Deep Dive in 5: Marc d’Alarcao on SJSU’s R2 Designation
SJSU’s new designation as an R2 university comes as research expenditures for FY23 topped $83.4 million. Photo by Robert C. Bain.
San José State University was recently awarded an R2 designation by the Carnegie Foundation and American Council on Education (ACE), an important classification for universities across the United States based on research expenditures, activity and other factors. This R2 designation marks a significant achievement and recognition of SJSU’s commitment to research, innovation and boundary-pushing ideas; under the previous Carnegie classifications, SJSU was not designated as a research university. SJSU, which began as a teacher training college in 1857, has made significant strides in its nearly 170-year history to become renowned for both its teaching and research activities.
We spoke with Marc d’Alarcao, interim vice president for Research and Innovation, interim president of the Board of Directors of the SJSU Research Foundation, and dean of the College of Graduate Studies, for more insight into this designation and its impact on SJSU.
What is an R2 designation and how does a university earn one?
Marc d’Alarcao (MD): In the old days, R1, R2 and what used to be called R3 were the classifications most people used as a way of immediately understanding the general size of the research activity of a university.
Now the American Council on Education (ACE) and Carnegie Foundation have changed what they called the basic classification to allow it to be more descriptive. What used to be the basic classification, R1, R2, etc., is now going to be called the “research designation.”
In early 2025, San José State achieved R2 status, meaning that we have at least $5 million per year worth of research expenditures and at least 20 research doctoral graduates per year. We currently have one research doctoral program, our educational doctorate (EdD) program, and we graduated more than 20 of those graduates in the year, which was counted for this designation.
We’re actually at $83.4 million in research expenditures, so we’re far above the R2 threshold of $5 million. In fact, the threshold for R1 is $50 million in research expenditures, so we’re even far above the threshold for R1, but we’re not going to be designated an R1 because a university needs 70 research doctoral graduates annually to qualify.
So our research designation is R2. But that could change as well. We actually have more doctoral research programs in development — we’re in collaboration with the University of California at Santa Cruz to build a joint doctoral program, and we probably will be growing one or two additional doctoral research programs within the next few years.
What do you see as the most immediate impact that this designation will have on SJSU?
MD: The principal change from this designation is that we are now considered both a research university and a national university. We’re no longer just a regional university.
Throughout the entire roughly 170-year history of San José State, we had been considered a non-research university. For the first time, we’ll be considered a research university. Now what are the implications of that?
For one thing, we’re looked at differently by ranking agencies. For example, the most famous United States ranking agency, U.S. News and World Report, which does the “Best Colleges” ranking every year, divides universities into multiple categories.
Now that we’ve achieved R2 status and are formally a research university, we’ll be ranked along with the national universities. The list of rankings that has San José State on it will also include Harvard and Stanford and MIT. We’re going to be in a much bigger, more competitive pool for our rankings; we’re swimming in a bigger pond.
The designation as a research university elevates us in the eyes of funders, as well — certainly with public funders, but also with private-sector funders. I think funders will recognize us as serious players in the research environment because of our research designation.
This designation is obviously aimed at the future of SJSU, but it’s also the culmination of an enormous amount of work to increase research expenditures. What does this designation say about what the university has accomplished so far?
MD: San José State has been active in research and has been doing wonderful, impactful research for a long time. This designation finally recognizes us for that great work. As a university, we’ve prioritized expanding our research and the last several years have seen substantial growth in our overall research activity by any measure of research, including research expenditures and publications. We’re definitely on a trajectory to be an even more research active university than we have been in the past.
What will this designation mean both for current and prospective SJSU students?
MD: An important thing to recognize is that when I say “research” it’s shorthand for research, scholarship and creative activity or RSCA, which is the more inclusive term for research because it includes not only scientific laboratory research but also scholarly activity across all of the disciplines, including the creative arts.
Engagement in RSCA is an important part of many students’ educational experience. It provides preparation and education that they cannot get in the classroom, and it prepares them for successful careers in a wide variety of fields. So as we expand our research, increased student engagement in research is one of our primary goals. We want more students to have the opportunity to access experiential learning.
In terms of prospective students, our previous status as a regional university meant we tended to draw most of our students regionally. Currently, many of our students are from California, and those who are not are often from the West. We also have a significant population of international students.
As a national university, I expect we’re going to appeal to people from all over the United States. I also expect we’re going to see increasing applications and enrollments from all 50 states, as well as enhanced international enrollment.
Finally, what do you think is most important for students and the general public to know about SJSU becoming an R2 university?
MD: San José State has always been known as a provider of workforce to Silicon Valley and beyond. This designation helps to clarify that we also provide ideas to Silicon Valley and beyond. It confirms that students who come here are going to have the experiential learning experience that really can propel them to high-level careers.
