When I worked at a land-grant institution, we had research, instruction and
public service rates.  Public service was for "extension" -- agricultural
extension service -- activities.  At that time and place we did not use it
for any other purpose.  Extension activities were conducted in/by a
separately identifiable part of the institution, whose purpose was "public
service"; only projects through that division received that rate.

In recent years, as some universities, including mine, have expanded their
sponsored activites, I have thought that many of these new areas ARE
"public service" in a way that can be differentiated from "research" and
"instruction", and probably should have a separate rate.  If there are
others out there who think the same, we should try to focus and clarify our
thinking.

I beg the listserve's pardon for making this suggestion and then ducking
out -- I'll be on  travel or leave status till 7/6, except on office 6/25.
If people are interested in pursuing this privately rather than on the
lise, send me e-mail and I'll summarize and share around all the responses
in July.

Chuck

At 08:44 AM 6/18/98 -0500, you wrote:
>This question is for anyone who has experience with community service
rates.  Our organization recently received an indirect cost rate for our
Community Service (CS) activities.  We requested this rate in response to a
grant that we received which required us, by law, to have a federally
approved CS indirect cost rate (ICR) in order to recover any of our
indirect costs.  Now, as should have been expected, our researchers want to
automatically use this lower ICR if their proposal has even a hint of a CS
component.  If anyone participates in community service activities and/or
has a CS ICR, we are very interested in knowing how you determine when this
rate is applied.  What is your definition of a community service activity
as opposed to a research activity.  Many of our grants have components of
both research and community service activities.
>
>Diane Austin, CRA
>Mgr., Research Review/Reg. Affairs
>Marshfield Clinic
>Division of Research
>1000 N. Oak Avenue
>Marshfield, WI 54449
>Phone:  715-387-9134
>Fax:  715-389-3131
>Email:  xxxxxx@mfldclin.edu
>
Herbert B. Chermside, CRA
Director, Sponsored Programs Administration
Virginia Comonwealth University
PO BOX 980568
Richmond, VA  23298-0568
Express Delivery Only:
        Sanger Hall, Rm. 1-073
        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/views/ospa/