Virginia Commonwealth University
AC-9: Research and Scholarship

Part 1. Sustainability research

Institution produces sustainability research as measured by the percentage of employees who conduct research that are engaged in sustainability research.

Part 2. Sustainability research by department

Institution produces sustainability research as measured by the percentage of academic departments that conduct research that include at least one employee who conducts sustainability research.

Required documentation

Institution must provide an inventory conducted during the previous three years to identify its sustainability research activities and initiatives. The research inventory must be based on the definition of sustainability research outlined in Standards and Terms and include for each individual conducting sustainability research:

• Name

• Departmental affiliation

• Research interests/topics or a brief description justifying the individual’s inclusion

Research for which partial or incomplete information is provided may not be counted toward earning points for this credit.

This credit applies to all institutions where research is considered in employee promotion or tenure decisions. Institutions that do not consider research in promotion or tenure decisions as a matter of policy or standard practice may choose to mark all of the Research credits as Not Applicable. Pursuing one or more Research credits and marking other credits in the subcategory as Not Applicable is not allowed.

Each part is scored independently.

Part 1

An institution earns the maximum of 6 points available for Part 1 of this credit when 15 percent or more of its employees that conduct research are engaged in sustainability research. Incremental points are awarded based on the percentage of researchers that are engaged in sustainability research. For example, if 7.5 percent of employees that conduct research are engaged in sustainability research, an institution would earn 3 points (half of the points available for Part 1).

Points for Part 1 of this credit are calculated automatically in the STARS Reporting Tool as follows:

Part 2

An institution earns the maximum of 6 points available for Part 2 of this credit when 75 percent or more of departments that conduct research are engaged in sustainability research. Incremental points are available based on the percentage of departments that conduct sustainability research. For example, if 25 percent of departments that conduct research are engaged in sustainability research, an institution would earn 2 points (one-third of the points available for Part 2).

Points for Part 2 of this credit are calculated automatically in the STARS Reporting Tool as follows:

Timeframe

Report the most recent data available from within the three years prior to the anticipated date of submission.  

An institution may choose to report research activities from one, two, or three academic years, as long as both the total number of employees that conduct research and the number of employees engaged in sustainability research are measured during the same time.  

Sampling and Data Standards

Each institution is free to choose a methodology to identify sustainability research that is most appropriate given its unique circumstances. For example, an institution may distribute a survey to all academic staff members and ask them to self-identify as being engaged in sustainability research or ask the chairperson of each department to identify the sustainability research activities within his or her department.

The total number of employees that conduct research must include, at minimum, all academic staff for whom research is considered in promotion and/or tenure decisions. Institutions may report on academic staff regardless of status (e.g., full-time, part-time, or adjunct) and may also include non-academic staff who conduct research, as long as they are counted consistently in both the numerator (the number of employees engaged in sustainability research) and the denominator (the total number of employees that conduct research).

Any level of sustainability research is sufficient to be included for this credit. In other words, a researcher who conducts both sustainability research and other research may be included.

An institution that has developed a more refined approach to conducting the research inventory that is appropriate given its particular context may use that approach as long as it is consistent with the definitions and guidance provided. For example, a large research institution may limit the inventory to funded research.

Institutions that do not have academic departments should report fields of study, programs, subject areas or the equivalent.