KU: University Governance

CHARGES TO THE RESEARCH COMMITTEE FOR FY-09

Approved by FacEx 6/25/08
Date approved by Faculty Senate: 9/11/08

Contact FacEx chair, Nancy Kinnersley (kinners@eecs.ku.edu) for further information or to schedule a meeting with FacEx to discuss recommendations for action on the charges.

Minutes of each meeting should be emailed to Molly Mulloy (govern@ku.edu) as soon as they are approved. The minutes will be posted to the Governance web site.

If the committee is recommending a change to university policy or rules, FacEx must officially receive that recommendation by March 17, 2009 in order to meet timeline requirements for full review by Governance.

A final report on the committee’s actions on each of the charges, as well as the committee’s recommendations for the following year, should be emailed to the Governance Office (govern@ku.edu) by April 1, 2009.

STANDING CHARGES

1. Monitor the administration of the General Research Fund (GRF) and make recommendations, as needed, to ensure its effectiveness and appropriate utilization. Specifically, the committee should:

a. Update the list of the GRF recipients for the previous spring and ensure it is posted to the Research Website. For each GRF award, this list should include the name and affiliation of the project director and the title of the project, the award amount, and the date of the most recent previous award, and accomplishments stemming from GRF funding.
b. Review and clarify 1) general policies related to GRF, 2) GRF reporting requirements, 3) the composition of committees that evaluate GRF proposals, and, where necessary, 4) the policies of specific entities and units related to the GRF fund, and 5) clarify the amount and percentage of total GRF funds that are distributed as faculty awards.
c. Identify issues with general GRF policies, forward suggested modification of policies to FacEx, and seek Faculty Senate endorsement for proposed changes to these policies.
d. Identify issues with the GRF policies of specific entities and units and communicate the need for changes in the policies to those units.

Report to FacEx concerning actions taken in respect of this charge by April 1, 2009.

2. Monitor the implementation of the University’s policy on Restricted Research (Faculty Senate Rules and Regulations, Article IX), including policies and procedures for handling requests for exceptions.

a. Serve as the body to hear faculty appeals of research rejected by the restricted research committee or by the Vice Provost for Research, as specified in the Restricted Research Policy.
b. Maintain a current record, open for review, of the review actions taken by the Restricted Research Committee and the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.
c. Include in the final report a listing of each restrictive grant or contract considered during the year, containing (1) the title of the project; (2) the name of principal investigator or project director; (3) the source or sources of funds for support; (4) approval or disapproval by the Restricted Research Committee; and (5) a brief statement of the reasons for the approval or disapproval.

3. Monitor the implementation of policies and procedures for determining which proposals will go forward in cases where the number of grant applications that may be submitted from the University is limited. Identify problems or concerns, and report issues and recommendations to FacEx (ongoing).

4. Work with ACTC and consider needs for and issues with research to computing and telecommunications, including recommendations for sustainable policies and procedures. Monitor the implementation of the recommendations made by the Task Force on Research Computing. Report issues and recommendations to FacEx by April 1, 2009.

5. Continue consulting with KUCR on the modification and adaptation of the online database for reporting (and compiling) the outcomes of GRF awards. Report issues and recommendations to FacEx by November 1, 2009.

SPECIFIC CHARGES

1. Conduct a comprehensive third-year review of the effective use of GRF funds and accomplishments made by each unit/entity on campus during. Make recommendations for reallocation of GRF funds as necessary. Report findings and recommendations to FacEx by March 17, 2009. (The report from the FY 06 review may be found on the governance web site at http://www2.ku.edu/~unigov/research06FP.html).

2. In relation to standing charge 1c and specific charge 1, above, review the current policies for allocation of GRF funds among units and how units allocate funds among applicants. Consider specifically whether these policies unfairly disadvantage particular kinds of scholarship or particular units and whether particular unit allocation mechanisms are consistent with the university policies for allocating GRF funds. Report recommendations to FacEx by April 1, 2009.

3. Continue to investigate mechanisms by which the total pool of money for the GRF and the percentage distributed to faculty can be increased in order to encourage even more research and scholarship. The total pool of money available for the GRF has not increased in the last seven years. Report recommendations to FacEx by April 1, 2009.

4. Develop a policy designed to promote open access to KU scholarship. The policy would outline a process to collect, preserve, and disseminate scholarly articles of KU faculty through KU ScholarWorks. Recommended policies should be discussed by governance and the KU research community. Report recommendations to FacEx by February 16, 2009.

5. Examine Initiative 2015, “Discovering and Innovating” Recommendations #2 – 5. Determine what part governance should play in implementing these recommendations. Report recommendations to FacEx. (ongoing)

Supporting documents:

Scientific misconduct policy
Initiative 2015
Open Access to KU Scholarship proposal