| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.44 |
| Liaison | Bradley Flamm |
| Submission Date | March 4, 2022 |
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
AC-9: Research and Scholarship
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
6.76 / 12.00 |
Bradley
Flamm Director of Sustainability Office of the President |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Part 1. Sustainability research
975
Number of employees engaged in sustainability research:
56
Percentage of employees that conduct research that are engaged in sustainability research:
5.74
Part 2. Sustainability research by department
52
Number of academic departments that include at least one employee who conducts sustainability research:
29
Percentage of departments that conduct research that are engaged in sustainability research:
55.77
Research Inventory
Inventory of the institution’s sustainability research:
See attached document.
A brief description of the methodology the institution followed to complete the research inventory:
The attached inventory includes self-reported information from 56 full and part-time faculty members who responded "yes" to the question "Between the beginning of the 2020 fall semester and the end of the 2021 summer sessions, did you conduct research at WCU that was related to any of the UN Sustainable Development Goals?" The figure of 975 employees who conduct research refers to the combined total of full-time and part-time faculty as reported in WCU's published Common Data Set for 2020-2021 (https://www.wcupa.edu/viceProvost/institutionalResearch/documents/CDS%202020-2021%205_4_2021.pdf)
This question was part of a survey distributed electronically to all full- and part-time faculty in December 2021 (while tenured and tenure-track faculty have clearly defined responsibilities to conduct research, there are also expectations that part-time faculty fulfill research and service activities in proportion to their teaching load). Multiple reminders were sent to faculty asking for completion of the survey before February 21, 2022.
The survey identified two potential designations for courses: "A sustainability-focused course is one in which the main goals and objectives include environmental, social or economic sustainability. A sustainability-inclusive course is one in which environmental, social or economic sustainability is addressed, but not included in the main goals and objectives of the course." It then identified the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as addressing topics that illustrate a focus on, or inclusion of content related to, sustainability. In defining research that addresses sustainability, the survey referred to the SDGs and requested descriptions of research projects to explain the researcher's conclusion.
This question was part of a survey distributed electronically to all full- and part-time faculty in December 2021 (while tenured and tenure-track faculty have clearly defined responsibilities to conduct research, there are also expectations that part-time faculty fulfill research and service activities in proportion to their teaching load). Multiple reminders were sent to faculty asking for completion of the survey before February 21, 2022.
The survey identified two potential designations for courses: "A sustainability-focused course is one in which the main goals and objectives include environmental, social or economic sustainability. A sustainability-inclusive course is one in which environmental, social or economic sustainability is addressed, but not included in the main goals and objectives of the course." It then identified the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as addressing topics that illustrate a focus on, or inclusion of content related to, sustainability. In defining research that addresses sustainability, the survey referred to the SDGs and requested descriptions of research projects to explain the researcher's conclusion.
Optional Fields
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Total Faculty Source: 2020-2021 WCU Factbook (https://www.wcupa.edu/viceProvost/institutionalResearch/documents/CDS%202020-2021%205_4_2021.pdf) All WCU faculty are required to conduct research
Total Departments: https://www.wcupa.edu/_academics/adprograms.asp
Data Entry: Lois Howell, 1-Feb-22
Total Departments: https://www.wcupa.edu/_academics/adprograms.asp
Data Entry: Lois Howell, 1-Feb-22
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.