Howard and RESADM-ers--

UW-River Falls is a small, regional comprehensive, approximately 6,000 headcount, part of the huge Univesity of Wisconsin system.  Three local administrators have signature authority to commit university resources or approvals: Chancellor (our CEO), Provost & Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Vice Chancellor for Finance.  If all three are gone (happens very seldom, by design) then the senior dean available can sign.

In practice, I usually ask the provost to sign, since he's responsible for the academic and co-curricular programs.  He checks to make sure that the PI, dept chair, dean, grants office (that's me), and business office have signed as well.  (FYI, our internal approval form is at http://www.uwrf.edu/grants/approval.htm; check it out, if you like.  Please excuse the ugly color, I need to change that this summer.)

This system works well for us.  We're a small enough campus that these offices are close together; I can usually clear a proposal in half a day or less.  Of course I try to avoid suprises; if a proposal requiring a substantial match is coming through the pipeline, for instance, I try to make sure that the chair, dean, and provost know about it well in advance.

Regards, Bill

Bill Campbell
Director, Grants & Research
University of Wisconsin-River Falls

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