Notes on Research Policies Committee Meeting
23 September 1988
10-12 a.m.
Present: J. Burkley, G. Carignan (chair), B. Checkoway, W. Dobbins, J. Meyer, M.
Mychajlonka, W. Mignolo, S. Newman, C. E. Olson, A. Wasserman; L. S. Wilson, J. A.
Nowack; Laina Savory (SACUA).
Absent: B. Bryant, A.Oleinick, T. Yamada.
1. Notes on Meetings of 5/13/88 and 6/3/88.
The notes were approved as submitted.
2.
Matters Arising
The Chair reviewed RPC's traditional procedure regarding admittance of the
press, namely, that the committee will vote on admittance of the press prior to each
meeting. The committee agreed to continue that procedure this year.
3. 1987-88 RPC Subcommittee on Service
Checkoway reviewed the RPC's discussions last year on the subcommittee report
on service. RPC agreed that it would be appropriate to continue discussion on this issue.
RPC was informed that a SACUA subcommittee was currently deliberating on the
establishment of a faculty award for service. RPC discussed how its own deliberations
might aid the work of the SACUA subcommittee.
The chair asked Checkoway to come to the next meeting with a recommendation
about how RPC can have an impact on the campus deliberations regarding service.
Dobbins will consult with SACUA about collaboration on the service award.
4.
1987-88 RPC Subcommittee on Diversity
Newman reviewed for RPC last year's discussion on the draft report of the
subcommittee. She noted that the subcommittee did not delve into the issue of policies
and practices on campus, but rather looked at several practical issues and actions.
With regard to OVPR's involvement in diversity issues, the Vice President
reported that OVPR- was endeavorin~g to make the issue systemic and to see all its
activities through that value or "lens". OVPR is in addition exploring with various small
groups of faculty the notion of respect -for alternative paradigms. The Vice President
expressed the desire to see a codicil appended to the report showing how much had
already been done on the issues raised by the subcommittee.
RPe voted to adopt and support the subcommittee report on diversity conditional
upon a post-script putting the issues in today's context.
5. Further Thouohts on the RPC Agenda for 88-89.
The Vice President reminded RPe that she would appreciate the committee's
perspective on communication issues and on research management improvement.
It was decided that at the next meeting the committee would begin to define for
itself where the research management problems lie. Vice President Womack will be
invited· to attend the November or December meeting, if possible.
The Vice President suggested that RPC may wish to consider how we can make
more accessible to students what a Research University is and how it benefits them.
Wasserman suggested that RPC consider the relationship of graduate students to
research: What do graduate students gain from research? What impact can/should
graduate students h?ve on the research being done at the University?
It was recognized that there is a wide variety of relationships between graduate
students across the university. The LSA model, for example, is radically different from
that found in Medicine or Engineering. RPe could benefit by a better appreciation of
those differences.
The students on the committee were encourag,ed to come back to the next meeting
with a student agenda for RPC.
6. Discussion about Regental Research Policy
The Vice President e-xplained that the report to the Regents on the Regental
Research Policy will contain information derived from three sources:
1. DRDA project representatives.
Last April the RPC invited the DRDA project representatives to meet with
the committee to discuss whether their work was affected by the new
policy. The project representatives detected no difference.
2. Research Associate Deans.
This summer the Vice President distributed to the Research Associate
Deans a questionnaire on changes in the environment for sponsored
research and asked which of those changes can be attributed to the
Regental Research Policy. Early results of this inquiry show that
Research Associate Deans see few effects attributable to the policy.
3. OVPR's compilation of requests to accept non-standard or classified
restrictions in research contracts, grants, or agreements.
OVPR each year prepares a summary of those non-standard or classified
restrictions that have been approved for research proposafs or grants.
Last year about a dozen such instances were summarized in the report to
the Regents; it appears that the number will be about the same this year
The Vice President will deliver the report on the Regental Research Policy to the
Regents in November, as a part of her annual report on the research area. RPC will
receive copies of the report.