Question 1: What criteria does the Committee use to regulate the distribution of proposals among committee representatives (i.e., which members receive which proposals)?
The Committee basically divides the proposals evenly among its members. The first division is made based on the College from which the proposal came. In some cases, such as Arts & Sciences, this is not possible, so the remaining Committee members divide these proposals up among themselves. It is for this reason, specifically, that the guide to preparing a proposal states:
Applicants are reminded that their proposals may be read by some faculty outside their immediate discipline and that a summary of the proposal may be published in an annual report. Thus, when preparing the application, it is essential that the applicant use language that can be understood by these reviewers (i.e., persons outside his or her discipline).
Question 2: What criteria does the committee use to ensure that a particular representative’s solicitation of two additional reviewers represents a broad range of faculty interests, rather than interests of the representative’s particular department?
We have not had specific criteria for this; rather, we trust the integrity of the Committee members with respect to confidentiality related to the proposal itself, to the selection of additional reviewers for the proposal, and to an ethical and fair review of all proposals.
Comment: If the person or persons who have put forward this series of questions have issues with the processes used by the Research Committee, we as a Committee would welcome open dialog geared toward resolution of your issues. |
