In presentations during Friday’s Faculty Senate meeting, Vice President for Research Leo Chalupa and Provost Steven Lerman shared developments and future plans related to research funding and the strategic plan.
Dr. Chalupa presented metrics from the Office of Research from 2009 to 2013, explaining that last year’s public expenditures went up 7.3 percent. He also showed data from the first quarter of fiscal year 2014 and said that for the first half of the fiscal year, there is already a 10 percent increase in funding expenditures.
Dr. Chalupa described a few updates from the Office of Technology Transfer, which identifies research and innovation throughout the university that has the potential to be commercialized.
“Sometimes, faculty members are working on different things, and they don’t realize that what they’re working on could have financial implications,” he said.
Dr. Chalupa explained the number of patents the university issues has gone down because the office is now able to be more selective. Licensing income on patents has increased, and Dr. Chalupa hopes that income will reach seven figures soon.
He also said that the three-year-old Office of Entrepreneurship, led by Executive Director Jim Chung, is working with more than 30 student startups. The university and two partner institutions received a $3.75 million grant from the National Science Foundation to start an Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program, which will enable students and faculty to commercialize research findings.
Dr. Chalupa added that Tom Russo, the first assistant vice president for industry research, works closely with the Office of Entrepreneurship to form joint ventures between faculty and industry and corporations.
To help faculty members be more competitive, the office, in collaboration with the Division of Information Technology, launched the PI Dashboard in response to feedback so that members of the faculty can access grant information and see how much money they have spent. The office also meets six times a year with the Advisory Council on Research, a rotating group of about 40 faculty members that provides input about interdisciplinary research that would benefit the university.
Dr. Chalupa ended his remarks by explaining the many ways he hopes to connect with faculty. Associate Vice President for Research Jennifer Wisdom meets regularly with different offices to share research updates, he said. Dr. Chalupa also has started monthly lunches with both senior and new faculty to get firsthand feedback.
In keeping with the strategic plan, the university will examine ways to reward excellence in teaching and enhance students’ skills in citizenship and leadership, Dr. Lerman said at the meeting.
Citizenship and leadership is one of the strategic plan’s four central themes. Dr. Lerman explained his office is brainstorming opportunities and experiences that enable students to become better leaders and citizens.
“I don’t think you become a great leader or a great citizen solely by taking a course. We’re looking at something that’s much more experiential and spans the four years of our students’ undergraduate education,” Dr. Lerman said.
He announced that Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion Terri Harris Reed has begun laying the groundwork to develop programs focused on citizenship and leadership. The initiative is still in its early stages, and there will be more to report later in the semester.
Dr. Lerman also said that the Office of the Provost has made significant advances in a number of areas related to teaching and learning. First, he said, the office has significantly ramped up support to expand opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in research. Faculty members have expressed interest in the effort, and the Office of the Provost is working on an integrated website that lists all research opportunities across the university. Dr. Lerman said the university will help fund or match grants to enable faculty members to hire student researchers within its capacity.
“Whether it’s doing library research in the humanities or data analysis in the social sciences, we think almost every field has opportunities for our students to work with the faculty in ways that are more like a colleague and less like a student sitting in class,” Dr. Lerman said.
Dr. Lerman also discussed expanded initiatives focused on mentoring and training faculty. Dr. Lerman said coaching will not be solely focused on younger faculty members—faculty learning communities will give all members of the faculty opportunities to exchange information related to the classroom. His office is also working on ways to use technology to support professors who would like to acquire new skills.
Finally, Dr. Lerman said his office will do more to evaluate teaching excellence, allow professors to document achievements and provide merit-based rewards for innovation. He encouraged faculty peer reviews within different departments.
“We’re working to provide a larger menu of ways faculty can document their accomplishments in the classroom and develop new teaching ideas,” Dr. Lerman said.