Academic Research Committee (ARC) View in Kuali Update Delete



Reports to Senior Vice President for Academic Administration

Membership

Thirteen members consisting of nine faculty members appointed by the Faculty Senate (at least one of whom teaches in a graduate program and one from the Library). Faculty positions are staggered, three-year, non-renewable (eligible for another term after a one-year hiatus). Three faculty members are to be selected from each of the following areas: Science/Math (Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Math, and Engineering and Physics), Life Sciences (Faculty Development, Online Campus, Business and Management, Education, Psychology and Counseling, Journalism & Communication, Nursing, Health and Kinesiology, Social Work, and Technology) Liberal Arts (English, History, Library, Modern Languages, Music, Religion, and Visual Art & Design). The Senior Vice President for Academic Administration (ex officio), Associate Vice President for Budgeting and Financial Analysis (ex officio), Center for Learning and Innovation in Research director (ex officio), and the IRB chair (ex officio). Student Association shall appoint one student for a one-year, non-renewable term (recommended that this student be selected from the pool of Southern Scholars).

The ARC will elect a chair and secretary from among its membership. The secretary position is for two years, beginning at the time of election. The secretary is the chair- elect. The chair position is for two years, beginning at the time of appointment as chair, and is non-renewable.

The ARC will elect three IRB Committee members from among its membership, one member each from Science/Math, Life Sciences, and Liberal Arts. IRB Committee positions are for one-year terms and are renewable as long as they are still members of the ARC.

Purpose

The Academic Research Committee has three roles: facilitating research, appointing members, overseeing the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process, and approving all research on campus involving animals. The Academic Research Committee facilitates academic research through five functions: support, quality assurance/review, funding, reporting, and oversight and approval of all research on campus involving animals. The Committee has authority to act in each of these areas as follows:

Support - The Academic Research Committee

  1. Encourages and supports research initiatives and activities, including evaluating needs for in-service training and mentorship,
  2. Recommends, through established administrative policy-making channels and the Faculty Senate, actions and/or changes to policies applicable to research under its jurisdiction, and
  3. Makes ARC grant applications and IRB applications available to faculty and staff.

Quality Assurance/Review - The Academic Research Committee and the Institutional Review Board

  1. Coordinates with legal counsel, Institutional Research, Risk Management, and Administration to ensure:
    1. Compliance with legal, regulatory, and ethical laws, regulations, mandates, and provisions, and
    2. Containment of University risk exposure related to academic research,
  2. Receives notification of the development of unexpected risks in the course of conducting research, and, where appropriate, recommends actions relating to that risk, and
  3. Supports the integrity of University research activities, including quality, feasibility, and value.

Funding - The Academic Research Committee

  1. Reviews, approves, or denies funding requests from SAU Faculty for academic research,
  2. Cooperates with the university Associate Vice President for Budgeting and Financial Analysis to establish the annual grant budget used by the Academic Research Committee to facilitate campus-wide academic research.
  3. Coordinates with the SAU Accounting Department to distribute approved research grant funds.

Recording and Reporting - The Academic Research Committee, through the Institutional Review Board subcommittee

  1. Receives, reviews, and maintains records of all on-going campus wide academic research,
  2. Reports annually, and as requested, to the Faculty Senate the activities of the Academic Research Committee and the Institutional Review Board subcommittee, and
  3. Makes the status of ongoing campus-wide academic research available to the Academic Administration and the Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies, through the ARC and IRB SharePoint sites.

Animal Research Oversight and Approval – To engage in any research involving vertebrate animals, prior approval from the Academic Research Committee is required.