Graduate School proposal aired at meetings
In her first year, one of the primary concerns that Chancellor Biddy Martin heard from faculty and staff was the inadequacies of the research organization and infrastructure.
These concerns reflected the tremendous growth in magnitude and complexity of the research enterprise nationally, as well as the frustration faculty experienced in applying for and conducting peer-reviewed research.
As a result, a proposed reorganization of the Graduate School designed to address shortfalls in the infrastructure of the university’s research environment is the focus of a series of town-hall meetings across campus.
Provost Paul DeLuca says that the reorganization would help provide the university’s research enterprise more effort in preaward, compliance, large projects, industrial contracting and management of shared resources.
Additionally, DeLuca says the proposal would provide research leadership at the highest organizational levels of the university and establish a consultative presence in Washington at agencies such as the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
“To accomplish all of this and leave the organizational structure of the Graduate School the same is not easily possible,” DeLuca says.
The provost has explained the concept at four campus meetings and will make a final town-hall presentation from1-2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, in 3650 Mosse Humanities Building. Martin is scheduled to attend.
Over the decades, DeLuca says, research administrative duties and responsibilities have gradually grown in the Graduate School, but available resources are not sufficient to meet the increasing complexity of reporting and compliance requirements.
In proposing a fundamental organizational change at UW–Madison, DeLuca describes his goal as fixing a now-broken organizational chart.
Although UW–Madison has a pre-eminent record in both graduate education and research, a structure that evolved over decades is no longer suited to today’s reality, he says.
“In chemical, biological and radiation safety, in animal use, in getting grants submitted, it’s gotten to be quite a challenge,” DeLuca says. “My question is, how is research and graduate education best organized for future success?”
Although the most pressing issues concern grants management, compliance and enforcement, DeLuca also wants the university to have a stronger presence with research funders at foundations, industry and the federal government, and also in discussions about future research regulation.
The proposal would create a new vice chancellor for research who would be responsible for such areas as compliance, safety and protection of human subjects; the position would report to the provost and the chancellor.
The dean of the Graduate School would continue to oversee graduate education and report to the provost. The many academic centers now housed in the Graduate School would be free to choose their most appropriate home.
The provost says that the complexity involved in administering a research enterprise as large as UW–Madison’s was shown in a pair of incidents during the past six months.
A threatened loss of accreditation through the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care could have caused “a suspension of research funding in all areas using animals,” DeLuca says. “Only by a last-ditch effort were we able to put into place needed facilities and processes to engender a successful review,” he says. “That’s an example of not aligning our resources to our needs.”
The second concerned biosafety compliance, he says. “We were behind in biosafety protocol management by hundreds of protocols. We had not marshaled the resources and manpower, and did not have a mechanism to get that done,” he says.
DeLuca confronted considerable skepticism at some of the meetings.
At a Science Hall meeting, David Turner, an assistant professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, commented, “I don’t think you have made the point why this is critical, urgent.”
In common with some others at the meeting, Turner suggested focusing efforts on units where problems are arising. “Looking at the procedures and processes seems more reasonable than throwing them out and starting anew,” Turner said.
Several humanists also raised concerns.
Lyn Keller, professor of English, noted that research issues were driving the reorganization, and asked how funding for the humanities would be protected within this proposed structure. The fall competition for Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation teaching grants would continue as before, DeLuca responded.
Other community members were more supportive.
For example, Bruce Thomadsen, a professor of medical physics and chair of the UW–Madison radiation safety committee, agreed that serious problems need to be addressed. “I have seen over the decades that resources for the radiation safety program have dwindled,” Thomadsen said. “Much of that is due to the current organization, and some major reorganization is needed to fulfill the safety charges to the university.”
Growing oversight requirements concern Daryl Buss, dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine. “The complexity of what goes on in the research enterprise has increased so dramatically, with so many different elements, human subjects, animal care, compliance, safety,” Buss said. “We know that compliance requirements are not going to decrease; effort reporting is just the most recent example. The complexity of a job that was given to the Graduate School many years ago is going beyond the ability of one individual to monitor and provide advocacy.”
Although much of the discussion concerned the university’s research mission, dividing the responsibilities should also benefit graduate education, Buss says. “This complexity is one motivator for having separate advocacy for graduate education, lest it fall under the radar screen because of the intensity of these research-related activities. It’s important to have a high level of leadership and advocacy for the graduate program so it has equal administrative weight with the research enterprise,” Buss said.
DeLuca is gathering input and is hoping to make a recommendation in time for a decision to be made as early as possible next spring.
The Academic Staff Executive Committee and the University Committee have both appointed committees to look into the issue.
