Within each of our eight schools and colleges, faculty, students and staff are engaged in scholarly projects, the significance of which is acknowledged within the local, national, and, frequently, international communities. Specific research projects within the University are defined by individual members of the faculty who carry the primary responsibility for initiating and conducting research programs. General areas of research emphasis are defined at the departmental, college, and University levels, typically through decisions that are made in the course of actions associated with faculty appointments, reappointment, tenure, and retention. In addition, administrative units frequently link fund-raising efforts to goals associated with current and future research directions. The availability of funds to support research in different areas affects the pace at which the University can move forward in different areas of scholarly endeavor.
Research is supported through a variety of mechanisms that are typical of a research university.
These include external grants and contracts, faculty release time, sabbatical leaves, graduate and postdoctoral fellowships, construction and renovation of facilities, travel awards, colloquia, and symposia. A full range of central services is provided to support research, including the University Libraries, Computing and Information Technology, Office of Sponsored Programs, Grant and Contract Accounting, personnel services, facilities maintenance, and others. Central services are also provided in all areas required for full compliance with federal and state law, for example in supporting and monitoring research involving radioactive substances, human subjects, and vertebrate animals. Graduate programs are offered in a number of disciplines. The greatest proportion of doctoral programs is found in the sciences, while a wide range of masters and certificate programs are offered across the entire campus.