By Dixie Reid

November 29, 2021

Sac State Scholars is the University’s new online system for discovering and highlighting faculty research and creative activity, as well as the storehouse for graduate theses and doctoral dissertations.

The site, which is managed by University Library, is a valuable resource for the campus community, said Yinfa Ma, associate dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

“The information will help in building teams of campus experts to secure more research funding. It ultimately will provide opportunities for students to work with faculty, which will enhance the students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and it will boost faculty’s scholarly activity output.

“Also,” Ma said, “it is a great platform to showcase our faculty’s work to the world.”

The world already has taken notice. Prior to its official launch Nov. 29, the Sac State Scholars database had already been accessed nearly 3,000 times from as far away as the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and Australia. It replaces ScholarWorks, the University’s previous institutional repository.

The repository also will have an audience closer to home, said David Gibbs, interim associate dean for digital technologies and resource management at the University Library.

“We see this as a tool for the greater Sacramento community to better understand what’s happening on our campus,” he said. “It’s a way of creating partnerships among the faculty at Sacramento State and from other campuses. It’s also for use by the business community and for journalists seeking sources for their stories. That’s what we hope it will do.”

Cameron Law envisions Sac State Scholars as a tool to expand the reach of Sac State’s Carlsen Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

“We see great value in building connections between people on campus and in the community ... around entrepreneurship,” said Law, the center’s executive director.

“I believe that research is key in bridging these connections, as it provides new inputs to advancing entrepreneurial work. Additionally, research often leads to innovations that can be commercialized, creating new businesses and jobs for our community.”

The Sac State Scholars research portal is powered by software that allows users to search faculty-researcher profiles and find details about their work, professional affiliations, achievements, and awarded grants, as well as publications, data sets, creative works, projects, and media mentions.

“Sac State Scholars will allow external and internal entities to easily identify experts in specific fields and to significantly enhance collaborations among faculty across Sacramento State and the other 22 CSU campuses,” Ma said.

“We also believe that it will lead to collaborations with local communities, corporates, state agencies, and researchers across the world.”