TO:
Bradley Seebach, Chair
Faculty Senate
FROM:
Jennifer Butler Modaff, Chair
Research & Grants Committee (“RGC”)
DATE:
May 11, 2016
RE:
Committee Charge for 2015-2016 – RGC Year-End Report
Members: Jennifer Butler Modaff (Chair), Deborah Buffton, Joan Bunbury, Eric Gansen, Christine
Hippert, Marie Moeller, Leslie Rogers, Anton Sanderfoot, Sheida Teimouri and Chandra Hawkins (ExOfficio).
On behalf of the RGC, I am pleased to report on the RGC’s accomplishments during the 2015-2016
academic year with references to your charge letter of September, 2015. The RGC convened on
Wednesday September 2, 2015 at 1:30 and elected Jennifer Butler Modaff as Chair.
We made two changes to the FRG application. First, we added the verbiage “Please briefly discuss the
outcomes from the two most recent proposals” to page 4 under the section on Past Faculty Research
Grants. We also added the verbiage, “Please note that the committee will consider the completeness of
previous projects when determining whether a proposal will be funded,” to page 6 under the Merit Review
Criteria. Both changes were based on recommendations from the 2015-2015 RGC committee.
The primary role of the RGC is to evaluate Faculty Research Grant (“FRG”) applications and award
FRGs. This year we had 55 applicants. Although all members of the RGC reviewed each grant
application, grants were divided and assigned to a specific team for a closer reading given the large
number of grant proposals.
All applicants were given the opportunity to present their proposal and address questions from the
committee. Presentations were given between Tuesday November 10, 2015 and Monday November 16,
2015. Most members of the RGC were able to attend every presentation. The committee voted
individually and then met on Thursday November 19, 2015 to discuss budget decisions and hold a final
vote. We awarded $302,003 in FRGs to 41 successful applicants. The award amounts ranged from $3,885
to $13,030.
I would like to express my deepest appreciation and gratitude to those who served on the RGC during the
2015-2016 academic year. Professors Joan Bunbury, Deborah Buffton, Eric Gansen, Christine Hippert,
Marie Moeller, Leslie Rogers, Anton Sanderfoot, and Sheida Teimouri made my job as chair easy and
efficient. I would also like to acknowledge Chandra Hawkins, Sydni Durrstein and Melissa Nielsen from
the Grants Office for all of the assistance and guidance that they provided to the committee.
Respectfully submitted,
Jennifer Butler Modaff
Jennifer Butler Modaff
2015-2016 Chair
Research and Grants Committee