| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.86 |
| Liaison | Nicole Arsenault |
| Submission Date | April 3, 2024 |
York University
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Nicole
Arsenault Program Director, Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
Yes
A brief description of the student sustainability research program:
Sustainability Innovation Fund
The Sustainability Innovation Fund supports projects that advance climate action and York’s net-zero goal. The fund will create opportunities for members of the York University community to actively engage in sustainability initiatives, specifically related to climate action and reducing GHG emissions and utilize the campus as a living lab, empowering individuals to be agents of change and take meaningful steps to reduce our impact on the planet. Proposals may address direct or indirect emission such as commuting, energy, food, waste, behaviour change, awareness and engagement or nature-based solutions.
The Sustainability Innovation Fund supports projects that advance climate action and York’s net-zero goal. The fund will create opportunities for members of the York University community to actively engage in sustainability initiatives, specifically related to climate action and reducing GHG emissions and utilize the campus as a living lab, empowering individuals to be agents of change and take meaningful steps to reduce our impact on the planet. Proposals may address direct or indirect emission such as commuting, energy, food, waste, behaviour change, awareness and engagement or nature-based solutions.
Does the institution have a program to encourage academic staff from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct sustainability research?:
Yes
A brief description of the faculty sustainability research program:
1. Catalyzing Interdisciplinary Research Clusters (CIRC Initiative) The Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation at York University regularly announces funding for the Catalyzing Interdisciplinary Research Clusters (CIRC) initiative. The initiative is designed to strengthen interdisciplinary research clusters in areas of strategic importance while enabling impactful contributions towards the University’s Strategic Research Plan, the University Academic Plan, and York’s commitment to supporting the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The CIRC program funds research excellence for interdisciplinary projects, crossing the mandates of at least two of the three federal granting councils, with the core team of at least five researchers for each project including members from at least two faculties and at least one early career researcher. Selected projects will receive $150,000 per year over three years from the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation.
2. Sustainability Innovation Fund: https://www.yorku.ca/sustainability/getinvolved/sustainability-innovation-fund/
The Sustainability Innovation Fund supports projects that advance climate action and York’s net-zero goal. The fund will create opportunities for members of the York University community to actively engage in sustainability initiatives, specifically related to climate action and reducing GHG emissions and utilize the campus as a living lab, empowering individuals to be agents of change and take meaningful steps to reduce our impact on the planet. Proposals may address direct or indirect emission such as commuting, energy, food, waste, behaviour change, awareness and engagement or nature-based solutions.
3. The Provostial Fellows Program: In support of the mandates outlined in the University Academic Plan, York tenured faculty members were invited to submit expressions of interest for consideration as Provostial Fellows. Fellows will work with the Provost and relevant members of the senior leadership on a project or initiative intended to advance one of the UAP priority areas, at an institutional or Faculty level (note, a project need not be limited to the Fellow’s home Faculty). Projects must seek to enhance, and intersect with, the university-wide challenge to elevate our contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The proposed project should also seek to provide an opportunity for personal professional growth and learning, and to the exploration of leadership at the Faculty or institutional level. Learn more here: https://www.yorku.ca/unit/pvpa/provostial-fellows-program/#:~:text=This%20aims%20to%20enrich%20York,and%20mentoring%20by%20University%20leaders.
4. Climate Change Research Month: Climate Change Research Month supports the University's commitment to climate change action through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The commitment to creating an annual Climate Change Month is a crucial step towards widespread education and another example of how York is committed to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
5. Sustainable Energy Initiative: The challenges of climate change and the need to support sustainable energy, economies and communities inspired the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (FEUC) to establish the Sustainable Energy Initiative. SEI builds and strengthens research, education and skills for students and professionals in energy efficiency and conservation, renewable energy sources and community energy planning. SEI seeks collaboration and partnerships to support analysis of technical, economic, social and political contexts and innovation in sustainable energy and its applications. SEI encourages sustainable, equitable communities in Canada and around the world. https://sei.info.yorku.ca/
6. Homeless Hub: The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH) is a non-partisan research and policy partnership between academics, policy and decision makers, service providers and people with lived experience of homelessness. Led by Stephen Gaetz, President & CEO, the COH works in collaboration with partners to conduct and mobilize research designed to have an impact on solutions to homelessness. The COH evolved out of a 2008 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council funded project called the Canadian Homelessness Research Network and is housed at York University. https://www.homelesshub.ca/
7. Organized Research Units: York University has a number of new institutional Organized Research Units that align well with the SDGs: https://www.yorku.ca/research/organized-research-units/. Some examples would be the Centre for Bee Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Languages, Centre for Refugee Studies, Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, Global Labour Research Centre, One WATER, York Emergency Mitigation, Engagement, Response and Governance Institute (Y-EMERGE) and others. https://www.yorku.ca/research/organized-research-units/
8. Ecological Footprint Initiative: Research out of York’s Ecological Footprint Initiative in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, which involves faculty, staff and students, is informing people and governments about the way humans use the Earth’s resources and the planet’s capacity to provide them. In the last few years, York has become a global hub for producing ecological footprint accounts, and for researching ways to make them even more comprehensive. https://footprint.info.yorku.ca/
2. Sustainability Innovation Fund: https://www.yorku.ca/sustainability/getinvolved/sustainability-innovation-fund/
The Sustainability Innovation Fund supports projects that advance climate action and York’s net-zero goal. The fund will create opportunities for members of the York University community to actively engage in sustainability initiatives, specifically related to climate action and reducing GHG emissions and utilize the campus as a living lab, empowering individuals to be agents of change and take meaningful steps to reduce our impact on the planet. Proposals may address direct or indirect emission such as commuting, energy, food, waste, behaviour change, awareness and engagement or nature-based solutions.
3. The Provostial Fellows Program: In support of the mandates outlined in the University Academic Plan, York tenured faculty members were invited to submit expressions of interest for consideration as Provostial Fellows. Fellows will work with the Provost and relevant members of the senior leadership on a project or initiative intended to advance one of the UAP priority areas, at an institutional or Faculty level (note, a project need not be limited to the Fellow’s home Faculty). Projects must seek to enhance, and intersect with, the university-wide challenge to elevate our contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The proposed project should also seek to provide an opportunity for personal professional growth and learning, and to the exploration of leadership at the Faculty or institutional level. Learn more here: https://www.yorku.ca/unit/pvpa/provostial-fellows-program/#:~:text=This%20aims%20to%20enrich%20York,and%20mentoring%20by%20University%20leaders.
4. Climate Change Research Month: Climate Change Research Month supports the University's commitment to climate change action through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The commitment to creating an annual Climate Change Month is a crucial step towards widespread education and another example of how York is committed to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
5. Sustainable Energy Initiative: The challenges of climate change and the need to support sustainable energy, economies and communities inspired the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (FEUC) to establish the Sustainable Energy Initiative. SEI builds and strengthens research, education and skills for students and professionals in energy efficiency and conservation, renewable energy sources and community energy planning. SEI seeks collaboration and partnerships to support analysis of technical, economic, social and political contexts and innovation in sustainable energy and its applications. SEI encourages sustainable, equitable communities in Canada and around the world. https://sei.info.yorku.ca/
6. Homeless Hub: The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH) is a non-partisan research and policy partnership between academics, policy and decision makers, service providers and people with lived experience of homelessness. Led by Stephen Gaetz, President & CEO, the COH works in collaboration with partners to conduct and mobilize research designed to have an impact on solutions to homelessness. The COH evolved out of a 2008 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council funded project called the Canadian Homelessness Research Network and is housed at York University. https://www.homelesshub.ca/
7. Organized Research Units: York University has a number of new institutional Organized Research Units that align well with the SDGs: https://www.yorku.ca/research/organized-research-units/. Some examples would be the Centre for Bee Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Languages, Centre for Refugee Studies, Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, Global Labour Research Centre, One WATER, York Emergency Mitigation, Engagement, Response and Governance Institute (Y-EMERGE) and others. https://www.yorku.ca/research/organized-research-units/
8. Ecological Footprint Initiative: Research out of York’s Ecological Footprint Initiative in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, which involves faculty, staff and students, is informing people and governments about the way humans use the Earth’s resources and the planet’s capacity to provide them. In the last few years, York has become a global hub for producing ecological footprint accounts, and for researching ways to make them even more comprehensive. https://footprint.info.yorku.ca/
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 copy of the promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
The promotion or tenure guidelines or policies:
York University uses a flexible set of criteria when evaluating faculty for promotion and tenure decisions, which reflects the university standards. Research contributions are a criteria under B.2. Professional Contribution and Standing.
From the Tenure and Promotion Policy and Criteria
" In keeping with the University’s commitment to foster a climate of respect for equity and diversity, standards for tenure and promotion must recognize research and professional contributions in an equitable way. This includes acknowledging diverse career paths, traditions and values, ways of knowing, ways of engaging the community though community engaged scholarship and forms of communicating knowledge.
In most cases distinction within a profession arises from the communication of knowledge or skills through public service and community engagement, scholarly publication, or the production of works of art. Although publication and performance are not in themselves a guarantee of excellence, one recognises that these kinds of professional activity are addressed to communities larger than York University and that, therefore, they must be judged in this larger professional context. In certain cases a distinguished public expression constitutes prima facie evidence that the quality of the work has been assessed and found to be of a high standard; in other cases it may be necessary to solicit assessments from specialists in the same field.
When the candidate has written or produced a work as part of a team or group in a research project, including in the context of community-engaged scholarship, the nature of their contribution must be assessed. Intellectual achievement may also be manifested by studies or activities that have been commissioned by governments, communities or by private institutions. Contributions of this kind are significant, but they can be uneven and should always be evaluated by a recognized authority in the same field""
From the Tenure and Promotion Policy and Criteria
" In keeping with the University’s commitment to foster a climate of respect for equity and diversity, standards for tenure and promotion must recognize research and professional contributions in an equitable way. This includes acknowledging diverse career paths, traditions and values, ways of knowing, ways of engaging the community though community engaged scholarship and forms of communicating knowledge.
In most cases distinction within a profession arises from the communication of knowledge or skills through public service and community engagement, scholarly publication, or the production of works of art. Although publication and performance are not in themselves a guarantee of excellence, one recognises that these kinds of professional activity are addressed to communities larger than York University and that, therefore, they must be judged in this larger professional context. In certain cases a distinguished public expression constitutes prima facie evidence that the quality of the work has been assessed and found to be of a high standard; in other cases it may be necessary to solicit assessments from specialists in the same field.
When the candidate has written or produced a work as part of a team or group in a research project, including in the context of community-engaged scholarship, the nature of their contribution must be assessed. Intellectual achievement may also be manifested by studies or activities that have been commissioned by governments, communities or by private institutions. Contributions of this kind are significant, but they can be uneven and should always be evaluated by a recognized authority in the same field""
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:
"1. Embedded in York University Libraries' (YUL) Strategic Plan 2021-2026 is a commitment to rise to the University-wide challenge to contribute to UN SDGs. One main strategic goal of YUL is to ""collaborate with faculty to enhance the visibility and impact of research emerging from SDG initiatives. See this link for specific initiatives that YUL is implementing to advance each of the SDGs, through engagement, outreach or collaborative activities: https://www.library.yorku.ca/web/about-us/plans-and-reports/yul-advancing-sdgs/
2. Drop-in research help is available in person at our libraries during reference hours for York students, staff and faculty. The Scott Library focuses on research help for environmental studies topics. To generally support student research, the library has in person research help that isn’t subject specific. Reference services are available in person at all of the libraries during reference hours. Help is available to York students, staff and faculty with finding books, articles and other resources needed for their research.
2. Drop-in research help is available in person at our libraries during reference hours for York students, staff and faculty. The Scott Library focuses on research help for environmental studies topics. To generally support student research, the library has in person research help that isn’t subject specific. Reference services are available in person at all of the libraries during reference hours. Help is available to York students, staff and faculty with finding books, articles and other resources needed for their research.
Website URL where information about the institution’s support for sustainability research is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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