University of Wisconsin-River Falls
AC-10: Support for Research

URSCA: The University of Wisconsin-River Falls is dedicated to providing opportunities and resources that foster high-quality student-faculty collaborative projects and enhance student development. The URSCA Office was opened in spring of 2013. Our mission is to support and promote the culture of undergraduate research, scholarly and creative activity across campus. We offer URSCA opportunities for students at all levels of the undergraduate experience: from the first and second years through graduation! Through the URSCA office, students are provided with funding opportunities as well as ways to connect with mentors. More information can be found at https://www.uwrf.edu/URSCA/

The URSCA Course Redesign grant is to support tenure line faculty and IAS who are interested in developing an undergraduate research component in an existing course. It is not related to sustainability per se, although sustainability research would be appropriate. What is required is that the infused research project is itself sustainable—I.e. That the research component will be ongoing—sustainable through future iterations of the revised course.

The below information is taken from the Faculty handbook, section 4.4.4.5.4 Contribution to the University. This section specifically addresses how research is included in tenure decisions. The faculty member who has met criteria Appropriate Educational Preparation and Appropriate Experience (above) may be considered for promotion using the criteria found under Section 4.3.2.1 (c1)-(c3). Evaluation of the criteria in Section 4.3.2.1 c shall be based on the faculty member's professional record. Faculty members (tenured and tenure track) are expected to develop and maintain a faculty record for use in merit, retention, tenure, promotion, and post-tenure decisions. A copy of the record should be kept by both the faculty member and his or her department chair and updated annually. This professional record should include a Vita, a self-reflective statement, and the following position information: Letters of appointment, position announcement, University rank and years of service. The record shall document the faculty member's activities in four categories: teaching, research/scholarly activity/creative activity, university service and outreach, and other professional contributions, and may include the following documentation and activities: A. Teaching: must include student, peer, and department evaluations, and may include a list of courses taught, enrollment, student advising, reassigned/release time, curriculum revision/innovation, renewal and retraining, and other professional teaching development. B. Research/Scholarly/Creative Activity: may include, but is not limited to, student-faculty or faculty research/scholarly /creative activity involving traditional discipline-related activity or the scholarship of teaching and learning, publications, presentations to professional organizations, grants applied for, grants received, exhibitions of works of art, performances, participation in scholarly/scientific meetings, and related activities. [FS 02/03-11] C. University Service and Outreach: may include committee participation and leadership (department, college, University), student club advising, and extension and outreach responsibilities. D. Other Professional Contributions: may include active involvement in professional organizations, professional consulting, professional service to community organizations, and similar activities. The items within the categories above are suggestions of appropriate activities to document in the record and may not include every appropriate activity. Specific performance expectations for promotion are established by the department and kept on file with the Dean of the College, the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and the Chancellor.

The library purchases a wide variety of print and electronic materials to support sustainability research. The journals and databases that the library purchases to support this area are described in detail on two research guides that library staff maintain: Sustainable Management Resources http://libguides.uwrf.edu/sustainablemanagement2 Use the tab labeled "Sustainable Management Journals Overview" to access the many databases that the library subscribes to that support sustainability research. These databases provide access to thousands of journals relevant for sustainability research. Environmental and Pollution Science http://libguides.uwrf.edu/environment Use the tab labeled "Journal Article Databases" to view the many databases the library provides related to environmental and pollution science. Library Discovery Tool The library provides access to a discovery tool called Search@UW. This tool searches millions of journal articles; the UW-River Falls Library Catalog and the catalogs of all of the doctoral, 4-year, and 2-year campuses in the UW-System; and the digital materials available in the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center and the MINDS@UW institutional repository. This search tool offers comprehensive access to a large number of books, journals, audiovisual materials, and digital content dealing with sustainability via an intuitive single search box. Detailed information about Search@UW is available at URL: URL: http://libguides.uwrf.edu/newsearchtool. Print and Electronic Books: The library purchases many print and electronic books dealing with sustainability research, since sustainability is a curricular and research focus at UWRF. The library is also a federal and state government documents depository, selecting a number of materials from government agencies to support our sustainability curriculum. Follow the links below to execute searches in Search@UW in the Books and Media@UWRF scope for books on various aspects of sustainability. Please note that you may view search results from off-campus, but you must be logged on as a registered UWRF user to view online full-text books and articles. Sustainable development http://uw-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?fn=search&ct=search&initialSearch=true&mode=Basic&tab=default_tab&indx=1&dum=true&srt=rank&vid=RF&frbg=&vl%28freeText0%29=%22sustainable+development%22&scp.scps=scope%3A%28RF%29 Sustainability http://uw-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?fn=search&ct=search&initialSearch=true&mode=Basic&tab=default_tab&indx=1&dum=true&srt=rank&vid=RF&frbg=&vl%28freeText0%29=sustainability&scp.scps=scope%3A%28RF%29 Conservation http://uw-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?fn=search&ct=search&initialSearch=true&mode=Basic&tab=default_tab&indx=1&dum=true&srt=rank&vid=RF&frbg=&vl%28freeText0%29=conservation&scp.scps=scope%3A%28RF%29 Environmentalism http://uw-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?fn=search&ct=search&initialSearch=true&mode=Basic&tab=default_tab&indx=1&dum=true&srt=rank&vid=RF&frbg=&vl%28freeText0%29=environmentalism&scp.scps=scope%3A%28RF%29 Environmental policy http://uw-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?fn=search&ct=search&initialSearch=true&mode=Basic&tab=default_tab&indx=1&dum=true&srt=rank&vid=RF&frbg=&vl%28freeText0%29=%22environmental+policy%22&scp.scps=scope%3A%28RF%29 Information Literacy Reference librarians meet frequently with classes to introduce students to library research. Any faculty member whose course assignments require the use of library resources, or whose students may be new to the campus or to the research process, is encouraged to schedule a library instruction session. Librarians will provide instruction in developing information literacy skills and applying library research strategies, including the use of basic or specialized research tools in all formats. Librarians meet with approximately 150 classes each year, including classes that include sustainability as a curricular focus. Library Liaisons A librarian is appointed to serve as a library liaison to each academic department on campus. Through their outreach work, liaisons determine how the library can most effectively support the work of our faculty, staff, and students. They keep their constituencies up-to-date in regard to new resources and services, provide one-on-one consultation to faculty and staff in their assigned departments, offer to meet periodically with their departments, and facilitate library instructional sessions tailored to the specific needs of their departments. Librarians work with faculty in their assigned departments to obtain relevant materials for the library's collections. They facilitate, review and place orders for library materials that support the curriculum and assess the collection in their assigned subject areas to keep it up-to-date and relevant to the curriculum.