Faculty Development Council Meeting
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Adelbert Hall, Room M2
Members Present:
Christine Ash
Diana Bilimoria
Ica Manas-Zloczower
Ronald Occhionero
Amanda Shaffer
Lynn Singer
Carol Stark
Unable to Attend:
Cleve Gilmore
Alison Hall
Jessie Hill
Daniel Scherson
Patricia Underwood
Guest:
Bob Miller, CWRU Vice President for Research and Technology Management
The meeting was called to order by Diana Bilimoria at 9:30 a.m. The minutes from the
last meeting on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 were approved.
Diana suggested that for our upcoming meetings, we meet two times a semester and
extend the meetings to 90 minutes (instead of monthly for 60 minutes). Council
members approved unanimously.
Diana welcomed Bob Miller, Vice President for Research and Technology Management,
as our guest. Provost Baeslack asked us to invite him to our meeting to discuss research
resources for faculty, faculty needs, and how to address research capabilities.
Agenda item for today:
- Discussion with Bob Miller, on Enhancing Research Resources for Faculty.
Bob gave us a brief history of his background which included becoming the Vice
President of Research in October, 2011. His emphasis is on research and he believes this
also should be a focus from the Board of Trustees, Provost, and Deans. The support of
the faculty and of the university is needed to increase research efforts.
CWRU is making progress and plans are now going forward and working reasonably
well. New technology is coming out of research, this is important, but it is not the only
Faculty Development Council Meeting
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
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aspect. Our priorities are now moving to changing the perspectives on research. The
major focus on research activity is directed at the School of Medicine, Case School of
Engineering and College of Arts and Sciences. Focus should be moved to an
understanding of research across the total research spectrum. We should now focus on
the commercial aspect and the science, engineering and medicine benefits to society.
The rest of Bob’s presentation was answering the following questions:
Where do you see the most need and where to we go first?
-
Needs are everywhere. Bob’s philosophy is to attack the easy points first and
tackle the harder issues later or next. He suggested Suzanne Rivera, Associate
Vice President of Research, be a guest speaker at an upcoming meeting.
-
Bob will start by having an internal investigation to enhance the office with a
possible reorganization or streamlining of the organization. We will determine
the various skill sets of the various research areas. A strategic plan will be
developed over the next few months.
-
Must manage and persuade management to support pre-award system. Develop
programming to help write grants, check progress on emails, get immediate
feedback and track grants. Improve the programs such as the Electronic
University Review Form (eURF) which will allow for tracking grants and setting
up central depository for research that allows seeing who is working on what
projects. This should allow departments to gain better insight across the
university.
-
Must see if the system works and collaborate with library staff to create a hub of
data. This would help undertake research and make it easier to get ideas out to
the faculty.
-
Bob’s to do list will include:
o
o
o
o
o
o
Educational workshops
Commercialization, to help faculty to get information out to the field
Write rules – technology
Website
Helping faculty on legal aspects of research
Making it easier to get ideas out to the faculty
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Wednesday, June 20, 2012
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How do you assist the faculty?
-
We will put into place programs that will assist faculty on manuscript and
publishers’ requirements. The staff will work with the University librarian,
library staff, and the general counsel office.
What are the challenges and how to get around them?
-
A lot of challenges are coming up – the largest is depending on a limited number
of sources for income. If federal government changes funding – we will be in
trouble. To broaden the income stream, we must develop a better system of
communication. CWRU must not limit itself. We need to invest more in
research, recruit new faculty and students, obtain more funding and provide
interim support.
What should come out from the Deans/Research/Central Pool?
-
We need to build diverse research with more than one investigator. Need central
sustainable support not just in one or two schools, but make CWRU a central
research facility. For example, setting up a STEM cell center on campus. This
generates many grants and can lead to forming alliances with other institutions
and centers. Finally, we must generate more money through donors, grants, and
endowments. Databases may be expensive.
How to best utilize the resources we have and grow?
o Combine small pools and use money in one project
o Use areas such as Arnold Hirshon (Library) and Lev Gonick (IT) and
other research areas
o Challenge the President and Provost to seek more grants
o Use workshops, networks and seminars to obtain more data
What does it take to “Launch” new faculty?
-
Faculty development is a prerequisite for successful research. Department chairs
must be hired based on their research knowledge as well as skills and ability to
communicate with junior faculty about their development needs. Bob will
attempt to lobby the President and Provost with this message. Also we must
approach corporate people for donations and seek coaching and training for the
entire CWRU research workforce.
Bob will be a guest again at a later meeting.
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Wednesday, June 20, 2012
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The attached article on “Why Are Associate Professors So Unhappy” from The Chronicle
of Higher Education was distributed at the meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 10:30 a.m. This is the last meeting until the Fall, where the
meetings will be for 90 minutes and held twice a semester.
Minutes by Carol Stark, carol.stark@case.edu or (216) 368-4389.