Is R2 on your institution’s strategic horizon?
For many university leaders, the question isn’t simply whether R2 is worth pursuing. It’s whether the institution is ready to pursue it in a way that makes sense for its mission, people, and resources.
Here are five questions worth discussing around the leadership table:
Where are we today? Do we have a reliable picture of our current research expenditures (gathered through HERD or otherwise) and research doctorate production?
Why R2 for us? How would stronger research activity advance our students, faculty, and institutional mission?
What would need to change? Do our faculty workloads, research administration and infrastructure, and graduate support systems match our ambitions?
Is this investment sustainable? What is our plan for funding growth in an uncertain environment?
Are the campus stakeholders aligned? Do faculty and campus leaders share a realistic view of the opportunities and tradeoffs?
R2 is a designation. Building the research enterprise behind it is the real work—and it starts with asking the right questions.
For colleagues at RCUs: which of these questions has been the hardest to answer on your campus?