Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.75
Liaison Mark Klapatch-Mathias
Submission Date May 1, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Wisconsin-River Falls
AC-10: Support for Research

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Mary Wright
Asst. Professor
Teacher Education
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a program to encourage student sustainability research that meets the criteria for this credit?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s program(s) to encourage student research in sustainability:

The Sustainable Community Development Masters Degree Program requires all graduating students to complete an original published thesis, and original unpublished research paper, or comprehensive, applied community project including research aspects.

The St. Croix Institute for Sustainable Community Development (SCISCD) utilizes graduate and undergraduate research fellows to perform a variety of research.
The SCISCD has initiated a Sustainability Incubator and research program funded as a Strategic Plan Initiative that examines potential impacts of sustainability projects on the local community. The program pairs students with faculty researchers and provides stipends and logistical support.

The URSCA Course Redesign grant is to support tenure line faculty and IAS who are interested in developing an undergraduate research component in an existing course. It is not related to sustainability per se, although sustainability research would be appropriate. What is required is that the infused research project is itself sustainable—I.e. That the research component will be ongoing—sustainable through future iterations of the revised course.


The website URL where information about the student research program is available:
Does the institution have a program to encourage faculty sustainability research that meets the criteria for this credit?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s program(s) to encourage faculty research in sustainability:

The SCISCD has initiated a Sustainability Incubator and research program funded as a Strategic Plan Initiative that examines potential impacts of sustainability projects on the local community. The program pairs students with faculty researchers and provides stipends and logistical support. There was $12,500 set aside in 2013 to support this initiative.


The website URL where information about the faculty research program is available:
Has the institution formally adopted policies and procedures that give positive recognition to interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research during faculty promotion and/or tenure decisions?:
Yes

A brief description or the text of the institution’s policy regarding interdisciplinary research:

From the UWRF Faculty and Academic Staff Handbook, 2011 Version, Chapter 4:
4.3.2.1c2 Core Criteria for Recommendation; Professional involvement and accomplishments:
Professional involvement and accomplishments in research/scholarly/creative activity may include, but are not limited to, student-faculty or faculty research/scholarly/creative activity involving traditional discipline-related activity or the scholarship of teaching and learning, publications, presentations to professional organizations,grants applied for, grants received, exhibitions of works of art, performances, video productions, software production, participation in scholarly/scientific meetings and related activities.
4.4.4.5.3b Qualifications for Promotion;Contribution to the University:
Research/Scholarly/Creative Activity: may include, but is not limited to, student-faculty or faculty research/scholarly/creative activity involving traditional discipline-related activity or the scholarship of teaching and learning, publications, presentations to professional organizations, grants applied for, grants received, exhibitions of works of art, performances, participation in scholarly/scientific meetings, and related activities. [FS 02/03 #11]


The website URL where information about the treatment of interdisciplinary research is available:
Does the institution provide ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning that meets the criteria for this credit?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution's library support for sustainability research and learning:

The library purchases a wide variety of print and electronic materials to support sustainability research. The journals and databases that the library purchases to support this area are described in detail on two research guides that library staff maintain:
Sustainable Management Resources
http://libguides.uwrf.edu/content.php?pid=313120&sid=4501537
Use the tab labeled "Sustainable Management Journals Overview" to access the many databases that the library subscribes to that support sustainability research. These databases provide access to thousands of journals relevant for sustainability research.

Environmental and Pollution Science
http://libguides.uwrf.edu/environment

Print and Electronic Books:
The library purchases many print and electronic books dealing with sustainability research, since sustainability is a curricular and research focus at UWRF. Follow the links below to execute searches in the library catalog for books on various aspects of sustainability:

Sustainable development
http://rvflib.wisconsin.edu/vwebv/search?searchArg=sustainable+development&searchCode=SKEY^&limitTo=none&recCount=25&searchType=1&page.search.search.button=Search

Sustainability
http://rvflib.wisconsin.edu/vwebv/search?searchArg=sustainability&searchCode=SKEY^&limitTo=none&recCount=25&searchType=1&page.search.search.button=Search

Conservation
http://rvflib.wisconsin.edu/vwebv/search?searchArg=conservation&searchCode=SKEY^&limitTo=none&recCount=25&searchType=1&page.search.search.button=Search

Environmentalism
http://rvflib.wisconsin.edu/vwebv/search?searchArg=environmentalism&searchCode=SKEY^&limitTo=none&recCount=25&searchType=1&page.search.search.button=Search

Environmental Policy
http://rvflib.wisconsin.edu/vwebv/search?searchArg=environmental+policy&searchCode=SKEY^&limitTo=none&recCount=25&searchType=1&page.search.search.button=Search


The website URL where information about the institution's library support for sustainability is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Additional Responsible Parties:
Lissa Schneider-Rebozo -URSCA
Kelly Cain -SCISCD
Valerie Malzacher - Library Director

Although the Sustainable Community Development Masters Degree Program is currently undergoing redevelopment and not accepting new students (2014), 8 graduate students were enrolled for the 2013 performance year.


Additional Responsible Parties:
Lissa Schneider-Rebozo -URSCA
Kelly Cain -SCISCD
Valerie Malzacher - Library Director

Although the Sustainable Community Development Masters Degree Program is currently undergoing redevelopment and not accepting new students (2014), 8 graduate students were enrolled for the 2013 performance year.

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.