In addition to Herb's cautions about determining the purpose of the report and the complexities of assigning credit--your capacity to gather and report data has to be commensurate with your resources. Maintaining a data base is time-consuming and grows more so each time someone wants to report a new piece of information. It's not just a matter of recording a new item from each record (and sometimes going through old records to recover the new item from them); there's also decision-making, like "What qualifies as a publication?" or "Is this a research project or a service project?" So adding info to make departments or individuals look good has to be balanced against your other responsibilities--processing grant applications quickly, getting out timely information about grant opportunities, conducting regulatory reviews efficiently, etc. No central office can depict (or obfuscate) the activity of a department at the same level of detail that the department itself can; and with the web, any department can strut itself for the whole campus (and world) to see. For central offices it's sufficient to define the purposes of the report clearly and then tell "The Truth" within that context. -----Original Message----- From: Herbert B. Chermside [mailto:xxxxxx@VCU.EDU] Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 11:03 AM To: xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG Subject: Re: [RESADM-L] Annual Report that includes CoPIs "Credit" is always a problem. You can share "credit" when you are discussing "activity" or "contribution" to an intellectual activity. You can do something like this using whatever names/responsibilities are listed in proposals. Warning: set your guidelines for "co-PI" or other collaborators clearly and objectively, and stick to them. And make chairs, at least, sign off! Maybe Deans. (Might use "faculty named in project budget as criterion.) It is very difficult to share "credit" when you are discussing $ brought in. If that's the measure of your "credit" system, you may find you have to do what we do: A project can be administratively divided into parts when it makes sense. A Program Project grant is one. Otherwise use judgement; we base it on requests (at proposal time, not later when chairs and deans smell money!) for administrative sub-accounts, and we look at the work plan to make sure it is a reasonable division of activity and responsibility. Consider what this report does in the institutional (formal or informal) reward system for individuals and for units. Or what you want it to do! Then set criteria and stick to them. People will always try to milk the system!! Chuck At 10:03 AM 10/23/2002 -0500, you wrote: > >Has anyone developed an annual report and included CoPIs as well as the >PIs? If you have, would you send me a pdf copy of the report? Or, if you >have considered including the CoPIs but decided against doing so, please >send me your reasons why it didn't work. > >One of our department chairs wants see his faculty, who are CoPIs, >included on the annual report. When the CoPI is listed on a grant within >that same department, they will show up on that department's report. >However, the problem comes when X department faculty are CoPI on Y >department's report. Then what? Awkward cross referencing? > >Perhaps some of you have come up with a neat report that addresses this >question of giving credit to CoPIs. For a look at our annual reports, >please visit: > ><http://www.southalabama.edu/osp/researchreports.htm>http://www.southalabam a.edu/osp/researchreports.htm > >Maggie > > > > >Maggie Pyle, Ph.D. >Director, Office of Sponsored Programs >University of South Alabama >Mobile, AL 36688 ><http://www.southalabama.edu/osp>www.southalabama.edu/osp >(251) 460-6456 >(251) 460-7955 fax > >====================================================================== >Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including >subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available via >our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") >====================================================================== Herbert B. Chermside, CRA Director, Sponsored Programs Administration Virginia Commonwealth University PO BOX 980568 Richmond, VA 23298-0568 Express Delivery Only: Sanger Hall, Rm. 1-032A 11th & Marshall Streets Richmond, VA 23219 Voice: 804-828-6772 Fax 804-828-2521 OFFICE e-mail xxxxxx@VCU.EDU Personal e-mail xxxxxx@vcu.edu http://views.vcu.edu/ospa/ VCU will close most faculty and staff offices from December 21, 2002 through January 5, 2003. OSPA will operate only a skeleton staff, with some limited hours, during this period. ====================================================================== Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") ====================================================================== This e-mail and any files transmitted with it may contain information that is PRIVILEGED, CONFIDENTIAL, and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. It is intended only for the individual(s) or entity named above. If you are not an intended recipient of this e-mail, you are hereby notified that any unauthorized use, dissemination or copying of this e-mail or the information contained in it or attached to it is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please delete it and immediately notify the person named above by reply e-mail. Thank you. ====================================================================== Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") ======================================================================
