Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 67.63
Liaison Konrad Schlarbaum
Submission Date March 1, 2024

STARS v2.2

University of Colorado Colorado Springs
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Joel Tonyan
Director of User Experience, Associate Professor
Kraemer Family Library
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Student sustainability research incentives 

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:
UCCS offers several scholarships to encourage student research relating to sustainability topics, with a particular emphasis on issues of diversity and inclusiveness, gender, and cultural pluralism. These include financial support and, in some cases, a requirement that research be presented in a public talk. Below are links to three websites containing information about programs to encourage student research in sustainability:

1) The Dane Vogel Memorial Scholarship is available to declared Geography and Environmental Studies (GES) majors at the sophomore or higher level. This is a merit-based award; students must have a minimum overall grade point average of 3.3 for all courses taken at UCCS. The Scholarship will be for $1000, and each recipient can receive the award only once. 

https://www2.uccs.edu/geography/dane-vogel-memorial-scholarship#:~:text=The%20Dane%20Vogel%20Memorial%20Scholarship%20is%20available%20to%20declared%20Geography,all%20courses%20taken%20at%20UCCS.


2) Jacquelyn Beyer Fellowship -The purpose of the scholarship is to encourage outstanding undergraduate and graduate women students with declared majors in Geography and Environmental Studies (GES) or in a program emphasizing women's studies or lesbian studies to make the best use of their academic experiences.

https://www2.uccs.edu/geography/jacquelyn-beyer-fellowship


3) Women’s and Ethnic Studies Scholarships
Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez & Janice M. Gould Scholarships
https://diversity.uccs.edu/scholarships/cesar-chavez/descriptions

Additionally, the Sustainability Office encourages and works with students on sustainability research and hands-on projects. These are typically independent study courses and have included renewable energy, STARS, website development, zero zero-waste initiatives.

4) CU PRESIDENT'S SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS CHALLENGE

The CU President’s Office invites students to present their ideas for sustainable innovations and solutions in competition for a cash prize. The CU President’s Sustainable Solutions Challenge (PSSC) is a competition series that seeks to encourage student-led innovation in sustainability at UCCS or throughout the entire CU System.

For the competition, students (as individuals or teams) are invited to develop short-pitch presentations that propose sustainability solutions that provide long-term financial, social, and environmental benefits at UCCS or throughout the CU System. Qualifying teams will present their ideas to a panel of judges and will be evaluated on how well they understand the problem, develop a sustainable solution, and discuss the impact and feasibility of the idea. Students will have 7 minutes to give their presentation and 3 minutes for a Q&A session.

1st Place will receive $1,000
2nd Place will receive $750
3rd Place will receive $500

Prize funding will be directed toward the individual or teams and not to project implementation. All proposals will be shared with appropriate campus units for consideration for potential implementation.

https://sustain.uccs.edu/pssc

5) The UCCS Green Action Fund provides a maximum $5,000.00 Research Seed Grant as one of their funding opportunities. This has resulted in the funding of several faculty and student-led projects according to the Research Seed Grant Funding Criteria:

The following Criteria must be met to be considered for a Research Seed Grant from the Green Action Fund:

-All research must be conducted through a UCCS department or operational unit, and sponsored by a UCCS faculty or staff member.

-A one to two-page research proposal must be submitted with the Research Seed Grant Application. The proposal must include:

➢ The hypothesis being tested – What is your research question?
➢ The data to be collected or used in the project and how it will be collected
➢ Methodology of Testing Hypothesis
➢ Timeline
➢ Budget
➢ Conclusion – What do you expect to find?
➢ The project must meet the 5 pillars of GAF as outlined in the Seed Grant Application Form.
➢ A maximum funding cap of $5,000 is set for each research project.
➢ If the research team is seeking additional funding to make the project possible, no GAF funds may be spent until the entire amount needed to complete the project is available to the team from the additional sources. GAF cannot front money for part of a project. The team must demonstrate that it has the resources needed to complete the entire project before GAF funds are made available. GAF can grant conditional approval until other funds are secured.
➢ ALL provisions of Green Action Fund Funding Guidelines and Procedures shall apply to Research Seed Grant Applications.

Project-based applications such as small and large grants are evaluated based on their contribution to each of the following goals:

Green Action Fund Funding Pillars

Reduction of Ecological Footprint
Projects propose methods to reduce the ecological footprint of the campus through projects that will either a) change campus physical operations b) promote sustainable behavior among UCCS students and/or c) raise awareness about sustainability.

Increased Student Involvement
Projects demonstrate a clear initiative to engage students. Projects should aim to create social cohesion, ideally across an interdisciplinary environment, by demonstrating an active involvement of students.

Education and Outreach
Projects demonstrate a clear contribution to educating others about sustainability. Education and outreach opportunities include, but are not limited to: course integration, knowledge sharing, outreach events and programs, campaigning, and independent studies.

Long Term Feasibility
Projects will demonstrate a clear plan for the project term from start to finish and identify opportunities for sustained operation by working closely with members of facilities, administration and/or faculty. Proposals demonstrate an awareness of long-term needs to ensure a sustained impact of this project on campus physical operations or individual behavior.

Scope of Impact at UCCS
Projects demonstrate a broad impact by integrating sustainable practices with increased student involvement and education. Proposals will assess the number of students impacted by the project as well as summarize quantifiable economic and environmental benefits.

FUNDING PILLARS: https://gaf.uccs.edu/funding-information/funding-pillars
PROJECTS FUNDED: https://gaf.uccs.edu/projects/projects-funded

Faculty sustainability research incentives 

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:
The UCCS Green Action Fund provides a maximum $5,000.00 Research Seed Grant as one of their funding opportunities. This has resulted in the funding of several faculty and student-led projects according to the Research Seed Grant Funding Criteria:

The following Criteria must be met to be considered for a Research Seed Grant from the Green Action Fund:

-All research must be conducted through a UCCS department or operational unit, and sponsored by a UCCS faculty or staff member.

-A one to two-page research proposal must be submitted with the Research Seed Grant Application. The proposal must include:

➢ The hypothesis being tested – What is your research question?
➢ The data to be collected or used in the project and how it will be collected
➢ Methodology of Testing Hypothesis
➢ Timeline
➢ Budget
➢ Conclusion – What do you expect to find?
➢ The project must meet the 5 pillars of GAF as outlined in the Seed Grant Application Form.
➢ A maximum funding cap of $5,000 is set for each research project.
➢ If the research team is seeking additional funding to make the project possible, no GAF funds may be spent until the entire amount needed to complete the project is available to the team from the additional sources. GAF cannot front money for part of a project. The team must demonstrate that it has the resources needed to complete the entire project before GAF funds are made available. GAF can grant conditional approval until other funds are secured.
➢ ALL provisions of Green Action Fund Funding Guidelines and Procedures shall apply to Research Seed Grant Applications.

Project-based applications such as small and large grants are evaluated based on its contribution to each of the following goals:

Green Action Fund Funding Pillars

Reduction of Ecological Footprint
Projects propose methods to reduce the ecological footprint of the campus through projects that will either a) change campus physical operations b) promote sustainable behavior among UCCS students and/or c) raise awareness about sustainability.

Increased Student Involvement
Projects demonstrate a clear initiative to engage students. Projects should aim to create social cohesion, ideally across an interdisciplinary environment, by demonstrating an active involvement of students.

Education and Outreach
Projects demonstrate a clear contribution to educating others about sustainability. Education and outreach opportunities include, but are not limited to: course integration, knowledge sharing, outreach events and programs, campaigning, and independent studies.

Long Term Feasibility
Projects will demonstrate a clear plan for the project term from start to finish and identify opportunities for sustained operation by working closely with members of facilities, administration and/or faculty. Proposals demonstrate an awareness of long-term needs to ensure a sustained impact of this project on campus physical operations or individual behavior.

Scope of Impact at UCCS
Projects demonstrate a broad impact by integrating sustainable practices with increased student involvement and education. Proposals will assess the number of students impacted by the project as well as summarize quantifiable economic and environmental benefits.

FUNDING PILLARS: https://gaf.uccs.edu/funding-information/funding-pillars
PROJECTS FUNDED: https://gaf.uccs.edu/projects/projects-funded

Recognition of interdisciplinary, transdisciplnary and multi-disciplinary research 

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:
The 2022 Campus Policy on Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure does not spell out recognition based on interdisciplinary research, but each of the departments below have clearly defined interdisciplinary research, program and course development as positive recognition towards promotion or tenure. This is a majority of the departments that offer tenure positions.

https://provost.uccs.edu/tenure-documents

Library support

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:
UCCS Kraemer Family Library offers a dedicated Sustainability Research Librarian to guide and support sustainability research for students, staff, and faculty, as well as a Library LibGuide, Journals, and Materials as follows:

Kraemer Family Library manages a Lib Guides website to highlight research on sustainability at UCCS. It offers expert support from Research Librarian Joel Tonyan (author and manager of the guide), who is available for one-on-one appointments for students, staff, and faculty needing research help on sustainability.

http://libguides.uccs.edu/sustainability

In addition, the library provides electronic access to two expansive lists of journals related to environmental science/sustainability:

https://browzine.com/libraries/2848/subjects/61/bookcases/126?sort=title

https://browzine.com/libraries/2848/subjects/61/bookcases/128?sort=title

Finally, the library carries over 7,400 titles related to sustainability in book or e-book form:

https://library.uccs.edu/search/X?SEARCH=(environmental%20sustainability)&SORT=D

Questions about sustainability resources? Chat with a librarian directly!

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s support for sustainability research is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.