Site Index

Research Council
Summary of Activities
1999-2000

1. Mike Singletary, Associate Dean of The Graduate School, announced at the September meeting that the School was relaxing the policy limiting admission of international students. They would forward all applications to departments without additional screening. During the 1998-1999 academic year, the Research Council had initiated a dialog with the Graduate School questioning the rationale of their policy on admission of international graduate students.
   
   
2. Continuing work from the previous year, the Research Infrastructure Committee researched several desktop computing refresh programs for faculty at other institutions and brought forward a proposal for such a program at the University of Tennessee. The committee worked closely with staff from the Division of Information Infrastructure. The proposal was eventually approved and sent to Chancellor Snyder. One-time funding of $1,000,000 was allocated for a Faculty Desktop Refresh program for 1/3 of the faculty (400) in Spring 2000. Dr. T. Dwayne McCay told Council that the administration has plans to allocate funds to continue the program at all University Tennessee campuses.
   
   
3. Members of Research Council made significant contributions to the University's Acceptable Use Policy for computing resources.
   
   
4. Several members of Research Council met with Dr. Wade Gilley, on November 12, to exchange views on issues associated with research at the University.
   
   
5. At the December meeting, Alice Woody, Associate General Counsel for the University, spoke to the Council about the Tennessee Open Records Law and pointed out problems that affect the University's ability to obtain contracts and grants from private industry.
   
   
6. Elizabeth Aversa, Director of the School of Information Science, gave a presentation at the December meeting about the use of citation data to measure research productivity.
   
   
7. The DII Emerging Technologies Group gave a presentation of some of their projects during the January meeting.
   
   
8. The Policies & Procedures Committee investigated faculty development/sabbatical programs at other institutions. They worked with the Faculty Development Committee of the Faculty Senate. We expect a joint proposal to be sent to the Senate early in 00/01 for recommendation to the President.
   
   
9. Members of three of the interdisciplinary thematic areas gave updates on the activities of their respective councils at the March meeting.

1. The special panel for the Chancellor's Awards reviewed nominations for the awards, 22 for the "Research and Creative Achievement" award and 16 for the "Professional Promise" award. The panel forwarded 8 nominations for the senior awards and five for the junior awards to Vice Chancellor Devine for forwarding to the Provost. The eight (8) faculty nominees received the "Research and Creative Achievement" award and 5 junior faculty nominees received the "Professional Promise" award.
   
   
2. Five (5) research centers were reviewed positively by the panel on Center Review and the recommendation for continuance sent to Vice Chancellor Devine for his recommendations to the President.
   
   
3. The Summer SARIF Grant panel reviewed 46 applications recommended funding 26 of the $3000. awards which support graduate assistants for the summer in support of the faculty member's research.
   
   
4. The EPPE (Exhibition, Publication and Performance Expense) fund panel reviewed 43 requests for funds. Requestors were awarded $30,837 of the $35,279 requested.