Document Type

Report

Publication Date

8-2020

Keywords

Georgia Southern University, Office of Research, Research, Focal areas, Academic research

Abstract

Executive Summary

Georgia Southern University is well-positioned to serve the local region and global community by engaging in public impact research. Public impact research matches community (broadly defined) needs with University resources to help solve the most pressing societal problems. Positioning Georgia Southern University as a public impact research institution aligns well with its recently established Strategic Plan (2019-2024), which calls for building research infrastructure to support interdisciplinary collaborations, better engage within our local, regional, and global communities, and build mutually beneficial partnerships. To move the University in this direction, the Vice Provost for Research, Dr. Chris Curtis, initiated the development of university research themes, herein termed research focal areas, to stimulate interdisciplinary research with a public impact orientation. The Faculty Research Advisory Board was then established to begin identifying 3-5 focal areas based on the needs of the region and society and how readily current faculty expertise and University resources could be harnessed to meet those needs. The Faculty Research Advisory Board had representatives from each of the University’s eight academic colleges and members collected information from reports (e.g., regional economic development plans) and data from colleagues about research interests, resources such as existing research centers, equipment, business and community partnerships, and Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs).

Based on the information collected, with regional/global needs as the primary driver, four focal areas were proposed with the acknowledgement that the focal areas can and will overlap. The focal areas, along with their definitions, are:

  1. Healthy Communities: To improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities. Faculty are leading basic, applied, clinical, evaluative, translational research that is nationally recognized for excellence in promoting health within underserved and rural communities.
  2. Innovation, Manufacturing, and Supply Chains: Global markets are integrated by supply chains that organize networks of resources, people, ideas, factories, materials, vehicles, and cash, that deliver value to end markets. Faculty research advances innovative science, technologies, manufacturing, and business/ managerial approaches to improve these networks.
  3. Sustainability and Energy: To protect natural environments while supporting human well-being, community health, culture, and long-term economic growth for future generations. Faculty research advances innovative science, technology, and business practices to address challenges for current and future generations’ resiliency in a changing environment.
  4. Cultural Enrichment: To foster human enrichment, cultural outreach, and global awareness in ways that enhance well-being, quality of life, personal growth, inclusive excellence, and appreciation of diverse perspectives and experiences. Faculty produce research, creative works, and scholarly activity that contribute to cultural vitality and economic development.

Additional data were collected to ensure that the University’s grant history, as an indicator of current faculty research expertise, appropriately aligned with the proposed focal areas. Major funding agency initiatives also were reviewed to confirm that the proposed focal areas would be competitive for extramural funding. The next steps in this initiative are to refine the focal areas by receiving input from campus leaders, secure ways to communicate the focal areas to the broader campus community and constituents, and for the Office of Research to determine avenues for providing the necessary support for faculty collaborations to begin.



Comments

The authors contributed equally to this report.

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