Research

As an R1 Research University – categorized by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as having “very high research activity” – Oklahoma State University leads in the generation of new knowledge and its conveyance to society across a broad range of liberal and practical fields of inquiry. The University will continue to research and innovate across its historic areas of expertise and in areas of new discovery. In so doing, OSU will develop and promote excellence in faculty and student research and in graduate programs that, taken together, form the backbone of its R-1 status.  Recruiting, developing and retaining faculty with the highest level of research expertise – and allowing them to teach and mentor equally talented graduate students – is a fundamental commitment to a top-tier research university and will elevate OSU’s reputation, competitiveness and impact by driving excellence in both components of our research enterprise.

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Imperative 6

Elevate OSU among the ranks of R1 universities and leverage this top-tier status to advance research that impacts society

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Objective 1: Attract and retain high-talent innovators who can work across disciplines beyond their own.

Life is transdisciplinary. Accordingly, we will create a university system that supports and rewards transdisciplinary and/or convergent research, including in the faculty reappointment, promotion and tenure process. This will allow the exchange of knowledge, approaches, tools and technologies from diverse fields to stimulate innovation and discovery in our research.

 

Objective 2: Leverage Institutes to drive transdisciplinary discovery.

In order to provide a mechanism for truly trans-disciplinary research and application in these key areas, Oklahoma State University will aim to create and grow a series of targeted Institutes that complement its traditional academic units. Interdisciplinary in nature, integrated with industry and agile in their ability to seek and apply innovative funding, the Institutes will bring together existing faculty and non-faculty researchers – as well as undergraduate and graduate students – to work alongside industry experts for direct impact.

 

Objective 3: Fulfill the Land-Grant mission by broadening the reach of research.

To further embed the new knowledge it generates in the lives of the communities it serves and to assure its research impacts society, OSU will aim for two broad objectives:

1. To make our research available to the public
2. To share our research through Extension

By creating a culture of accessibility, our research will be available to the public through an online medium, ensuring that it is formatted and appropriate for public use. Sharing our research by funding dissemination and extension activities with communities around the state will profoundly impact our population by allowing us to not only share research findings but to establish a critical feedback mechanism to ensure our research agenda meets contemporary needs. 

 

Finally, Oklahoma State University recognizes our faculty and students as the intellectual capital that allows our institution to conduct groundbreaking research. It is therefore vital to our system to incorporate our students in as much research as possible, giving them hands-on experience, bringing their perspectives to bear on the research and allowing them to understand research methods while contributing to projects larger than themselves. To ensure we gain and maintain the best and brightest minds, OSU commits to the cultivation of a system that cares for its intellectual capital.

 

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