1999 Research Support Working Group
A. Origin, Membership and Mandate of the
Research Support Working Group
How can
research best be supported at Malaspina?
B. Malaspina’s Mandate to Engage in
Scholarly Activity, Including Research
C. Research Support at Other B.C.
University Colleges
D. Current Research Activity at
Malaspina
E. Current Research Support at
Malaspina
The Research Support Working Group was proposed in the Learning Partnership Development Priority and Work Plan for 1998-99, submitted by Linda Love to the Committee of Instructional Managers (CIM), May 7, 1998. This plan derived from the “Priority F” statement in the Malaspina Strategic Plan. It was subsequently accepted by CIM, to which these recommendations are submitted.
The Mandate of the Working Group is:
to
review policy and practice for supporting research at other institutions to
recommend a model appropriate for Malaspina University-College.
The Working Group met nine times between October 8, and December 17, 1998. The Group has consisted of the following members, not all of whom have been able to attend meetings regularly:
Jane Atcheson-Groves Ken Lyall (chair)
Jennifer Brownlow Mike Mann
Don Furnell John Neville
Allan Gibson Tony Robertson
John Lepage Ian Ross
Dan Lines Craig Stephen
Linda Love
At an early meeting, the Group accepted a definition of Research:
diligent
and systematic inquiry or investigation into a subject in order to discover or
revise facts, theories and applications.
In accepting this definition the group explicitly restricted its discussion; research so defined is clearly one of the many kinds of scholarly activity which are conducted by instructors and students at Malaspina.
The Group accepted as its Goal to address the question:
Research and
Scholarship
Scholarship and Research are the foundation of advanced education. Where primary and secondary education stress the acquisition of factual knowledge and basic skills, advanced education emphasizes knowledge as interpretation. Currency with scholarship in a given subject is of vital importance, and active research contributes to knowledge as interpretation. As scholarship and research are indispensable to advanced education, they demand pronounced visible presence in all post-secondary institutions. It is a corollary of advanced education that the advancement of learning may continue without instruction but not in the absence of scholarship and research.
Scholarship is the personal study scholars perform to keep themselves current with their fields of expertise. This study incorporates the reading and writing of books, articles, and reviews, ongoing library activity (including the maintenance of bibliographies), attendance at lectures, conferences, and symposia, and the maintenance of professional memberships and subscriptions. Research, a form of scholarship, allows for critical thinking, new ways of examining specific problems, new methods, new hypotheses. In a practical sense, scholarship and research emphasize the relationship teachers have with their students - students engaged in the life of the mind.
The Petch Report (1998) discusses the necessity of scholarly activity by University-College faculty members:
For the modern comprehensive post-secondary
institution it is difficult to enumerate all possible scholarly
activities. … The important thing is
that, to maintain excellence in teaching over the long term, faculty members in
addition to teaching should be actively engaged in their discipline which may
be expressed in a wide variety of activities depending upon the nature of the
discipline.
In becoming a University-College in 1989 and now granting its own degrees, Malaspina has entered a new phase in its evolution. In addition to our traditional and valued roles as a vocational school, university-transfer institution, and technical and community college, we have assumed some of the responsibilities of a university. In many areas, particularly those in which students may be employed after graduation in research facilities or apply to research-oriented graduate studies, this responsibility requires that faculty be familiar with current research methods. This familiarity, in turn, requires that faculty in these areas are involved in research activities.
Many instructors at Malaspina, in areas which are applied as well as those which are strictly academic, have accepted this premise and are involved in research projects, often with student participation. This participation generates interest and enthusiasm among students, as does having instructors who are actively engaged in research in their fields.
Research contracts with external companies or agencies can bring in much-needed funding to assist in supporting further research activities. But research cannot be seen, as perhaps is implied in Priority F of the Malaspina Strategic Plan, only as an entrepreneurial activity which should be pursued because of its potential to capture external funds.
It is accepted by the Working Group that research activity by some faculty and students is an integral part of our educational mandate. Research has become a part of our responsibility to students, particularly (but not exclusively) to those in the upper-levels of university programs.
This does not mean that Malaspina will, or should, abandon its role as a student-focused and learning-based post-secondary institution. We will continue to be a University-College in which faculty are chosen, evaluated, and recompensed primarily for their teaching skills and potential.
It was assumed that the purpose of this Research Support Working Group was to investigate and recommend mechanisms, policies, and procedures which would reduce the real and perceived obstacles to conducting research that have been identified by some faculty members. These obstacles include a lack of time, insufficient financial support, and in some departments, inadequate space and facilities. In addition, it is recognized that a lively research climate will require, over time, a substantial cultural change in the institution.
The above interpretation of the place of Research in the B.C. University Colleges is consistent with the Malaspina Mission Statement. According to this statement, it is Malaspina’s mission to:
(a) Develop the full potential of students in
every program
(b) Promote the development of analytical and
creative thinking skills in all students.
(c) Maintain excellence in all instructional
activities and services
(d) Collaborate with the community in providing programs and services that
respond to regional needs.
The role of research in the University Colleges has been explicitly addressed in many recent documents:
Research is important in all degree-granting
institutions for a number of reasons:
it creates a climate conducive to scholarly activity: it provides an opportunity for upper-level
students to participate in research projects, it keeps faculty in touch with
the latest developments in their fields, and it enhances the academic
credibility of the institution, thereby creating better opportunities for
graduates.
Rich Johnston, Chair, Consortium of University Colleges, letter to Robin Ciceri, Sept. 23, 1998.
Improved research infrastructure and a supportive
research climate is a foundation of
MUC’s strategic plans to maintain and attract research partners, high
caliber students and highly trained faculty.
Summary of Institutional Research Plan, approved by the Malaspina Executive, August 14, 1998 (Appendix 1).
[To] provide institutional support for the pursuit of
… applied research … [and] support scholarly and professional activity by
faculty ….
"Immediate Priorities", Malaspina Institutional Priorities and Objectives, 1996-2000
The role of research at Malaspina is integral to our
instructional programs. Faculty engage
in scholarly activity and research primarily to maintain currency in their
disciplines, and to provide depth and credibility in their teaching. Students also gain directly from exposure to
research activities.
Rich Johnston, letter to the Canada Foundation for Innovation, March 6, 1998 (Appendix 2).
The Petch Report (1998), in
discussing the Mandate of the University Colleges, addresses the issue of
Research at some length:
Although the College and Institute Act as amended in
1994 does not specify research or other scholarly activities as one of the
objects of the university colleges, it is generally accepted that such
activities are essential to maintaining over the long term good teaching at the
post-secondary level. Indeed, "Charting a New Course" (B.C. Ministry
of Education, Skills and Training 1996) states in the Section on Institutional
Mandates:
" --- excellence in teaching and learning is
maintained by ensuring faculty are engaged in continuing professional
development, including scholarly activity.
Scholarly activity consists of such things as curricular development,
developing industry partnerships, applied research, improving professional
leadership and/or academic research related to the faculty members field of
expertise."
… In rapidly developing fields such as science and
technology it is very difficult to keep up-to-date. It has been discovered in the universities that having faculty
members do research is one of the most effective ways of helping them keep
current in their disciplines. Also, the
university colleges particularly wish to emphasize the application of knowledge
so it is important to them that faculty members have experience and are
involved in the application of their knowledge and skills. In an academic
environment, almost the only way that faculty members can practice the skills
of their discipline is through scholarly activity, and, in particular, through
research which involves the collection and analysis of data, the application of
existing knowledge and the use of critical and creative thinking to solve a
problem or to increase understanding about a phenomenon. These skills can be effectively imparted to
senior undergraduate students through involvement in research projects as has
been shown at several university colleges.
The graduates have demonstrated that this experience has more than made
up for the narrower range of specialized courses available at the university
colleges.
There is a growing need for specialized knowledge and
research capabilities in the regional economies both by companies based on new
technologies and by the resource-based companies. The universities are not
likely to meet these needs mainly because of their remoteness from the regions.
The university colleges on the other hand are strategically located to provide
these services and are already doing so. Good examples are the researchers at
University College of the Cariboo and at Okanagan University College who are
supporting the ginseng farmers in their regions and the fisheries biologists at
Malaspina University-College who work closely with the aquaculture industry.
The foregoing is not to suggest that the university
colleges at this time should have the same mandate for research and other
scholarly work as the large multi-faculty universities. …
Although the university colleges and the large
universities have, at this time, quantitatively different roles to play in
research and other scholarly activities there is definitely going to be some
overlap. In meeting a regional need, a university college may develop a
resource which becomes of national importance. This already may be happening.
For example, a strong group of fisheries biologists has been assembled at
Malaspina University-College which, in conjunction with the nearby aquaculture
industry, the Pacific Biological Station, the Bamfield Marine Research Station,
and other institutions, provides a strong research resource which helps meet
provincial and national needs for research in fisheries and aquaculture.
There is a group of universities with which the
university colleges might be expected to have comparable research programs.
These are referred to by the national research granting agencies as the
"small university category". A good example of this group is Acadia
University which is well known for the excellence of its programs. These small
universities are mainly undergraduate teaching institutions. In time, the drive
to meet the research needs of the regional economies will likely result in
larger research programs in some of the university colleges than are generally
found at institutions in the "small university category."
“Degree
Programs and the University Colleges: A
B.C. Success Story”
Dr. Howard Petch, July, 1998
Two B.C. University Colleges in a similar situation to Malaspina are Okanagan University College (OUC), and the University College of the Cariboo (UCC). Both of these institutions have recently received membership in the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), as well as eligibility from the major Canadian research granting agencies [the National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), and Medical Research Council (MRC)] and are somewhat ahead of Malaspina in their support of research activity. In terms of the level of externally sponsored research, OUC reports approximately $1.0M in external research funding annually, and UCC approximately $0.4M. (For externally sponsored research by Malaspina faculty members over the past three years, see Appendix 3).
In addition to various forms of professional development and assisted-leave programs for faculty, these two university colleges have adopted the following research support mechanisms:
Funds directed annually to an Office of Research Services (ORS)
OUC: $60K this year to a combined Technology Access Centre (TAC) and ORS (increase expected next year). This office includes a full-time Research Coordinator, in addition to the TAC Director. OUC has recently added the title “Associate Vice President, Research” to the Dean of Science position.
UCC: Approximately $60K this year, to fund a full-time, ongoing Faculty Association position of “Research Coordinator”. This position is in addition to the Director of the Advanced Technology and Innovation Centre. The current Research Coordinator is a research scientist on campus, with some MRC grant support.
Funds available to faculty as Research Grants, awarded by internal competition:
OUC: $60K per year; maximum individual grant ~$4500. Also a “Grant in Lieu of Salary” policy [see section (F.3.a) below].
UCC: $50K per year; maximum individual grant: $2500.
The current level of research activity at Malaspina is relatively modest considering the number of faculty, in part because of the lack of support which the institution has been able to provide. This activity can be divided into three kinds:
1. Externally sponsored: Much of the externally sponsored research in recent years has been carried out in the Faculty of Science and Technology; Appendix 3 is a list of such projects for the past three years, representing a total revenue of approximately $2M. This list is comprised of:
a. research contracts: applied research conducted with or for local companies, with specified deliverables
b. research grants: basic or applied research funded by grants from external agencies or from corporations, institutions or government departments
2. Internally funded: A small amount of research at Malaspina is funded from the base budget through several mechanisms (see section E, below).
3. "Un-funded": Considerable research is carried out, without any direct funding, in at least two different ways:
a. by faculty working on self-initiated projects
b. by faculty and students in many upper-level courses across the institution, such as the senior projects in the B.A. degree program (e.g. Psychology, Anthropology, Business), and the “491” Undergraduate Research Project courses in the Fisheries/Aquaculture and Biology departments. These are all indirectly supported through the base budget.
1. Support
from the Base Budget
Malaspina is currently providing
funding to support research activity through several mechanisms:
a. Regular
Instructional Resources
Many courses throughout the institution involve substantial student and
faculty research and are funded in the base budget.
b. Assisted
Leaves
Malaspina Faculty Association (MFA)
(contractual): six
per year
BC Government Employees Union (BCGEU) (contractual): one per year
c. (Joint)
Research and Scholarly Activity Committee
(MFA, contractual)
(i) Research Fund: $5000 total; maximum grant $500
(ii) one section release, to two faculty members per year
d. Bamfield
Research Fellowship
$5000 per year; managed by the Bamfield Research Committee, Faculty of Science
and Technology.
[Although not intended to
directly support research activity, $34,000 per annum has been provided in
recent years through the Training and
Conference Travel Fund to fund faculty members' travel expenses to
conferences and workshops (maximum $400 - $800 per grant, apportioned to MCFA
and BCGEU faculty according to faculty numbers in each). This fund is managed by
the Scholarly Activity and Research sub-committee of the Ethics and Development
Committee, and has indirectly supported the research activities of many faculty
members.]
2. Organizations
providing Support and Management of Research
Several organizations housed at
Malaspina provide support for research carried out by faculty members and
students:
a. The Malaspina Technology Transfer Centre (TTC) promotes collaborative ventures between Malaspina faculty members and regional companies. These ventures include research projects which connect faculty and student expertise with the needs and resources of the private sector. The TTC is housed in an office on campus, and is funded by the Information, Science, and Technology Agency (ISTA) of the BC government, which provides the salary of the full-time Technology Transfer Officer (Jane Atcheson-Groves), and partial support for several small research projects per year. The TTC has an Advisory Board of seven members, chaired by the Dean, Faculty of Science and Technology.
b. The Centre for Coastal Health (CCH) is housed on the Nanaimo campus and provides Malaspina with an informal partnership with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (University of Saskatchewan), Department of Health Care and Epidemiology - Faculty of Medicine, U.B.C, and the Vancouver Aquarium. The Director of CCH is Dr. Craig Stephen.
c. The National Research Council (NRC) maintains an office of the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) at Malaspina; Dr. Warren Nagata is the Industry Technology Advisor.
d. The
Malaspina Institute of Practical Philosophy provides a forum for research and
other educational strategies to foster an interdisciplinary approach to complex
contemporary social problems. Dr.
Robert Pepper-Smith and Bob Lane are Directors of the Institute.
e. The
Applied Research Institute currently being developed by the Recreation and
Tourism departments will create a vehicle to support student and faculty
research projects.
f. The Malaspina Foundation provides funding for much-needed equipment used in both teaching and research.
3. Faculty-Initiated
Donations and Grants
Diverse supporting contributions have resulted from the efforts of faculty members who are involved in research activities. As one example, private companies have made substantial donations of equipment to support research. Another example is the $35K received in the past six months from the Science Council of B.C. and the Western Diversification Fund to help faculty prepare applications to the Canada Foundation for Innovation for funding for research infrastructure.
4. Administrative Structure to support Research
At present, there is no administrative structure to support research at Malaspina. The Technology Transfer Centre is currently fulfilling many of the functions of an institutional Office of Research Services (ORS), although it is funded by a provincial government agency (ISTA) explicitly to promote and coordinate activity in the areas of science and technology.
At other institutions, the role of an ORS is to attract external funding, assist faculty to successfully apply for grants and contracts, ensure contract compliance, facilitate administrative processes to free researchers to do research, assist in the preparation of quality research reports, ensure sound internal financial control, establish seed funding, be an advocate for research, and publicize the institution’s research activities, internally and externally.
The following recommendations are proposed to encourage and support research activities at Malaspina.
1. Formal
Recognition of Malaspina's Research Mandate
This is an important step in Malaspina's evolution as a degree-granting institution. Section B of this report provides a rationale, including several supporting references, for the existence of a research mandate for the University Colleges. It is critical, however, that the Malaspina Executive Committee and Board clearly demonstrate a commitment to encourage and support ongoing faculty and student research.
a. Include in the Malaspina University-College Mission Statement a section indicating the importance of faculty and student research in many of our programs.
b. Work, through the Consortium of University Colleges, to achieve formal recognition by the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology of the importance of research in the B.C. University Colleges.
c. Provide the minimal funding to continue membership in associations that support research at universities and colleges. Currently memberships are held in the Canadian Association of University Research Administrators (CAURA), and the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM). CAURA addresses the administrative and financial management issues, and provides links to other Canadian institutions and funding organizations. AUTM is an American organization, but has many Canadian members and supports the technology-transfer functions of research.
d. Consider assigning the title of Associate Vice President of Research to a senior administrative position, following the example of Okanagan University College.
e. Publicize the research activities of Malaspina instructors and students more widely. This may include a reference to research activity in the Malaspina Calendar, and details of current projects maintained on the Malaspina Web Page.
2. Pursuit
of AUCC Membership and Accreditation with various Funding Agencies
If AUCC membership is received by the spring of 1999, faculty and students should be eligible to apply for research grants and student scholarships from MRC and SSHRC; NSERC requires a separate application. Accreditation is important not only to faculty who are seeking support for research projects, but it is essential to enable our upper-level students to apply for summer fellowships and post-graduate scholarships. Accreditation with these agencies will enhance our ability to attract students and faculty and increase the profile of the institution.
a. Apply to NSERC for accreditation, and confirm our eligibility with other granting agencies, immediately upon receiving membership in AUCC.
3. Specific
Mechanisms to Support Research at Malaspina
a. Adopt a policy allowing Research Grants to faculty in Lieu of Salary. Many institutions [for example OUC, UBC, and the University of Northern B.C. (UNBC)] have a policy which permits, under certain conditions, a researcher to receive a research grant in lieu of salary, through a mechanism which includes peer review. This policy has been given to the Vice President Administration for review. (see Appendix 4).
b. Allocate all or a portion of the overhead charges collected on research contracts to provide for the advancement of research at Malaspina. [This source could provide partial funding for recommendations (c) and (d) below].
c. Increase the internal funds available, under competitive application, to provide initial support for faculty research projects to a level approximating that of OUC or UCC ($60K annually). This is a necessary step to help faculty who initially may not be successful in attracting research grants from external sources.
d. Increase the faculty release time available, under competitive application, for research. This could be linked to a faculty member successfully competing for internal or external grant support where the granted funds cannot be used to support faculty release time.
e. Devise and put in place a system which allows faculty members to bank release time, overload time, or external grant or contract funds that provide release time, so that instructors can accrue useful periods of time to pursue research activities.
f. Continue the discussion of other issues which may provide incentives for faculty members to initiate and continue research activities. These may include a system of rank and title for faculty, and a more formal system of evaluation of the continuing scholarly activity of instructors, particularly those teaching upper-level university courses.
4. Development
of Policies for the Management of Research at Malaspina
a. Develop a clear policy of overheads to be charged on research contracts, and the distribution of these monies within the institution. Appendix 5 is an outline of the components which should be included in any overhead policy for external research contracts. Appendix 6 is the Overhead Policy recently developed at U.N.B.C.
b. As research activity in the institution increases, develop other policies for the management of research. A draft of such policies was developed by the Technology Transfer Officer earlier this year, and discussed by several faculty members and by the Executive. This draft has been presented to CIM for review. Further development and maintenance of these policies should be included in the terms of reference of the Office of Research Services [see (6) below]; all policies should ultimately be presented to the University-College Board for approval.
5. University
Connections; Supervision of Post-Graduate Students
a. Encourage instructors of upper-level university courses to pursue adjunct professorial status in university departments. Until Malaspina achieves a successful record with the granting agencies, it is important that instructors and departments offering degree programs keep in close communication with their counterparts at the research universities, particularly those in B.C.
b. Encourage faculty members to partner with their university counterparts to jointly supervise graduate students.
Although it is not in the mandate of the university college to provide post-graduate degree programs, some departments are currently involved with post-graduate students through partnerships with university graduate schools. These partnerships are valuable because of the increased research activity which they bring to Malaspina, and the additional academic contacts which they provide to our faculty and students. The Petch Report (1998) refers to this issue:
Through informal arrangements with
university colleagues, some university college faculty members are supervising
the thesis research of graduate students from the universities. This is an
excellent development. The graduate
students benefit from the expertise of the faculty members and the field
experience, senior undergraduate students at the university college benefit
from the intellectual interaction with the graduate students and the faculty
members benefit from involvement in graduate studies and help with research
projects. There are extra costs associated with these cooperative arrangements
which tends to limit them severely because university college and university
budgets are so tight at this time. These arrangements are so beneficial to all
that some way of supporting them should be found. Perhaps this is a role that
the Science Council of B.C. might play by providing special grants.
6. Structure
to Support Research at Malaspina; Office of Research Services
a. Establish
an Office of Research Services (ORS), following the implementation of some of
the above recommendations. As Malaspina
adopts a research mandate, attention will have to be paid to attracting
research funds, assisting faculty with grant and contract applications, and facilitating
various administrative processes. A
fuller description of the mission, objectives and functions of an ORS are
summarized in Appendix 7.
This office should function in cooperation with the existing Technology Transfer Centre, and, indeed, may be physically joined with it. As at OUC and UCC (and other post-secondary institutions), this office would be staffed by a full- or part-time Coordinator of Research, reporting to an Associate Vice President of Research.
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Cttee/research_reportjan99