Climate Action Plan - ACUPCC Reports - Climate Commitment

The University of Minnesota should renew and expand its land-grant mission with regardto sustainability and continue to conduct research that is informed by, embeddedin, and applicable to the sustainability issues, concerns, and aspirations of the citizensof Minnesota.Research Goal 3To advance sustainability, instill sustainability principles in the research culture of theUniversity of Minnesota; all levels of University leadership should embrace sustainability asa core pillar of the University’s missionDesired Outcomes and Measuresa. A long-term sustainability research committee is established and supported toenhance sustainability researchb. An upper-level administration office for sustainability is establishedc. The number and profile of research projects, symposia, peer-reviewed publications,graduate theses, and external grants related to sustainability have increasedAll levels of University of Minnesota leadership should embrace sustainability as acore pillar of the University’s mission. Sustainability research should become a keycomponent of the intellectual identity of the University of Minnesota through creationof a faculty committee and/or upper-level administrative office, and of the University’sresearch “brand” through communications, marketing, and public relationsmaterials.Research Goal 4To advance sustainability, eliminate institutional barriers and disincentives to interdisciplinaryand collaborative sustainability researchPiecing the PuzzleAs renewable energy technologies go mainstream, how will weput all of the puzzle pieces together to create an integrated, reliablesource of heating, cooling, and electrical power? Researchers at theUniversity of Minnesota Rochester and Rochester Public Utilitieshave been developing answers with a collaborative research projectknown as the Hybrid Energy Systems Study (HESS). To date thepartnership has produced a patent as well as a systems study oncombining fuel cells and geothermal heat pump technologies.Desired Outcomesand Measuresa. Sustainability is a significantcriterion for hiring faculty inrelevant departments,and sustainability research andteaching are recognized as positivecriteria for performance evaluationin tenure review44 • U of M Systemwide Sustainability