Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 76.34
Liaison Elida Erickson
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of California, Santa Cruz
AC-10: Support for Research

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Shauna Casey
Sustainability Programs Manager
Campus Sustainability Office
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Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability? :
Yes

A brief description of the student research program, including the incentives provided and any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

Students are eligible for the following grants to support student research in sustainability:

The Carbon Fund was started in 2010 as a funding source to diminish the campus’s carbon footprint through campus projects undertaken by staff, faculty, and students. So far the group has set aside an impressive $100,000 for this purpose. The Carbon Fund uses money raised by a student-approved fee measure (Measure 44) that raises money through a $3-per-quarter student fee. https://sustainability.ucsc.edu/engage/funding/carbon-fund/index.html

The Campus Sustainability Council (CSC) provides funding to registered UCSC student organizations for programs and events that create, implement, and monitor environmentally sound practices on campus as established through the protocol outlined in the Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus. http://csc.enviroslug.org/

The Sustainability Office provides small grants for projects that help the campus achieve and support the goals of the Campus Sustainability Plan.

The Center For Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems Sustainability Fellowship Program awards around $87,000 in fellowship money annually. http://news.ucsc.edu/2010/11/sustainability-fellowships.html

The Environmental Studies Department offers a host of scholarships and grants to encourage sustainability related research, including:

The Terence Freitas Award is given in memory of Terence Freitas, a 1997 graduate of UCSC. This is an undergraduate award of up to $500 and will be given to a UCSC Environmental Studies major with financial need. Emphasis shall be given to the interests and commitment of Terence Freitas to indigenous peoples in developing countries. Consideration shall also be given to students whose studies are related to preservation/conservation of rainforests.

The CONCUR, Inc. Scholarship: This award of up to $500 is given to graduate and undergraduate students who have demonstrated an interest or are pursuing studies in environmental dispute resolution. It is for Environmental Studies students, and the award shall be based on academic merit as indicated by performance in classes and internships and academic recommendations.

The Richard A. Cooley Award in Environmental Studies: An award of up to $1,000 will be given to one or more continuing undergraduate students for a field project that results in a tangible, positive action for the betterment of the natural environment or improvement in environmental quality. This award is given in honor of Richard Cooley, founder of the Environmental Studies program at UCSC.

The Surfrider- Skye Ksander Award in Environmental Studies: An award of up to $500 will be given to an undergraduate based on scholastic ability, financial need, demonstrates interest through work and study, towards protecting and enhancing our coastal and ocean environment. Preference is given to Environmental Studies majors.

https://envs.ucsc.edu/awards/


Does the institution have a program to encourage faculty from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability topics?:
Yes

A brief description of the faculty research program, including the incentives provided and any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

Faculty are eligible for the following grants to support research in sustainability:

The Carbon Fund was started in 2010 as a funding source to diminish the campus’s carbon footprint through campus projects undertaken faculty, staff and students. The Carbon Fund has ~$100,000/annually to allocate for this purpose. The Carbon Fund uses money raised by a student-approved fee measure (Measure 44) that raises money through a $3-per-quarter student fee. https://sustainability.ucsc.edu/engage/funding/carbon-fund/Projects/index.html

The Sustainability Office provides grants for projects that help the campus achieve and support the goals of the Campus Sustainability Plan.

The Campus Sustainability Council (CSC) provides funding to registered UCSC student organizations for programs and events that create, implement, and monitor environmentally sound practices on campus as established through the protocol outlined in the Blueprint for a Sustainable Campus. http://csc.enviroslug.org/


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 brief description of the institution’s support for interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research, including any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

Interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary research programs are a hallmark of the UC Santa Cruz campus. The campus's Strategic Academic Plan discusses our campus's emphasis on interdisciplinary work, and many of our faculty are involved in interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary research and teaching.

A faculty member's participation in interdisciplinary programs is considered during the merit and promotion process, including the tenure review. Although we do not necessarily advantage a faculty member for participating in interdisciplinary work, just as we don't disadvantage someone who is not participating in interdisciplinary work, campus reviewers do consider the overall impact of the work. And it is often true that interdisciplinary work can have widespread impact.


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, including any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

UC Santa Cruz’s University Library includes fifty-eight interviews with farmers, activists, researchers, and educators. It encompasses the 1960s through the present. Here you will find transcripts of all of the interviews in full text (PDF) format, along with audio clips from the oral histories, photographs, and additional resources. They provide three navigable categories that offer different portals to this archive. The entire collection of oral histories is also fully searchable (across interviews) through the UCSC Library's Digital Collections site (ContentDM) at UCSC.
https://library.ucsc.edu/reg-hist/cultiv/home


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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