| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.89 |
| Liaison | Marian Brown |
| Submission Date | Dec. 13, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Wells College
AC-10: Support for Research
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 4.00 |
Marian
Brown Director Center for Sustainability and the Environment |
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:
Each semester, the College supports academic internships, independent study projects and capstone experiences related to sustainability. In addition, in summer, the College supports two paid academic internships to support the Aurora Farmers Market and to develop and maintain campus gardens.
In addition, Wells College offers funding to support research grants that bring faculty and students together on campus during the summer months. A total of $15,000 is available; the number of projects supported will depend on budgetary needs of projects submitted but we hope to support projects at the $3000-$5000 level. Applications are due
February 15th to the office of the Provost and Dean of the College. Applications will be reviewed by the Dean’s Council. Criteria for review include:
Clarity and completeness of the description of the proposed project
Confidence that the student(s) involved will benefit from the experience
Likelihood and quality of a scholarly outcome of the project proposed
Adequacy and appropriateness of budgeted items and their costs
The Dean’s Council will recommend whether to fund, fund with a revised budget, or not fund. Faculty awarded funding are responsible for selecting the student(s) involved in their project. Students will be eligible to live in campus housing during the time period of the project upon approval of the Dean of Students.
In addition, academic departments and the Office of the Provost have provided financial support for student researchers to be able to travel to conferences and academic meetings to present their work.
Moreover, each semester, the Office of Experiential Learning and Career Services hosts an Internship/Research Fair at which students explain posters of their research, internship, or independent study work.
Recent summer research projects included work completed by Dr. Jaclyn Schnurr and two student researchers to document the impact of deer browse on quantity and diversity of vegetation in the campus forested lands. In summer 2016, 4 student researchers studied various aspects of invasive species on campus. The College offers on-campus housing at a very reasonable rate for student researchers.
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:
Wells College offers funding to support research grants that bring faculty and students together on campus during the summer months. A total of $15,000 is available; the number of projects supported will depend on budgetary needs of projects submitted but we hope to support projects at the $3000-$5000 level. Applications are due
February 15th to the office of the Provost and Dean of the College. Applications will be reviewed by the Dean’s Council. Criteria for review include:
Clarity and completeness of the description of the proposed project
Confidence that the student(s) involved will benefit from the experience
Likelihood and quality of a scholarly outcome of the project proposed
Adequacy and appropriateness of budgeted items and their costs
The Dean’s Council will recommend whether to fund, fund with a revised budget, or not fund. Faculty awarded funding are responsible for selecting the student(s) involved in their project. Students will be eligible to live in campus housing during the time period of the project upon approval of the Dean of Students.
In addition, the Office of the Provost provides a pool of funding for faculty accepted to present their research work at academic conferences and meetings.
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:
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:
The Long Library offers a research guide for Environmental Studies which lists many relevant references and resources. The Library media group has also partnered with the Center for Sustainability and the Environment to purchase film titles for use for campus educational screening events and also to be added to the permanent collection.
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.