In May 7, 2003, minutes of Council on Academic Affairs
2. Under budget restructuring, what plans are in place to support interdisciplinary activities, particularly with Centers?
Ray commented that there are a number of Centers that report to the colleges and a number to the Office of Research, and those central units have responsibility for providing oversight and support for the Centers. There remains strong support for interdisciplinary work. For example, this is an important rationale for the idea of a Federation of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences. Moreover, the Office of Research has seeded several initiatives with the prospect of developing some new Centers. Vice President Moore is expected to report on these soon.
Council has had concerns about the complexities of Centers and their economic viability since budget restructuring, and had formed an Ad Hoc Committee on Centers (chaired by Wilkins) in response. It is focusing on the procedures needed for establishment and review of centers. However the funding mechanisms for centers is also being discussed. Should a fraction of external grants be returned to the Center, or should some of the tuition associated with courses taught relating to the center, be returned?
Ray responded that if a Center provides instruction and a fraction of the salary for instruction, then it should reap some of the benefits. It was noted that one Center had worked out various arrangements for students to get credit on courses taught. Ray commented that it is not easy to work out these problems, especially during the transition period of the budget. The job is to resolve the ambiguities so that people can get back some of the resources they generate. He believes that if the Centers generate research grants and indirect cost recoveries, then an appropriate proportion of those indirect cost recoveries need to come back to the Center.
Ray said that someone needs to articulate the funding issues associated with the Centers and the proposed solutions, and get those comments to the Provost or the Vice President for Business and Fiance for reaction by the newly-constituted Senate Fiscal Committee. He said that it plays an advisory role to the Provost and the President. Ray said a mechanism is now in place, with a clear protocol for making decisions.
Ray was told that none of these topics was new. As early as 1995 faculty had tried to get answers to their questions about budget restructuring, to no avail. Ray replied that if the Ad Hoc Committee on Centers could present a position paper on fiscal matters affecting the Centers and present it to the Council on Academic Affairs, then by authority, the Council could present it to the Senate Fiscal Committee for recommendations. Would the Council be the only body to have such authority? Could a group of Center Directors be a valid body? Ray responded that if the Ad Hoc Committee or the Center Directors brought up a set of issues, in a coherent way, then they could be addressed by the Senate Fiscal Committee. Asked if Council could recruit the Senate Steering Committee to look at issues as well, Ray said it could.
Ray said that they wanted the Senate Fiscal Committee to be a sounding board for current budget matters, prospective budget issues, or the management of fiscal affairs, noting that Executive Deans were added to provide that prospective.