Research and Innovation

Enhancing research capacity through upgraded facilities and interdisciplinary collaborations, advance the humanities and social sciences with strategic resource deployment, and optimize seed funding by reviewing and developing new mechanisms for high-impact projects.

Action Items

  • Identify and organize signature research/scholarship areas, potentially through conducting a research/scholarship network analysis​
  • Establish interdisciplinary team of collaborators to develop proposals to NIH and NSF related to REUs, education and training grants, and facilities​
  • Facilitate deployment of CASE resources to advance creative and scholarly works in the humanities and social sciences​
  • Review sources of seed funding and optimize their use in support of strategic priorities, filling gaps where funding mechanisms do not currently exist​
  • Upgrade research facilities across departments​
  • Support departmental efforts to help mid-career faculty relaunch and enhance research programs​
  • Strengthen connections with corporations and foundations​
  • Increase opportunities for undergraduate students through initiatives like FYRE

Evaluation Metrics by Action Item

Disclaimer: As strategic plans naturally adapt over time and we are still developing the final plan, and while keeping in mind their key objectives, evaluation metrics may evolve.
Action Item
Evaluation Metric(s)

Identify and organize signature research/scholarship areas, potentially through conducting a research/scholarship network analysis​

  • Conduct research/scholarship network analysis 
  • Identification of 3-5 signature areas with substantial scholarship and annual output 
  • Monitor output metrics of signature areas

Establish interdisciplinary team of collaborators to develop proposals to NIH and NSF related to REUs, education and training grants, and facilities

  • Submission of at least one RET or training grant to NSF or NIH by 2029 
  • Submission of at least one REU or similar grant to national agency by 2028 
  • Submission of at least one facilities grant to national agency by 2027

Facilitate deployment of CASE resources to advance creative and scholarly works in the humanities and social sciences

  • Determine needs of humanities and social science faculty via short survey.

Review sources of seed funding and optimize their use in support of strategic priorities, filling gaps where funding mechanisms do not currently exist​

  • Request letters of intent (simple emails) from CASE faculty intending to apply for seed funds, etc. 
  • CASE faculty receiving at least 30% of all internal seed/planning grants 

Upgrade research facilities across departments

  • Track ongoing projects and expenses

Support departmental efforts to help mid-career faculty relaunch and enhance research programs

  • CASE mid-career faculty mentor pairing established
  • One mentor/mentee whole group meeting per year
  • One workshop or other resource offered for mentors 
  • Short evaluation surveys of mentoring activities with satisfactory ratings 

Strengthen connections with corporations and foundations​​

  • Creation of industry advisory boards (or other term) in each department if not already created (in department annual reports?) 
  • Annual meetings of advisory boards with minutes 

Increase opportunities for undergraduate students through initiatives like FYRE

  • Increase number of FYRE mentors so each student has one mentor (coach on writing descriptions that appeal to students) 
  • Increase number of FYRE students annually 
  • Student and faculty surveys of FYRE experience indicate 80% are satisfied 
  • Compare outcomes such as retention  and persistence for FYRE students vs. Non FYRE students of like characteristics if possible