The way that faculty work is evaluated at universities often misses the mark when it comes to recognizing engaged research, teaching and public service — efforts that connect directly with community needs. 

To address this gap, the UC Davis Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement (PSE), has joined numerous public research universities and national partners in a new research-practice partnership called Supporting Public Impact Research through Institutional Transformation (SPIRIT). Supported by a $1.249 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the project aims to transform faculty evaluation systems to better acknowledge and promote efforts that reach beyond traditional faculty research, teaching and public service.

"Our goal is to enhance equity within academia and improve support for faculty who pursue public impact research," said Michael Rios, vice provost of public scholarship at UC Davis.

Tackling Exclusion in Tenure

SPIRIT will tackle the persistent issue of epistemic exclusion — the ways in which biases in academia can marginalize scholars from underrepresented groups. For instance, metrics for faculty merit and promotion often overlook or undervalue research, teaching and service that directly engages with and benefits communities. This can disproportionately affect scholars whose work falls outside of traditional conceptions of scholarship and research. 

“Research has consistently shown that evaluation metrics often fail to capture the full impact of work by faculty from underrepresented groups, especially when it involves public impact research," Rios said.

SPIRIT partners include project leads Jessica Bennett and Kacy Redd with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU); Pennsylvania State University; the University of Texas at San Antonio; Washington State University; and organizations such as Advancing Research Impacts in Society (ARIS) and Pew Charitable Trusts, among others. 

These institutions will collaborate on pilot projects designed to foster inclusive evaluation practices that recognize diverse forms of scholarship. The pilot projects are expected to serve as models for other universities aiming to broaden their academic evaluation criteria. SPIRIT will also build a network for sharing best practices and learning among universities, ensuring that these innovative evaluation methods can be widely adopted.

Case Studies and Surveys: Understanding Impact

In partnership with Global Affairs, UC Davis Public Scholarship and Engagement has taken steps to address issues related to merit and promotion by advancing conversations about incorporating public engagement in faculty recognition. Reflecting these efforts, in May 2023, the Office of Academic Affairs introduced a new optional statement for Contributions to Public and Global Impact that all faculty members and researchers can include in the Senate and Federation merit and promotion processes. This optional statement allows individuals to highlight their contributions to public and global impact within their professional dossiers. 

UCD’s pilot program will focus on a) understanding the climate for faculty for conducting public scholarship through a climate survey; b) tracking engagement by faculty use of the Statement of Contributions; and c) writing an in-depth case study that understands the experiences of faculty who submit Statements of Contributions, who participate in the Public Scholarship Faculty Fellows program, or Centers for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Science (CAMPOS) and Advancement of Multicultural Perspective on Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities (CAMPSSAH) faculty scholars. The UCD pilot will feature collaborations within the Provost’s office between Public Scholarship and Engagement, Academic Affairs (faculty focus) and with the Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Visualizing the Scope of Faculty Community Engagement

Additionally, in 2024 PSE launched the Catalyzing Impact Initiative to better understand, visualize and evaluate the breadth of university activities that fall under community engagement. Catalyzing Impact will build the infrastructure and mechanisms for ongoing data collection, assessment and communication of public impact. Goals include the data dashboards that addresses student outcomes, faculty research and institutional investments; communications that highlight the value of UC Davis public impact and community engagement efforts; a systematic approach for collecting and listening to faculty, staff, student and community partner feedback; and a strategy for sustainable investment in understanding and evaluating public impact and community partnerships at UC Davis.