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Academic Vision 2016

Transformational Scholarship

As a strategic priority for the university, Transformational Scholarship is defined as research and scholarly activity that can make a difference in the world; such scholarship has the potential to change lives, worldviews, professional disciplines, policies, practices, and/or society in meaningful, positive ways. The scholarly process at Azusa Pacific University is an ongoing and diverse endeavor of faculty, staff, and students that fosters a culture of inquiry and contributes to the learning process. Such scholarly activities are informed by faith and reflect the unique strengths and gifts of the scholar and the discipline in which his or her scholarship is grounded.

In order to achieve transformational scholarship, all forms of scholarship (including discovery, application, integration, and the scholarship of teaching) are supported and encouraged; rigorous academic inquiry and learning remain a component of all courses of study.

The scholarly process at Azusa Pacific University serves as an ongoing endeavor of both faculty and students that has a direct and lasting impact on learning. The multifaceted products of those scholarly activities demonstrate excellence, reflecting the strengths of each discipline as well as the individual gifts and strengths of our faculty and students. Our academic programs include those delivered by innovative, state-of-the-art methods such as distributed learning.

Current Five-Year Goals (PDF)

A. Recognition and valuing of scholarship and research
  1. Publicly recognize and incentivize quality scholarly productivity (including recognition of national and international awards for scholarship, research, and contribution to the discipline) at annual faculty events and public university functions and events.
    • Program Reviews
    • Program Reviews may be found at the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment website.
    • Faculty Awards
    • Every year five awards are given to faculty. They are the Chase A. Sawtell Inspirational Faculty Award, the Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award, the Undergraduate Scholarly Achievement Award, the Rose Liegler Graduate Scholarly Achievement Award, and the Alice V. Watkins Imago Dei Ethos Award.
    • Faculty Award List (PDF)
  2. Actively support the seeking of external scholarships, awards, and accreditation that support faculty and student scholarship and research as well as the application of such to social concerns or issues.
    • Various Off-Campus Grants
    • Keeping History Alive Grants to Azusa Unified School District 5th and 8th grade teachers
    • Keeping History Alive emails (PDF)
    • Student Handbook
    • Faculty Handbooks
    • Faculty Handbooks are located in the Office of the Provost.
  3. Develop measures and assess the application of scholarship and research on student learning outcomes.
  4. Support graduate and undergraduate student research by establishing incentives, recognition, and reward systems for student engagement and productivity in scholarship and research.
    • Creative Teaching Grants
    • Grants are awarded each year to provide funding to support faculty in efforts to develop ways of improving the teaching or learning environment.
    • Creative Teaching Grant Application (PDF)
B. Internal and external support and funding
for faculty and student scholarship
  1. Develop policies for evaluating teaching workloads in order to create an environment that allows time for the development of scholarship and research, including opportunities for interaction between disciplines and with students.
    • Academic Cabinet Strategic Planning Process
    • In September 2012, the Academic Cabinet implemented a formal strategic planning process for new academic programs and initiatives
    • Strategic Planning Handbook (PDF)
    • Faculty Handbook Section 7.0 Workload
    • Workload (PDF)
    • The Office of Research hosts two off-campus Writers’ Retreats each year. The retreat provides faculty with an opportunity to read, research, write, and to fellowship with colleagues.
    • Writers’ Retreat (PDF)
  2. Develop creative opportunities to promote and fund research such as the option to “buy out” teaching and/or workload upon receiving grants or outside funding.
  3. Vigorously support and incentivize the development of proposals for extramural funding that enhance opportunities for faculty and students to engage in scholarly interaction and research.
    • Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research
    • Support faculty presentations on service-learning research
    • Newsletters and other media attention to service-learning
    • Support student service-learning research at service-learning, student affairs, and disciplinary conferences
C. Interdisciplinary interchange
  1. Create a place and/or physical location that fosters opportunities for interdisciplinary and scholarly exchange between and among faculty.
    • Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research
    • Interdisciplinary conference presentations (three or more disciplines)
    • Faculty Fellows—annual cohort of service-learning professors
    • Common Day of Learning presentations
    • New faculty service-learning training
    • The Office of Research hosts two off-campus Writers’ Retreats each year. The retreat provides faculty with an opportunity to read, research, write, and to fellowship with colleagues.
    • Writers’ Retreat (PDF)
    • Office of Research visiting consultant
      • Twice each semester and at the two Writers’ Retreats, the Office of Research hosts an outside consultant who meets privately with faculty, staff, and students, as requested, in order to help them with overcoming the challenges of writer’s block, negotiating book contracts, organizing big projects by breaking them down into small accomplishable steps, and creating marketing strategies for books, as well as other issues related to research and publications.
D. Develop infrastructure to support research, teaching, and grants
  1. Remit a significant portion of the indirect/administrative reimbursements to the schools to incentivize future development of grant proposals, research, and scholarly activities.
    • Academic Cabinet Strategic Planning Process
    • In September 2012, the Academic Cabinet implemented a formal strategic planning process for new academic programs and initiatives
    • Strategic Planning Handbook (PDF)
    • The Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Programs and Research has $100K in the budget specifically for doctoral programs. Each year this money is dispersed through a competitive application process coordinated by the Faculty Research Council.
E. Alternative degree structures and delivery systems for education
  1. Develop new (innovative) academic programs and delivery systems that are responsive to diverse and changing student needs.
    • Academic Cabinet Strategic Planning Process
    • In September 2012, the Academic Cabinet implemented a formal strategic planning process for new academic programs and initiatives
    • Strategic Planning Handbook (PDF)