David Lambert explained to new members that the purpose of the Research Committee is to evaluate the Summer Scholarship grant applications. While the Committee may make recommendations, Academic Affairs makes the final decision on policies and procedures for the Committee.

Marianne Jaffee, Academic Affairs, announced that the final version of the guidelines for submitting a Summer Scholarship Grant is on the Web. Marianne announced that
Dr. Giordano has proposed the addition of four research grants for new faculty hired in 2003 or 2004 at the assistant professor level. New faculty can apply for any available grant.

After discussion of other research grants available to new faculty, Reinhold Lamb suggested that the Committee review the applications for the new faculty grants along with the other applications for the Summer Scholarship Grants, select the recipients for new faculty grants from the top of the ranked submissions, and request that they be funded by the new grants. Marianne will take to Academic Affairs the Committee's recommendation that the four new grants go through the Committee's review process.

Options for receiving additional and more useful recommendations and comments from Department Chairs on grant applications were discussed. The Committee considered the questions that are currently in the reviewers' evaluation form that could be answered by the Department Chairs. David Lambert will email the Chairs and stress the importance of providing adequate information on the importance and merit of each application from their respective departments. The Committee will work on revising the procedure for Chair recommendations next year.

The Committee decided that the distribution of the applications will be achieved by the Committee members selecting applications for the reviewers whom they recruited from their departments and colleges.

The Committee will work on the evaluation questions and share suggested changes by email. The revision of the evaluation questions will be finalized at the next meeting.

September 13, Monday: 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
Research Committee meeting

October 8, Friday: 5:00 p.m.
Deadline for applications to be turned in to Academic Affairs

October 11, Monday: 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
Research Committee meets to distribute applications

October 25, Monday
Deadline for reviewers to return applications and evaluation forms

November 4, Thursday: 2:00 p.m-4:00 p.m.
Research Committee meeting for ranking of applications