Campus Resources and Planning Committee

April 15, 2011

 

 

 

Present:           Sydney Sweep, LeAnn Dean, Maddy Maxeiner, Jacquie Johnson, Dave Swenson,

                        Sara Haugen, Josh Preston, Zak Forde, Martin Seggelke, Lowell Rasmussen,

                        Andy Sharpe,

 

Guests:                        Roger Wareham, Cheryl Contant, Michael Korth, Jim Hall, Janet Ericksen,

                        Pareena Lawrence

 

 

Announcements 

 

The committee will not meet on Friday, April 22.  Today we will hear from Roger Wareham regarding Recovered Facilities and Administrative Costs distribution.  Dave Swenson regarding Student Center renovations.   Jacquie Johnson regarding stimulus funded positions.

 

Minutes from 12/10/10, 1/28/11, 2/4/11, 2/11/11, 2/18/11 and 2/25/11 were tabled until the committee had a chance to review.

 

Recovered Facilities and Administrative Costs

 

Roger reported that our current policy (approved by CRPC in November of 2004)  is very outdated because things have changed in the Grants office and on campus since the policy was created.  The overriding concept of the new recommendations is to use F&A cost recovery to continue to invest in and grow the research enterprise by providing support for faculty research development and moving some funds to administering units to offset the additional work associated with grants.    Indirect cost recovery can and should be used for three district purposes on a campus such as ours:

 

¥ As an incentive and support program for individuals and units that generate those indirect dollars.  These dollars would be returned to the principal investigatorÕs unit, administrative unit or division, and the administering vice chancellorÕs office for use in providing incentives for continued research activity and for funding similar programs.  Funds could be used to support costs taken on by an administrative unit in processing grant activity, etc.

 

¥ Investment in new grant activity and in the overall campus research enterprise—these funds could be used to invest in library acquisitions, administrative research support through the grants development office, support for project expenses not allowable by the grant, etc.

 

¥ Provide support for faculty and professional staff research development work on campus.  These funds could be used to support research expenses (matching funds, support faculty paper research presentations at conferences, incentives programs for faculty research, etc.)

 

Cheryl added that over the past few years we have done the last two bullet items.  In some instances, we have requirements for matching support. We have also used indirect costs to partially fund the faculty travel budget for research development work.  The radical change in this proposal is the suggestion that F & A recovered dollars be returned to the principle investigator—unit/division—or to the administrating vice chancellors area.  This is consistent with a growing national trend to provide incentives to take on the additional work associated with grants to increase activity in this area.   This allows us to do our work with less state dollars.  Bart asked if the administrative burden would outweigh the benefits.  The division chairs agreed that it wouldnÕt be that difficult and they see nothing negative about this.   Sandy said as we try to increase our revenue streams, seeking external funding is the only way to fund new initiatives in student affairs.    Jacquie thanked Cheryl and Roger for the work theyÕve done on this and thinks this could be a way of incentivizing.   She would prefer to have a small portion of the F & A recovered dollars go toward offsetting campus-wide operational costs. 

 

Student Center renovations

 

Dave Swenson talked about the plans to update the Student center, including the TCM servery and the conversion of the info desk into a coffee bar/info desk.  The funds will come from the remaining dollars used to renovate the Dining Hall funded by Sodexho.  The coffee bar will have one full-time Sodexho staff member who will serve as the primary barista.  The coffee bar will be open any time the building is open.  The TMC renovation will take place next winter and will be a little less serve yourself and more service oriented.   There are also plans to change LouieÕs Lower Level and to begin phase II of the CARE renovation.  Jim Hall added we will be adding video conferencing in the new Moccasin Flower Room.

 

Stimulus funded positions

 

Jacquie reported that the two stimulus funded positions that were already in the base budget will return into the base budget.  Portions of part-time positions will be eliminated and will not continue.  Those in these positions have been notified.  Several positions that will continue are funded by dollars received from the Twin Cities.  Other positions will be funded through non O & M funds:  The international student support position will be supported by new fees on international students; the grants office position will potentially be funded through some of kind of F & A cost recovery; the graphic designer position will be funded for two years out of the strategic investment pool.  Martin asked how much revenue or savings have been generated with the RIOÕs.  Jacquie said we are tracking expected savings on a weekly basis and that employees have until May 15 to elect the RIO.  As these come in, we will need to look at those areas to determine if the position will be replaced or if there will be restructuring.