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Whereas responsibility for the quality of research and other sponsored activities at Southern University rests with the faculty, the University, through the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor for Research and Strategic Initiatives, accepts responsibility for negotiating awards, accepting awards made pursuant to such negotiating, and rendering institutional control over the administration of all research, both basic and applied, and creative work. The Chancellor, as Chief Executive Officer of Southern University A&M College, has the responsibility for the management and supervision of all sponsored activities, in accordance with established policies and procedures. The Chancellor reviews proposed policies and procedures and, if required, forwards them to the System President and the Board of Supervisors for approval. The Chancellor serves as the authorized research representative and maintains and guarantees institutional control over the administration of research projects, but delegates certain grant, contract, and sponsored program activities to other appropriate levels of the administration. The Vice Chancellor for Research and Strategic Initiatives (ORSI), who is directly responsive to the Chancellor, serves as head of the Office of Research and Strategic Initiatives (ORSI) with the authority to recommend research policy on a campus-wide basis and to advise the Chancellor on grants, contracts, and sponsored projects’ policy-related matters at the University. The ORSI consolidates and coordinates policies, operations, and units related to (sponsored) research, technology transfer, and associated external and internal affairs programs at the University. The Vice Chancellor for Research and Strategic Initiatives is the officer responsible for administering externally funded grants and contracts. In this capacity, the Vice Chancellor accepts awards and signs contracts on behalf of the University and oversees their administration. Oversight assistance is provided by the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs (OGSP). The ORSI provides administrative management, planning, and oversight to the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs (OGSP) which oversees the day-to-day pre-award and post-award activities of proposals, grants, and contracts. The ORSI also has technical and administrative oversight of strategic initiatives, research centers, institutes, and other research related functions. The Vice Chancellor for Research and Strategic Initiatives, with input from the University’s Senior Leadership Group (Chancellor, Vice Chancellors and Associates, and Special Assistants), a University Research Advisory Council, Business Advisory Council, Research Evaluation Committee, and approval by the Chancellor, System’s President, and the Board of Supervisors, recommends policies and procedures for all research at the University and serves as the University’s representative to enter into grants and contracts and to oversee their execution and closure. The University Research Council is comprised of research faculty who serve in an advisory role to the Vice Chancellor for Research and the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs on matters related to grants, contracts and sponsored agreements. The Council advises on internal policy-related matters as well as those proposed by external agencies and bodies. Specifically, the goals of the University Research Council include: (1) promoting and encouraging applicable research programs in all academic areas; (2) facilitating research programs of excellence for the University; (3) fostering research programs of excellent quality and stimulating the faculty and students in a quest for knowledge and to aid society in resolving its scientific, technological, socioeconomic and cultural problems; and (4) supporting research agencies or instruments that provide a forum for faculty and students. The Research Evaluation Committee is composed of research faculty, non-research faculty, and members of the public sector. It’s function is to serve as an official reviewer and evaluator of the effectiveness of the University’s research infrastructure. This includes: (1) determining the extent or range of research-related problems and tasks considering the University’s mission, present research infrastructure, curricula, faculty, students, centers, and graduate programs; (2) performing process evaluation that seeks to confirm actual adherence to the University’s research goal (vision), objectives and proposed plan (on-going process); and (3) impacting evaluation that measures the outcomes or results against its goals and objectives. Faculty researchers (often referred to as Principal Investigators, PIs) are directly responsible for project execution and deliverables (i.e. performance) including all required Sponsor and University reports. They must also ensure that the project is conducted as proposed; that all stipulations of the award are met; that the program complies with all terms, conditions, and policies of the sponsor, the University and the State; and that all work related to the project is completed. The PI of a sponsored project must be a full-time member of the faculty or staff. Any exception to this policy requires prior approval of the appropriate chairperson, dean, and/or the Vice Chancellor for Research and Strategic initiatives. The director of the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs participates in the formulation of policies affecting sponsored programs and advises the Vice Chancellor on University policies on grants, and contracts. The director, through the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs, is responsible for processing all grants and contracts and sponsored agreement funding requests to be submitted (including submission to federal agencies, national laboratories, foundations, corporations, associations, organizations, philanthropists, local and state governments, universities, and non-government entities). Fiscal management of grants and contracts is performed by the Office of the Comptroller with yearly audits by the State’s auditor. The sponsored research support system tracks both technical (i.e. performance) and fiscal data on every research project and makes available timely management reports. The OSRI, OGSP and the Office of the Comptroller are responsible for integrating and maintaining all data for both technical and fiscal audit trails, sponsor compliance, and close-outs. The University’s top level management (Chancellor and Senior Leadership Group), using these system reports, routinely makes assessments of the University’s impact and value of the sponsored program environment.
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