people with the power of the arts at key moments in their lives.
• East Lubbock Promise Neighborhood – This Department of Education-funded collaboration with community partners works to improve educational opportunities for underserved children, increase parental involvement and provide a novel early college high school program in East Lubbock.
• Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock Lake Landmark, and the Burkhart Center for Autism Education and Research at Texas Tech are developing novel education programs that address the cognitive and social skills of people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and Alzheimer’s disease.
• Llano River Field Station – Researchers at Texas Tech’s campus in Junction are identifying sustainable solutions to regional, state, and national environmental issues through partnerships with 14 state and federal agencies, 65 school districts, eight professional scientific and educational organizations, funding agencies, NGOs, municipalities, land-owners, community colleges and other universities.
• Innovation Hub at Research Park – This research-focused facility provides resources to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship among Texas Tech faculty, students, and aspiring entrepreneurs. Collaborations with local economic development entities enhance commercialization and acceleration, providing a pathway for federal and private funding for great ideas that may impact society.
Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address sustainability in operations?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to operations and the plan(s) in which they are published:
Does the institution have a published plan or plans that include measurable sustainability objectives that address diversity, equity, and inclusion; sustainable investment/finance; or wellbeing?:
A list or sample of the measurable sustainability objectives related to administration and the plan(s) in which they are published:
Strategic Priority:
Educate and empower a diverse student body
Goal 1: Advance and sustain a campus climate and culture characterized by
accessibility, inclusiveness, and high academic quality.
Goal 2: Nurture and enhance a learning environment that fosters success
and wellness.
Goal 3: Deliver unique and transformative learning opportunities
and experiences.
Goal 4: Increase retention and graduation rates, and placement of graduates.
Strategies:
• Improve the quality and diversity of the incoming student body
• Recruit globally to grow enrollment
• Increase semester credit hours and credit hours per full-time
undergraduate student
• Strengthen and advance student engagement activities
• Enhance mentoring and advising of all students
• Maximize preparation for careers
• Commit resources to facilitate a supportive and service-focused environment
• Expand transformative and signature learning opportunities for all students
• Increase international education and collaborative program opportunities
• Broaden students’ global perspectives and prepare them for global leadership
• Sharpen critical thinking and communication skills
• Enhance entrepreneurial skills
• Maximize and reward faculty innovations in teaching, scholarship,
and engagement
Does the institution have a published strategic plan or equivalent guiding document that includes sustainability at a high level? :
The institution’s highest guiding document (upload):
Website URL where the institution’s highest guiding document is publicly available:
Which of the following best describes the inclusion of sustainability in the highest guiding document?:
The institution's sustainability plan (upload):
Website URL where the institution's sustainability plan is publicly available:
Does the institution have a formal statement in support of sustainability endorsed by its governing body?:
The formal statement in support of sustainability:
The institution’s definition of sustainability:
Is the institution an endorser or signatory of the following?:
| Yes or No | |
| The Earth Charter | --- |
| The Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) | --- |
| ISCN-GULF Sustainable Campus Charter | --- |
| Pan-Canadian Protocol for Sustainability | --- |
| SDG Accord | --- |
| Second Nature’s Carbon Commitment (formerly known as the ACUPCC), Resilience Commitment, and/or integrated Climate Commitment | --- |
| The Talloires Declaration (TD) | --- |
| UN Global Compact | --- |
| Other multi-dimensional sustainability commitments (please specify below) | --- |
A brief description of the institution’s formal sustainability commitments, including the specific initiatives selected above:
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability planning efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.