If the faculty member is "buying" a course release with the grant funds, the
Dean uses some of the released salary dollars to pay the adjunct.  Remaining
funds are moved by the Budget Office to the Provost's budget.  However, with
appropriate documentation, department chairs can request these funds back
for specific purposes.  (The Sponsored Programs Office prefers that the
dollars be used to enhance research activities within the department,
although this is not a requirement.)  Personally, I feel that moving the
money back and forth makes extra work for lots of people, but, as of right
now, the Provost has not indicated a willingness to give up that control.

Our biggest problem with this system is lack of a good way to communicate
information about the total amount of funds that will be released during the
current fiscal year to the Chair.  (Released dollars must be spent by the
close of the current fiscal year or will revert to the state's general
fund.)  We also have PIs who don't do their payroll distribution paperwork
immediately when they get the grant; they show up months later to have
salary charges made to the grant by journal entry, and often at the very end
of the fiscal year when the Chair doesn't have enough time left to go
through the request process and then spend the released dollars.  Inclusion
of suggestions on ways to manage this in this discussion would be appreciated.

>Our Academic Research Committee has asked the Office of Grants and
>sponsored Programs to survey colleagues at other institutions about
>policies related to internal use of recovered release time funds.  At
>your institution, where does expenditure authority for such funds
>reside?  In the department?  The College?  Elsewhere?  Also, what,
>typically, are such funds used for?  Appreciate your replies.
>
>Eric C. Lewandowski
>Director, Grants & Sponsored Programs
>Youngstown State University
>3010 Jones Hall
>410 Wick Avenue
>Youngstown, OH   44555
>xxxxxx@cc.ysu.edu
>

Barbara H. Gray                           Telephone:  803-963-5673
Director of Sponsored Programs            FAX:        803-953-1434
University of Charleston, SC              e-mail:     xxxxxx@cofc.edu
Charleston, South Carolina  29424