In line with Marshall University's 2010 Strategic Plan, the following goals have been set up for the Research & Creative Activities Advisory Council:

Goal I: Improve the institutional environment for research

Goal II: Strengthen the interdependence between research and creative activities

Goal III: Increase public awareness of Marshall research

Goal IV: Focus resources on nationally relevant and regionally competitive research

Goal V: Increase research and creative activities

To read the full script of the Marshall University 2010 Strategic Plan, please visit http://www.marshall.edu/ucomm/publications/mu2010.pdf (right-click to save)

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Goal I:

Improve the institutional environment for research and creative activities in order to assist Marshall’s move to a Doctoral/Research Intensive Carnegie Classification.

• Establish additional doctoral level programs, emphasizing inter and cross-disciplinary studies where Marshall can serve unique niches.
• Increase external funding for research and creative activities and procure matching funds to take advantage of a growing number of grant opportunities.
• Create flexibility for department and program staffing to encourage and reward research and creative activities.
• Strengthen the reassigned time mechanism for faculty with semester-specific research projects.
• Give appropriate weight to research and creative arts activity in promotion, tenure and salary decisions.
• Hire additional faculty to cover teaching of faculty released from instructional duties.
• Increase the number of faculty awards for summer research and creative activities, increase award amounts, and make awards available throughout the year.
• Develop strategies to ensure a University Libraries’ materials budget that supports research and creative activities.
• Provide regionally competitive graduate research and creative activity assistantships and create new University Fellowships to attract graduate students with outstanding research and creative arts potential.

Goal II:

Strengthen the interdependence between research and creative activities, teaching, and service.

• Establish a coordinating council to recognize and encourage activities that link research and creative efforts with teaching and service, through the Center for Teaching Excellence.
• Seek grants from federal and other sources for interdependent program development/assessment involving the integration of research and creative activities, teaching, and service.
• Establish opportunities for affiliate status with national initiatives that support collaborative university/public or private research in teaching.
• Commit resources to help faculty become effective mentors of research and creative activities.
• Establish a seminar program featuring experts in teaching through research and creative activities.
• Increase federal grants for undergraduate research.
• Recruit faculty with emphasis on research-based education.

Goal III:

 Increase public awareness of Marshall University’s growing stature in research and creative activities.

• Interact proactively with media (television, newspaper), public figures (business leaders, politicians/governing bodies), and alumni.
• Organize and support events focused on research and creative activities, such as university-wide expositions of research and creative activities, a faculty seminar series focused on interdisciplinary exchange, and public presentation of student Capstone projects.
• Use technology to provide public and internal access to various levels of research and creative activities information.

Goal IV:

Focus resources on nationally relevant and regionally competitive research and creative programs and activities.

• Identify Marshall programs that are currently, or show promise for, conducting research and creative activities that are important to the region and the state.
• Support Marshall research and creative programs that currently are, or show promise for, national prominence in research or creative activities.
• Develop a systematic method of identifying state, regional, and national research and creative activities priorities and matching them with appropriate Marshall faculty/staff.
• Provide facilities that support promising research and creative activities programs.

Goal V:

Increase research and creative activities that show promise for improving West Virginia’s economic development, natural and cultural environments, educational systems, health and social services.

• Establish a collaborative research and creative activities advisory board.
• Identify priorities in research related to economics, culture, environment, education, health and social services, manufacturing, transportation, biotechnology and diversity in West Virginia.
• Identify funding sources for research and creative priorities.
• Develop a dissemination model to provide various West Virginia agencies, institutions, and communities with research findings efficiently and effectively.
• Develop a model for translating research findings into practice for various statewide organizations.
• Develop relationships and cooperative agreements with regional, national and international organizations to provide greater opportunities for student involvement in the application of research methods and findings to service learning.
• Increase institutional capacity for technology transfer through the Marshall University Research Corporation.