St. Thomas University

ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY - STRATEGIC RESEARCH PLAN SUMMARY 2003 - 2008

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

GOAL ONE
To conduct high quality research in niche areas that are compatible with the mission, vision, unique characteristics and existing expertise at St. Thomas University

Objective 1.1.
To strengthen and extend interdisciplinary, inter-institutional and community research partnerships.

Objective 1.2.
To gain increased recognition regionally, nationally and internationally as a university with distinctive research niches.

Objective 1.3.
To increase research that benefits the quality of life in the Atlantic region.

Objective 1.4.
To increase research in areas that will promote human rights and social justice.

Objective 1.5.
To enhance the reputation of this university as a national and international leader in qualitative analysis.

GOAL TWO
To increase external and internal support for research at St. Thomas University

Objective 2.1
To increase external resources for research and scholarship.

Objective 2.2
To increase internal resources for research and scholarship.

Objective 2.3.
To provide junior researchers with information, mentoring and support.

Objective 2.4.
To enable student researchers to make a contribution to research activities and benefit from them.

MAJOR RESEARCH THRUSTS

• Qualitative Analysis
• Narrative Studies
• Populations on the Margins of Canadian Society
• Multiculturalism
• Human Rights and Social Justice
• Atlantic Studies

GENDER REPRESENTATION
The gender composition of full time and established part-time faculty has moved towards greater equality in recent years. Over the last decade the number of full time female faculty has more than doubled and there has been approximately a 7% increase in full time male faculty. In the 2003-2004 academic year there were 61 male and 45 female full time faculty. In the 1993 - 1994 academic year there were 57 male and 21 female full time faculty. All advertisements, including advertisements for Canada Research Chairs, carry the following sentence: "St. Thomas University is committed to employment equity for women, Native persons, members of visible minority groups, and persons with disabilities." A representative from St. Thomas University Employment Equity Committee is a member of all Search Committees for faculty or research appointments. The Search Committee for the Canada Chair was equally balanced by male and female faculty and was chaired by a female. The female search committee chair responded to all queries about this position. The nominee is a female.

ALLOCATION OF CHAIRS
St. Thomas University nominates its first Canada Research Chair as a researcher who will extend our research and scholarship about qualitative methodologies. Our nominee will also contribute to research thrusts in "Populations on the Margins" and "Multiculturalism" .Subsequent allocations of Canada Research Chairs will focus on other research thrusts until there is a researcher to lead our work in each of these focal areas. In the first instance we will seek one researcher in each thrust and endeavour to balance our nominations between Tier 1 and Tier 2 candidates. We will endeavour to balance nominations of internal and external candidates for our research chairs.

RESEARCH SUPPORT
The University has taken the following actions to strengthen the development of research and research training.
1999 Strengthening a University Senate-Appointed Research Committee that oversees research
and coordinates support for research activities.
1999 Introducing a competition for a half or full-credit course releases to increase time for researchers to prepare grant applications or publish research and scholarship.
1999 Instituting a programme of automatic release from a half-credit course for faculty who received a research grant from an adjudicated granting council of $15,000 or more in the last year
or who received course release as part of a SSHRC grant.
2000 Establishing a Director of University Research for a 2 year term and providing release from 1/3 teaching duties for the incumbent.
2001 Hiring a half-time officer to provide technical advice and support for faculty research activities.
2001 Establishing a Research Ethics Board to comply with Tri-Council requirements
2002 Appointing an Assistant Vice President (Research and Faculty Development) to facilitate and oversee research developments after the term served by the Director of University Research ended.
2002 Developing a CFI-funded Campus Research Network to facilitate collection, dissemination and analysis of faculty research data.
2003 Appointment of a half-time assistant for the Assistant Vice President (Research and Faculty Development).

At present, the following specific mechanisms to develop research are in place:
• Assistant Vice President chairs a Senate-appointed research committee that oversees the development of research support.
• All applications for external funding are reviewed and suggestions for strengthening applications are made. All applicants are offered a faculty mentor or a second reader to assist with and review applications.
• Information is provided to faculty about external funding opportunities.
• Liaison between Assistant Vice President (Research) and programme officers from major funding agencies. Arrangement of regular information sessions by representatives from funding agencies
• Partnership with provincial civil servants to explore funding opportunities that may be of interest to St. Thomas researchers.
• Programme of internal grants, and course releases to facilitate research.
• A St. Thomas University Research and Faculty Development web-site and a regular newsletter provide information about opportunities for research support and funding.
• Undergraduate students are employed as Research Assistants through a university sponsored student employment JOBS programme and graduate students are employed through external funding. These students receive research training from their faculty research employers..
• An institutional research officer advises faculty about how information technology can assist their research.
• A CFI-funded Campus Research Network is being developed. This offers access to powerful data analyzing processes and will provide technical support to use the system.

INTER-INSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATIONS

There is inter-institutional collaboration between St. Thomas University researchers and researchers from other Canadian institutions including University of New Brunswick, Dalhousie University, Université de Moncton, Mount Allison University, Acadia University, St. Mary's University, University of Windsor, University of Toronto, Lakehead University.
St. Thomas researchers collaborate with researchers from countries including: United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, Eire, Spain, France, Australia, India, and Argentina.

MEASURING SUCCESS

Success will be measured at the end of the five period by:
• more internal mechanisms to support research;
• a growth of interdisciplinary and inter-institutional research partnerships;
• a 30% increase in applications for external research funding;
• a 30% increase of externally funded projects;
• enhanced acknowledgment regionally, nationally and internationally of St. Thomas University as a leader in research about qualitative analysis and its other focal areas;
• Canada Research Chairs with active programmes in all focal areas of research at St. Thomas University;
• More scholarly productivity in the form of books, articles, and conference presentations.

PLANNING AND APPROVAL PROCESS FOR
STRATEGIC PLAN AND CANADA RESEARCH CHAIR APPLICATION

The planning and approval process involved bottom-up and top-down discussions and reviews of drafts of the plan. A Strategic Research Plan written in 2001 was extensively revised between March and November 2003.
During the spring and summer 2003, meetings of the Senate Research Committee open to all faculty researchers discussed the research thrusts and the focus for the Chair. The President of the University was apprised of these discussions and gave his general approval for the direction that discussions were taking.
In the Fall Semester 2003 the Senate Research Committee met weekly to construct the Strategic Research Plan and consulted with faculty researchers and the University President as it did so. Six focal areas for research were identified and the specific focus for the Canada Chair was determined. In October the Chair position was advertised internally and externally and the Strategic Research Plan and Summary were completed in draft form.
In November 2003 a Search Committee reviewed applications. The selection process involved the researcher providing a presentation that was open to the entire research community at St. Thomas University. The Search Committee reached consensus about which candidate to nominate for the Canada Research Chair. The Strategic Research Plan and Research Plan Summaries were finalized, approved by the St. Thomas University President and its most senior planning body, and the application was submitted to the CRC Secretariat.