University of Denver
AC-10: Support for Research

The University of Denver offers a variety of service learning courses in a diversity of academic departments in partnership with the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning (CCESL).

Service learning is about DU students and their relationship to communities. Students who enroll in a service learning course at DU learn to:
- improve academic knowledge as a direct result of their community experience;
- engage in effective dialogue about local and/or global issues with individuals and groups at the community organization;
- examine critical community issues from multiple perspectives;
- develop the ability to obtain relevant knowledge of local and/or global civic structures that will enable them to implement change;
- apply scholarly resources to benefit the communities with which they engage.

The Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning (CCESL) provides financial and administrative support to faculty to assist in:
- collaborating with each other on community-based issues, such as campus environmental sustainability.
- hosting workshops, and fostering community partner dialogues;
- promoting and increasing public good activities at the University of Denver.

The Interdisciplinary Research Incubator for the Study of (In)Equality (IRISE) provides the support and structures that empower students to turn their big ideas regarding a research project on inequality into reality. Each scholar will follow a project structure that includes: research; development of a project plan in conjunction with faculty mentor, IRISE colleagues, and other DU students; and implementation, documentation and evaluation of their public project. IRISE inequity Scholars will receive a $2,000 annual fellowship for their work between February 1 and June 30 of each academic year. In addition, each scholar is eligible to receive a $1000 annual project stipend to implement community work. Faculty mentors will receive $500 in recognition of their intensive mentoring role.
http://www.du.edu/irise/research-grants/undergrad-student.html

The University of Denver is committed to academic excellence as determined principally by teaching, scholarly research and/or creative activity, institutional self-governance, and service.

Both promotion to a higher academic rank and reappointment are primary ways for recognizing such excellence in performance. Decisions about the promotion of a faculty member must be based upon high departmental standards to ensure that the candidate possesses qualifications which meet current departmental and University expectations.

Scholarly output and creative activity is defined as: including publications, creative work,
consultation, presentations in public media, public performance, exhibitions, and interdisciplinary and community-engaged research, and other activities promoting the public good.

None

The University of Denver hopes to continue to develop similar initiatives and incentives in areas more specific to sustainability. This has included funding student research out of the sustainability fund administered by the Sustainability Committee of Undergraduate Student Government, with hopes of continuing to expand this type of opportunity.