Re: Business School Support Jim Brett 27 Sep 1996 04:01 EST

> How do you encourage "Business Faculty" to apply for awards through
> the University rather than as "private consultants" doing their own
> side businesses?

Sharon,

You did not leave an e-mail address, so I will try to keep it short. Ha!
This list-serv had an interesting exchange of a dozen or so notes about
six months ago about this subject.  It was directed to the dollar volume
of CBA faculty.  There were a few institutions which were having
success, but most (including us) were not, as I recall it.

This colleague < xxxxxx@sunset.backbone.olemiss.edu > asked about
consulting policies and may have gotten some answers.  You should ask.
Several universities have their consulting policies on the web.
Publishing such policies and living up to them are two different things,
I am finding out.

Down in Long Beach we have begun to address some related issues, namely
the intellectual property issues surrounding production of electronic
media educational programs. This discussion quickly, and with no
surprise to anyone, moved to the question of "who owns what" or, if you
will, what constitutes normal (condtions of employment) or abnormal
(excessive, illegal, unethical, etc., etc.) use of institutional
resources (for private gain) in these productions?  Eyebrows and various
enzyme levels are up all across the campus.

There is a bit of golden goose for the instructional side in all of
this, I would hasten to add.  Instructors with fast ties to industry are
usually able (and of a mind to) produce internships for students,
placements, etc.  Like all good problems, it is complicated.

The IRS being as limited in their vision as they are unlimited in their
semantic influence over what constitutes an in-home office also provides
some guidance to all concerned.  This point is not lost on the folks I
am conversing with among the faculty, some of whom share (low-bid)
offices with two or three (close) colleagues.  My feeling is that the
IRS influence over these issues comes into play in a practical way only
when
formal disclosure policies are exercised.

I also think that the Alfred E. Newmann (what's-good-for-you-is-good-
for-the-institution) School of Public Resources Husbandry is probably
going to lose accreditation shortly.  To put in real plainly:
Consultants typically use institutional resources, the kind that are
mentioned in our negotiated indirect rates, the kind that becoming more
and more expensive and go way beyond a simple telephone, lighting, and
all-purpose file cabinet.

These are a few of my background thoughts.  Ultimately, the whole thing
depends on the University (or in our cases in the CSU, the university
foundations) providing an "added value" for these faculty.  Accounting
is not going to do it.  Insurance, legal protection, generous
participation in indirect revenues, are all things that might work.
Deans are very important in this, as well.

Jim

--
James R. Brett, Ph.D., Director,
Office of University Research
CSU Long Beach
310-985-5314   310-985-8665 fax
xxxxxx@csulb.edu
http://www.csulb.edu/~wwwing/research.html