Research and Creative Activities

Strategic Plan

Establish Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ as a nationally recognized hub for interdisciplinary research, scholarship, and creative excellence through strategic investment in infrastructure, partnerships, graduate education, and community engagement.

  1. Research and Creative Activities
    1. Promote a Culture of Student Research and Creative Achievement
      1. Ensure all students have access to meaningful research and creative experiences.
      2. Integrate research-enhanced learning into academic programs and expand summer research initiatives.
      3. Support faculty mentorship and curriculum innovations.
      4. Encourage and support student participation in research, scholarship, arts, and other creative activities to cultivate critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
      5. Utilize Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ’s unique location and community resources to offer experiential learning opportunities that enrich the educational journey and provide a competitive edge.
      6. Foster cross-sector partnerships that enhance experiential and applied research opportunities.
    2. Enhance Research and Creativity Infrastructure and Faculty Support
      1. Invest in facilities and administrative structures to strengthen research capacity.
      2. Create flexible faculty workload policies and robust internal funding mechanisms that increase research productivity, including separate teaching and research track pathways.
      3. Recruit and retain high-caliber faculty to build research and creative capacity.
      4. Expand post-doctoral appointments to improve faculty pipelines.
    3. Cultivate Interdisciplinary Centers of Excellence
      1. Establish centers focused on high-impact areas aligned with Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ’s mission and strengths.
      2. Promote research collaboration across disciplines and institutions through consortia and community engagement initiatives.
      3. Secure external funding and partnerships to ensure long-term sustainability and visibility of centers.
    4. Amplify Research and Creative Work Visibility and Community Impact
      1. Implement a comprehensive communication strategy to highlight faculty, student, and center-based research.
      2. Use podcasts, events, and media engagement to reach diverse audiences locally and nationally.
      3. Seek national designations (e.g., Carnegie Community Engagement Classification) to validate community impact.