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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.