At its June meeting the University Research Board (URB) approved a Policy on Tuition Charges to External Grants and Contracts and directed Ronald F. Borne, Interim Vice Chancellor for Research, and Maurice Eftink, Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School, to work with representatives from the Accounting Office in formulating procedures for implementing the Policy. URB approval of the Policy comes after an ORSP Research Forum in May elicited lively discussion among faculty and administrators. The Policy was modified following that discussion. (The Policy as approved can be found at http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/research/news_events.html.) The Policy states that, effective July 1, 2000, "the University will ordinarily require tuition charges for graduate assistants to be built into new contract and grant budgets." That is, when graduate students are to be employed by a grant or contract, the budget presented to the sponsor ordinarily will include tuition for those students. The Policy recognizes some exceptions to this requirement, for example, to accommodate agency guidelines disallowing the charge and for the special requirements of some sponsored internships, fellowships, and traineeships. Questions should be directed to Dr. Maurice Eftink, 915-5974.
The ORSP offers a warm welcome to Norma Hammond, newly appointed Sponsored Programs Coordinator (SPC). Ms. Hammond comes to the ORSP after a stint with Green Dragon Creations/Water Valley Interchange, a Macintosh game development company and local internet service provider, where she was the marketing director. Ms. Hammond's previous experiences include working as the Project Coordinator for the campus architects and designers at Cornell University and working with the Educational Opportunity Program at Ithaca College. Before that, she worked at the College Board where she assisted in the production of a wide range of guidance and informational publications and software for students, teachers, and administrators. An Iowa native, Ms. Hammond holds a BA in Business Management with a concentration in International Studies from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. Ms. Hammond will be filling the position vacated by Euphiazene Gray, who recently accepted a job with the National Food Service Management Institute. "I am very happy to be able to live and work in this area again," Hammond says, "and to be able to experience all of the wonderful educational and cultural opportunities available to me through the University."
Last year, the Faculty Research Program (FRP) offered through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs awarded a total of $109,752 to 50 faculty members. Of that total, $83,892 was awarded during the Fall competition, to fund 28 Summer Support awards and 9 Small Grant awards. The Spring competition, for Small Grants only, funded an additional 13 awards totaling $25,860. A list of Fall and Spring awards is available at http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/research/news_events.html. The primary focus of the Faculty Research Program is to provide limited funds to support research that will lead to development of an externally fundable research program. Support is also considered for projects in areas where external funding is very limited or unavailable; projects requiring so little funding that asking for outside support would be inappropriate; and projects that are "high risk" in nature or involve radically new concepts that might suffer in comparison with mainstream proposals in external review. Full-time permanent faculty are eligible to apply; priority is given to beginning researchers and to more advanced researchers who are changing areas of research or who are between grants. The deadline for the Fall 2000 competition for Faculty Summer Support and Faculty Small Grants is October 16, 2000. The Spring deadline for Faculty Small Grants will be March 1, 2001. Applications are available in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs or on the ORSP homepage at http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/research/internal_support/.
The ORSP this Fall will offer a range of opportunities for faculty/staff to discuss research issues and initiatives at UM and to hone their skills in grantsmanship. Please watch for announcements and flyers, and plan to participate in as many as possible. A list of workshops, with links for registering, is available at http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/research/workshop.html.
All Forums are 3:00-5:00 in Union 405A&B
The State of Research at UM August 30
Congressional Initiatives Preparation September 13
Overview of NASA Programs: Current and Future UM Activities October 25
Overview of the Office of Technology Management November 8
The ORSP recommends that you contact us (915-7482; research@olemiss.edu) to confirm the schedule for a workshop and let us know you hope to attend.
NEH Summer Stipends August 23, 4:00-5:00, Union 412
New Faculty: Orientation to Research Administration at UM September 6, 3:00-5:00, Union 405A&B
The ORSP Faculty Research Program Sept 20, 12:00-1:30 (brown bag), Union 405A
NIH Modular Applications September 27, 3:30-5:00, 111 Old Chemistry
Compliance 101: Research Using Human Subjects and Animals October 4, 3:30-5:00, 111 Old Chemistry
Post-Award Issues: What To Expect When the Money Comes In October 11, 3:30-5:00, 404A Union
Introduction to Budgeting for Sponsored Programs October 18, 3:30-5:00, 111 Old Chemistry
Introduction to NSF FastLane November 1, 3:30-5:00, IT Teaching Lab, Weir Hall
Intellectual Property in the University November 15, 3:30-5:00, Union 405A
