We recently received a substantial private donation through our foundation
to establish a Geographic Information System (GIS) laboratory.  Services
will be available to all faculty through the campus computer network.  I
have been asked to serve on an administrative advisory committee for the
laboratory, and I have been told that our first big task will be to
determine how to generate new funds to keep the lab adequately staffed, the
equipment in good repair, and the software upgraded.  (I'm afraid that
getting a technical position established and/or getting a separate
operating budget from state appropriated dollars or general revenue would
take Divine Intervention.)  Of course, since it is not yet up and running,
the cost of GIS laboratory operations has not been included in our current
indirect cost negotiation.

If your college/university operates a GIS laboratory (or perhaps some other
kind of special facility) that presents similar financial challenges, would
you please take a few minutes to answer the following questions.  You may
be brief--I'm just attempting to identify possible models and we will
follow up with phone calls for more details as necessary

 1.  For what kind of facility are you responding---a GIS laboratory or
other similar operation?

 2.  What are the general sources of funding for the facility (state
appropriation/general revenue, endowment funds, grants, contracts, indirect
costs, user fees, etc.)?

 3.  Is the cost of operating the facility included in your indirect cost
negotiation?

 4.  Are any indirect costs generated on sponsored projects used to support
the facility?  If so, how is this done (e.g., what percent on what types of
projects is returned to the facility)?

 5.  Does the facility charge a fee for use of its services?  If no, skip
to Question 9.

 6.  If possible, please detail fee structure below (or fax to
803-953-6577).

 7.  Is the same fee schedule applied for all users (e.g., departments,
centers/institutes, sponsored programs) or are there groups that are
exempted or receive lower rates?

 8.  Administratively, how do you generally keep track of use of services
so that fees can be assessed?

 9.  I'm not an IDC expert, but I assume that, if the cost of the equipment
and its depreciation and/or cost of operating the facility in our next
indirect cost negotiation next time around, then we could not charge user
fees as direct costs on federally sponsored projects from that point on.
But until our rate is renegotiated to possibly include the GIS facility,
then charging user fees as direct costs on federally funded projects would
be okay.  Is this a correct assumption?

10.  In the long run, do you think we would be better off keeping this
facility out of our IDC calculation and charging user fees or adding it to
our IDC calculation and returning a percent of IDC recovered to the
facility for general operations?

11.  Do you have any other creative financing ideas for a GIS lab?

Thanks for your help!

Barbara H. Gray                              Telephone:   803-953-5673
Director of Sponsored Programs       Fax:            803-953-6577
College of Charleston                       e-mail:         xxxxxx@cofc.edu
66 George Street                             http://www.cofc.edu/~osp
Charleston, SC  29424                     Location:  407-G Bell Building