Sharon, et.al
Your most recent post raises an interesting question and very large can of
worms.  There is a vast difference between departmental review and
departmental sign off.  If the Chair signs off without adequate review, it
is not the job of the Grants Officer to question the thoroughness of the review
That's the Dean's job.  Perfunctory review is a major problem at lots of
institutions - that's why I set up the procedure at TC when I was there so
the Chair and Division Director sign off before I got the proposal.  Their
signature tells the Grants Office that content is acceptable to the Chair and
that budgetary implications for the department are OK.  If they're not doing
the job, another layer of committee review won't solve the problem. The
departments should be reviewing for quality.  If an academic colleague raises
questions about proposal content, that's acceptable.  If the Grants Officer
raises those questions, it causes ruffled feathers - unless the GO happens
to be an expert in the field. Same will be true for the committee.
The role of this committee should be defined carefully.  It should not be
charged with doing a job being neglected by the rightful owner of the
responsibility.
Andrew Grant
Director of Grants
Baruch College