| Overall Rating | Reporter - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | |
| Liaison | V.S. (Raghu) Raghavan |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Mount Holyoke College
AC-10: Support for Research
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Nancy
Apple Director Environmental Health & Safety |
Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability? :
A brief description of the student research program, including the incentives provided and any positive outcomes during the previous three years:
The Miller Worley Center provides support for a wide range of Mount Holyoke College student, faculty and administrative endeavors. Four different grants offer funding for student travel and workshops, faculty-student research, faculty curriculum development, and campus sustainability.
Student Travel, Research and Conference Grants: The Miller Worley Center for the Environment offers grants of up to $500 for students to participate in workshops and conferences, to conduct independent research (with a faculty supervisor) or to organize on-campus education and outreach events.
Campus Sustainability Grants: The goal of the MHC Campus Environmental Sustainability Fund is to enable members of the community to undertake campus projects to advance the College’s desire to reduce the environmental footprint of campus life and work. Grants of up to $1,000 are considered for award to students or student groups, faculty, and/or staff to facilitate these projects. The Campus Environmental Sustainability Fund has funded a variety of projects including:
"War of the Watts" energy competition
Reusable water bottles for commencement
Food waste reduction education campaign
Exterior recycling containers
Updated labeling of recycling bins across campus
Faculty Curriculum Development Grants:
The Miller Worley Center for the Environment supports faculty members from any discipline who are seeking to strengthen or introduce environmental or sustainability themes in their courses. Grants of up to $500 are available for adding a module to an existing course or up to $2,000 for developing a new or substantially revised course. Two or more faculty members can also apply for $500 each to create linked courses that connect students in each class in meaningful shared work. This may be an assignment, sustained discussion or joint class meetings.
Faculty-Student Summer Research Grants: The Miller Worley Center for the Environment provides short-term summer support for environmentally oriented faculty-student research in any discipline. Grants cover the wage costs for students to work as assistants on faculty research projects, and also support projects that do not qualify for either MHConnect/Lynk funding or a Research Assistance Grant through the Office of the Dean of Faculty.
Does the institution have a program to encourage faculty from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability topics?:
A brief description of the faculty research program, including the incentives provided and any positive outcomes during the previous three years:
The Miller Worley Center for the Environment (and the Weissman Center for Leadership) work to convene faculty from various disciplines and programs to collaborate on public programs, new courses, faculty development, and research. While the Miller Worley Center does not directly give professors funding for research, it does fund students who work with professors.
The Center supports pedagogical innovation and student-faculty research to advance student understanding of environmental issues and practical experiences in addressing them. It offers small grants to incentivize and support pedagogical innovation and student-faculty research to advance student understanding of environmental issues.
The Dean of Faculty also offers support for research. Faculty Research Grants provide funding to help defray costs of publication, travel, and other important expenses related to carrying on research. A total of $130,000 is available for faculty research grants.
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?:
A brief description of the institution’s support for interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research, including any positive outcomes during the previous three years:
The Miller Worley Center for the Environment supports events and student-faculty interdisciplinary research through grant funding. The Dean of Faculty’s office also provides research grants for interdisciplinary research. Faculty Research Grants provide funding to help defray costs of publication, travel, and other important expenses related to carrying on research. A total of $130,000 is available for faculty research grants.
Does the institution have ongoing library support for sustainability research and learning?:
A brief description of the institution’s library support for sustainability research, including any positive outcomes during the previous three years:
A librarian is designated as a liaison to the Environmental Studies program to help students, faculty and staff with research or instructional technology questions and needs.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.