Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 46.44
Liaison Rachel Kornhauser
Submission Date March 2, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

State University of New York at Oneonta
AC-10: Support for Research

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 4.00 Rachel Kornhauser
Sustainability Coordinator
Finance and Administration
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Does the institution have an ongoing program to encourage students in multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability? :
Yes

A brief description of the student research program, including the incentives provided and any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

The campus’ annual Student Research & Creative Activity (SRCA) Day provides a professional forum for students to showcase research to the campus and greater community. Although open to all disciplines, sustainability projects are encouraged, and relevant projects are designated by the President’s Advisory Council on Sustainability (PACS) as such in the SRCA program and on the presentations. Since 2016, when the sustainability designation began, 80 student projects from 14 different departments presented at SRCA Day have been designated as sustainability-related (30% of all presentations in 2016, and 36.5% of all presentations in 2017).
The Student Grant Program for Research & Creative Activity provides funding for independent projects conducted by students with faculty sponsorship, with applications rounds in both the fall and spring semesters. Students can apply for up to $1,500 for expenses needed to carry out the project; and also receive a $300 fellowship when the project is presented at a SRCA Day event. (Faculty sponsors also receive a $300 fellowship.) For the current fiscal year (2017/18), approximately $84,000 is allocated to this program. Additional funding in the amount of ~$50,000/year is available for students to travel to academic and co-curricular conferences/meetings. Students conducting sustainability-related work and attending/presenting at related conferences are encouraged by the Sustainability Coordinator and faculty in the Environmental Sustainability program to apply to these opportunities.


Does the institution have a program to encourage faculty from multiple disciplines or academic programs to conduct research in sustainability topics?:
Yes

A brief description of the faculty research program, including the incentives provided and any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

The annual faculty showcase event, the Life of the Mind (LOTM), spotlights research and scholarship made by faculty to the intellectual life of the campus community and beyond. Although open to all disciplines, sustainability projects are encouraged; and, as with SRCA Day, organizers began designating sustainability-related projects as such in the LOTM program and on the presentations. Since 2016, when the sustainability designation of projects began, 36 presentations from 14 different departments have been designated as sustainability related by the PACS (32.3% of all presentations in 2016, and 26.3% of all presentations in 2017).
Funding is available for faculty to begin or maintain a research agenda or to conduct creative activities through the Faculty/Professional Staff Research & Creative Activity Grant program. Applications for up to $3,000 per project are accepted in both the fall and spring semesters, with approximately $74,000 available in 2017/18. The Sustainability Coordinator and Grants Development Office, which administers the program, are in discussions to prioritize sustainability-related projects in the review rubric used in the peer review process.


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?:
No

A brief description of the institution’s support for interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary research, including any positive outcomes during the previous three years:
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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, including any positive outcomes during the previous three years:

The college's library website hosts a LibGuide for sustainability. The LibGuide allows for easy navigation through of the library's collection of articles, books, journals and other online resources.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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