Research and Scholarship Committee

September 28, 2004 - 3:30-5:00 p.m.

Board Room, Newcomb Hall

Meeting Minutes

Present: Larry Bouchard, Alison Booth, Ruth Hill, Susan Kirk, Stephen Wilson, Jon Mikalson, John Wilson, Claire Cronmiller, Lawrence Phillips, Houston Wood, William Walker, Steven Nock, Marcia Childress

Guests: Nicole Hurd, Director of the Center for Undergraduate Excellence

Larry Bouchard, Chair of the Research and Scholarship Committee, called the meeting to order. Introductions were made. Mr. Bouchard read the Committee's charge and gave an overview of the work that the Committee would be doing this year. This work is primarily with the Harrison Undergraduate Awards program. The Harrison Undergraduate Research Awards are administered through the Center for Undergraduate Excellence. The R&S Committee will work closely with the Center for Undergraduate Excellence in receiving, reviewing, and judging the research proposals and providing oversight for the program. The Committee will also participate in reviewing the research proposal selection process, Mr. Bouchard said.

The Research and Scholarship Committee may also be involved in advising the University regarding issues of "sensitive research." Mr. Bouchard and Marcia Childress, Chair of the Faculty Senate, distributed a draft of a document prepared by David Hudson (entitled Sensitive Research ---- Draft-------for Discussion Purposes), and she gave the Committee an overview of the document. Ms. Childress said she had been approached by Mr. Hudson, who asked if the Senate could review how "sensitive research" (involving human subjects, possibly disturbing procedures or experiments, etc.) is viewed by the public and in turn, how sensitive research information is relayed to the public. After a good deal of discussion about what procedures were already in place for reviewing research involving human subjects and animals, it was decided that R&S should invite Dave Hudson, from the Office of the Vice President for Research, to an upcoming meeting to obtain additional information.

Larry Bouchard gave the Committee an overview of the Harrison Awards selection process and the timeline involved in submitting, judging, and selection of Award recipients. Mr. Bouchard introduced Nicole Hurd when she joined the meeting.

Ms. Hurd distributed a draft of the cover page that students will need to include with his/her research proposal. This cover sheet will include student's name, major, email address, advisor, advisor's department, project title, relevant course work, and prior experience. The cover page also requires the student to commit to following all Harrison Award procedures and University policies and procedures when conducting their research, and requires the proposal be reviewed by the International Studies Office if foreign travel is involved. A good deal of discussion then took place regarding when it is necessary for Harrison awardees to clear their research or projects through an IRB (Institutional Review Board). It was decided that J. Milton Adams, Vice Provost for Academic Programs, would be invited to a subsequent meeting of the R&S Committee to comment on this issue. Also distributed was a draft of the call for proposals for the upcoming Harrison Awards. Other information Ms. Hurd reported on include these items:

• There will be an information session for students on November 12, 2004.
• Harrison Award proposals are due February 1, 2005.
• The proposals Review Committee will read throughout the month of February.
• The Review Committee will consist of 50% Research and Scholarship Committee members and 50% faculty members appointed by the Center for Undergraduate Excellence.
• Students will be informed via email on March 14, 2005, as to the status of their proposal. This will be followed up with a formal letter and public release of the names of the Harrison Award recipients.
• There will be a Harrison Awards Symposium to let some of the recipients present their research.
• The Harrison Trust has given $150 thousand for the 2004-05 Harrison Undergraduate Research Awards.
• There will be a dinner on April 15, 2005, during Research Week, and the Center for Undergraduate Excellence is hopeful that some of the Harrison family members will be able to attend the dinner.
• At some point in time, it is hopeful that the Harrison research application process will become web-based.

The meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.