FACULTY SENATE COMMITTEE EXAMINING THE ROLE OF
THE OFFICE OF RESEARCH
In keeping with the University of Mississippi's threefold mission
of teaching, research and service, and its commitment to being
one of America's great public universities, the faculty of the
University of Mississippi recommend the adoption of the following
to enhance its graduate education and research productivity.
Research and graduate education are cornerstones of the University's
trifold mission and should be treated as such beginning with:
1. The Associate Vice Chancellor of Research position should be
re-classified to the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate
Affairs. Research and graduate education are intricately entwined
and each directly benefits the other. To achieve and maintain
Carnegie Level I status at the University of Mississippi, graduate
education and research should receive a level of attention commensurate
with the undergraduate programs. This proposed Vice Chancellor
should directly oversee the operations of the Graduate School
(administered by the Dean of the Graduate School) and the Office
of Research (administered by the Director of the Office of Research).
The Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Affairs should oversee
all University research (including individual schools, departments,
institutes and other university-related research enterprises).
This Vice Chancellor should be a voting member of the Academic
Council, the University Planning Council and a ex officio member
of the University Research Board. The Vice Chancellor for Research
and Graduate Affairs should be directly involved in University
functions involving fund-raising, promotion and distribution of
general and Foundation funds related to research and graduate
education.
2. The Office of Research should be closely associated with, however
distinctly separate from, the Graduate School. The Office of Research
should be headed by the Director of the Office of Research. This
person should have an extensive background in the area of academic
research. Basic operational expenses of the Office of Research
should be funded through the Educational and General Fund. The
Office of Research should oversee all aspects of university research.
Examples of the scope of the responsibilities of the Office of
Research are included in the Attachment. The goal of the Office
of Research should be to encourage and promote research at the
University.
3. The Graduate School should be closely associated with, however
distinctly separate from, the Office of Research. The Graduate
School should be headed by a Dean of the Graduate School. The
Dean of the Graduate School, in addition to the operation of the
graduate programs, should work closely with all university research
operations to ensure that graduate education is an integral part
of all university research programs.
ATTACHMENT
The goal of the Office of Research should be to encourage and promote research at the University of Mississippi. Examples of how such goals may
be attained are as follows:
a. Mission: The Office of Research, in conjunction with the Office of the Provost, should work to promote research activities as an essential component of the University of Mississippi's educational mission.
b. Faculty Assistance: The Office of Research should provide faculty with information regarding research opportunities, technical assistance in researching, writing, preparing and submitting research proposals, as well as grant administration, accounting and reporting. The Office of Research should provide faculty with internal competitive funding programs for:
i. seed projects (i.e. faculty small grant projects)
ii. travel (i.e. support for researchers, which may include faculty, staff, or students, to present research at regional, national or international meetings)
iii. emergency research (i.e. emergency essential equipment repairs, unforeseen essential costs)
iv. summer salary for research (i.e. faculty small grant projects)
c. Research Facilities and Technical Assistance: The Office of Research should be responsible for providing adequate and fair research space, facilities (including a centralized animal care unit, hazardous wastes units, etc.) and technical service.
d. Graduate Education: The Office of Research, in conjunction with the Graduate School, should assess all University research endeavors in terms of graduate and undergraduate education. All research at the University should attempt to involve aspects of graduate and undergraduate education.
e. Faculty Startup: The University Office of Research should be
responsible for providing new faculty with research startup funding, and developing policies such as early leave.
f. Cost-Sharing: All research involving University cost-sharing
should be approved by the Office of Research and University Research Board.
g. Indirect Costs: The Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate
Affairs should approve all indirect cost rates between granting agencies and the University. All decisions regarding University research overhead allocation policies should be made with substantial input from faculty. Any deviations from the current policy should be approved by the University Research Board.
h. Extraordinary Research Time Commitments: Where applicable, the
Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Affairs in Association with the Office of the Provost should provide departmental assistance in lost teaching and service responsibilities due to extraordinary commitments.
i. Sabbatical Leave: The Office of Research should be instrumental in the decision-making processes regarding research sabbatical leaves. In addition, this Office should maintain follow-up reports on sabbatical research for publicity and accountability.
j. University Research Institutions: The Office of Research and
the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Affairs should coordinate the research activities of the University Research Institutions so that such institutions are complementary and integral to faculty research and graduate education.
k. Full-Time Faculty Research Appointments: The Office of
research and the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Affairs should provide all research faculty with detailed promotion guidelines which have been approved by the University Research Board.
l. Associates' and Partners' Awards: The Vice Chancellor for
Research and Graduate Affairs should play an active role in the distribution Associates' and Partners' Awards.
m. Joint Research Appointments: The Office of Research should
oversee all faculty research joint appointments. The Office of Research should be responsible for providing faculty with detailed commitments associated with any research joint appointments. Recommended joint appointments or changes in current joint appointments should be approved by the Office of Research as well as the University Research Board.
n Coordination/Duplication: The Vice Chancellor for Research and
Graduate Affairs should coordinate the research efforts of the various research divisions at the University and frequently review, assess and eliminate any unnecessary duplication of research services. Funds currently used for such duplication of research services should be redirected to improve the services provided by the Office of Research.
o. Incentive: The Office of Research should offer faculty members
incentive for seeking and obtaining extramural research funding. This should include providing potential teaching and/or service release time, graduate research assistantships, adequate research space and facilities, etc.
p. Technology Transfer: The Office of Research should directly
oversee the Office of Technology Transfer and in conjunction with
the University Research Board develop policies and procedures
for technology transfer and intellectual property issues.