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New Mexico State University URC Minutes - March 1, 2002

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Present: Jim Strickland, Elizabeth Titus, Neta Fernandez (Gonzalez), Stephen Horan, Rhonda Skaggs, Eve Adams, William Quintana, Margaret Jacobs, Chuck Kozel, Brian Ormand (Dave Rocks), Nirmala Khandan, Vince Gutschick

Absent: Miley Gonzalez, Ken Hacker, Becky Keele-Smith, Kurt Anderson, Ida Baca, Betsy Cahill, Rudi Schoenmackers, Karl Wood, William Ogden, Shaun McQuitty, Roy Rodriguez, Vicente Garcia

1. Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by Chair, Dr. Jim Strickland.

2. Approval of Minutes - February 1, 2002

A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes as presented.

3. Committee Reports - Dr. Khandan

Dr. Strickland sent a memo through Dr. Gonzalez to Provost Flores to request that the URC Award for Exceptional Achievements in Creative Scholarly Activity be presented during the Spring Convocation. A charge was made that URC establish a committee to work on the entire awards process, including announcing the awards, choosing the awardee, and establishing a date for the presentation. Drs. Jacobs and Kozel agreed to work with Dr. Khandan to provide a description of the committee assignment by the end of the semester.

4. Faculty Senate Report - William Quintana

Dr. Quintana reported that a named interim for a dean’s position or above cannot be a candidate for the permanent position, but can elect to resign the interim position and become a candidate. A waiver option at the department level is available.

5. CORC Report - Dr. Strickland

Dr. Strickland distributed information from the CORC meeting earlier today. Dr. McShannon presented an update on NASA EPSCoR and noted that NMSU can bid on funding in 2005. Several visitors presented information on the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP), an assistance program designed to help U.S. businesses solve technical challenges by offering up to 40 hours of free technical support. A request data base is available on their web site, however, they would like to work with the university to develop an expertise data base. Dr. Gonzalez presented the priority federal initiatives in Washington. He is also requesting information for a university-wide research brochure. University Communications asked for newsworthy items. The two committee reports from URC were distributed and CORC will review them to see how they can support the reports.

6. Overhead Recommendations Committee Report - Dr. Horan

This committee combined with the pre-existing Equipment Committee because they had a vested interest in similar issues. Dr. Horan noted that the purpose of overhead is to reimburse the university for the cost of doing research and maintaining the research infrastructure. The committee sought to determine where overhead money is spent, whether it supports the research mission, and how business practices can be strengthened. They recommended (1) educating faculty to request full IDC, (2) encouraging wise distribution of money, and (3) informing faculty about IDC distribution through explicit IDC budgets. A motion was made and seconded to accept the report as written. All were in favor. The official document will be signed and forwarded through Dr. Gonzalez to the Provost along with a memo from Dr. Strickland.

7. Grant Process Committee Report - Dr. Gutschick

The committee chair, Dr. Gutschick, stated that one of the major concerns of this committee was compliance with CAS issues. They discovered that the grant process is complicated and time consuming and, because the university set up the CAS disclosure statement to include federal funds along with state and private funds, many CAS items need justification. Researchers also have trouble tracking their expenditures in the same manner as the business office, and they are not informed as to how IDC funds returned to the colleges are allocated. Dr. Horan asked to include several recommendations that will be noted in a memo to the Vice Provost for Research and the Provost: (1) Make provisions to track grant expenditures by year of award on the monthly expenditure sheet, and (2) Request Business Office personnel to spend time in PIs labs in order to understand the complexities of following university procedures. Dean Titus suggested that the memo include an end date time frame for implementing recommendations. The Vice Provost and Provost will be asked to provide an action plan for these recommendations. Neta Fernandez offered to re-write several non-factual statements regarding the auditing agency and OMB circular. A motion was made to accept the report in principal, noting that a portion of the report will be rewritten. It was seconded and passed.

8. Other Business or Announcements

Vice President Woods and Milt Thomas will be asked to address College Ranch issues at the next meeting on April 5.

9. The meeting adjourned at 4:45 p.m.

Minutes by Betty Lindsey