6.08 Approval of New
Centers and Institutes
A. Centers,
institutes, and similar organizational units can make a major contribution
to a university. Such units, if well organized, adequately funded, and
appropriately integrated into the university, can support the mission of the
university, particularly in the areas of research and public service.
On the other hand, a center or institute can detract from the teaching
commitment of the institution by siphoning off faculty resources or by
otherwise diverting attention and money from more appropriate purposes.
Furthermore, such units are often easier to create than to discontinue,
particularly when an ongoing commitment of internal financial resources is
involved.
B. Proposals
to create new centers or institutes at the universities, which require an
annual institutional commitment of $250,000 or more, shall be submitted to
the Board Office. Following review by the Board Office and approval by
the Council of Provosts, the request shall be placed on the agenda for the
next appropriate meeting of the Board of Regents’ Education and Student
Affairs Committee. The Committee shall review the proposal and
recommend action by the Board of Regents or take other action as it deems
appropriate.
If the total amount
of the external funding of $1 million or more, the proposal for the center
or institute shall be submitted to the Board Office as information for the
Board of Regents. Information about centers or institutes which do not
meet either of the thresholds shall be submitted to the Board Office at the
discretion of the institution.
In general, the type of
center of institute that requires Board approval shall be the one that
focuses on faculty-driven research and that is expected to leverage
individual research grants into larger institutional projects.
C. The
proposals shall be submitted in a format developed by the Board Office (Form
C).
D. The
institutions shall conduct a review of Board-approved centers and institutes
on a seven year cycle and shall provide the Board Office with an annual list
of centers and institutes that have been reviewed. A one page report
on each center or institute reviewed shall be provided to the Board Office
in a format developed by the Board Office (Form D).
E. The
Board Office shall periodically and selectively identify centers and
institutes from the reports submitted by the institution to be audited on
site. The Board Office shall determine if any matters resulting from the
audits need Board action and place them on the agenda of the Board of
Regents’ Education and Student Affairs Committee. |
||