Faculty Handbook - Section 6

Section 6 - Development and Internal/External Affairs

6.1 Non-Institutional Professional Activities and Extra Compensation

Non-institutional professional activities for outside clients and participation in university activities for additional compensation are encouraged when they provide a service to business, industry, government, the region, or the university and allow faculty to keep abreast of current practices and problems in their academic fields. See the Non-Institutional Professional Activities and Extra Compensation Policies in the Jacksonville State University Manual of Policies and Procedures.

6.2 Conflict of Interest

When faculty engage in either sponsored or university-supported research or activities, such as serving as paid or unpaid consultants, as part-time employees of any organization or agency, or as owners with significant interests in private business, their conduct may be subject to the conflict-of-interest statutes.

Faculty are responsible for being alert to possibilities of actual and potential conflicts of interest when they are involved in university-sponsored activities at the same time that they have significant interests in private businesses, engage in outside part-time work, or provide consultative services. Prior to engaging in such activities, faculty must notify their immediate supervisors, in writing, of any actual or potential conflicts of interest entailed. The supervisor shall forward such statements for review to the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs or to an administrator designated by the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. A written opinion as to whether conflict of interest does or does not exist shall be transmitted to the faculty member, to the dean, and to the department head. See also the Jacksonville State University Manual of Policies and Procedures.

6.3 Faculty Research Grant Program

6.3.1 Guidelines

Through the Faculty Research Grant Program, the university provides funds to encourage and support faculty involvement in research or creative activities. Research proposals are accepted from all fields of academic endeavor. However, no dissertation/thesis research projects or curriculum development projects will be accepted. Proposals should be submitted to the chair of the faculty research committee and should include the objective of the project, the benefits of the research to the discipline and to the university, the methods and techniques involved, special consideration, such as prospects of future contracts or grants funding, and a detailed budget.

Specific instructions on the submission process are available online on the academic affairs website.

Proposals must be submitted in March for the upcoming academic year. They are evaluated by the faculty research committee, which recommends funding to the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

To support a diverse population of researchers, a general funding limit is placed on each request. However, when proposals are of exceptional quality with possible broad benefits to the university, funding requests exceeding the year’s funding limit will be considered.

Awards are generally made for the next fiscal year, although a proposed project may continue for several years. A one-year funding of a multi-year project does not guarantee future funding. No projects will be funded if the principal investigator/research coordinator fails to submit a summary report detailing the results of previously funded projects. Monetary awards should be expended within the appropriate fiscal year. A faculty member is limited to submission of one proposal per year.

6.3.2 Faculty Research Committee

The faculty research committee consists of full-time faculty members nominated by the faculty senate and appointed by the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

Members serve for 3-year terms with one third of the committee replaced annually. Primary functions of the faculty research committee are as follows:

1. To encourage and promote scholarly research/creative endeavors in all academic disciplines.
2. To establish and maintain procedures to solicit and evaluate internal research grant proposals.
3. To forward recommendations regarding funding and support to the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.
4. To make an annual report to the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs on the effectiveness of the JSU Faculty Research Grant Program and to make recommendations for improvement.
5. To review applications for faculty research recognition and make recommendations for recognition to the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

6.4 Faculty Travel and Self-Improvement Grants

Faculty Travel and Self-Improvement Grants are intended to provide opportunities for faculty self-improvement and renewal. The program guidelines are intentionally broad so that faculty throughout the university can propose innovative and diverse projects in a variety of areas.

Presentations of scholarly papers or creative activities at regional, national, or international professional meetings will be supported with these funds. Travel grants are not made for normal course development. Also eligible are faculty who hold official positions or offices in professional organizations and who are not compensated for expenses associated with attendance at organizational meetings. Submission of the application is made through the department head and dean to the professional development committee, which reviews applications and makes recommendations for funding to the provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

Additional information concerning faculty development grants may be obtained from the academic affairs website or the office of the associate vice president for academic affairs.

6.5 Externally Funded/Sponsored Projects and Grants

The mission statement of the university specifies that it provides service to the community through research activities. Moreover, the university's goals include providing faculty with resources for professional development, increasing fiscal resources through externally funded projects and grants, and maintaining a reputable academic standing. Therefore, the university encourages and supports faculty efforts to acquire and maintain funding for research from external sources.

The Office of Sponsored Programs will assist faculty and university personnel in the pursuit and administration of externally funded grants and contracts, in compliance with the requirements established by federal and state laws, sponsor rules and regulation, and university policies and procedures. The Office of Sponsored Programs offers a Proposal-Development Guidebook, available from its website. For specific guidelines concerning submission of proposals and policies relevant to protection of experimental subjects, civil rights, patents, copyrights, cost-sharing, indirect costs, and related matters, faculty should consult the Jacksonville State University Manual of Policies and Procedures.

When grants and awards are made to faculty members, the faculty member will normally be designated project director and budget manager for a university account for that project. Faculty members should consult the appropriate sections of the Jacksonville State University Business Procedures Manual and the Jacksonville State University Manual of Policies and Procedures upon approval of grants and projects.

6.6 Fund Raising, Endowments, and Gifts

The coordination of these activities and plans for solicitation is the responsibility of the Division of University Advancement. Its primary purpose is to coordinate fund-raising activities and to insure that each development activity is consistent with the long-range missions of the university.

The Jacksonville State University Foundation receives private gifts of money, securities, land, personal property, and any other assets for the benefit of Jacksonville State University in a manner that may be designated by the donor. These gifts may be used to create endowment accounts or may be provided for immediate use as restricted or unrestricted funds. Prior to any development activities on behalf of any unit at Jacksonville State University, faculty members should consult the vice president for university advancement or the Jacksonville State University Manual of Policies and Procedures.

6.7 Intellectual Property

Consistent with the university's objectives of supporting faculty research and maintaining a reputable academic standing, faculty members are encouraged to engage in scholarly activities that may result in the creation of patents and copyrights. Faculty members shall retain ownership of copyrights and patent rights from individual creative works, if no substantial aid from the university or from an outside agency operating through official university channels is received.

Rights pertaining to materials that result from university-assisted efforts, externally sponsored efforts, and university-assigned efforts shall be determined in accordance with the terms of the Jacksonville State University Manual of Policies and Procedures.

6.8 Equipment

Equipment that is acquired through a grant or sponsoring agency becomes the property of the university and the responsibility of the department head unless otherwise specified in advance by the sponsoring agency.

6.9 Experimental Subjects

All research involving human subjects conducted at the university or under the aegis of the university must be approved in advance by the Institutional Review Board. Consult the Jacksonville State University Manual of Policies and Procedures for additional details.

All research involving animal subjects conducted at the university or under the aegis of the university must be approved in advance by the Animal Care and Use Committee. Consult the Jacksonville State University Manual of Policies and Procedures for additional details.

6.10 Hazardous Waste

The university makes every effort to comply with state and federal laws pertaining to hazardous waste disposal. The university safety officer is charged with this responsibility. For additional information, contact the safety officer, listed in the JSU phone directory under departments and offices.

6.11 Injury, Illness, Incidents, and Accidents

Injuries, illnesses, and incidents, other than traffic-related accidents that occur on university property or affect university personnel or equipment, must be reported on the OSHA Form 101 (available in the Office of Human Resources). Traffic-related accidents should be reported to the Jacksonville State University Police Department or an appropriate law enforcement agency.

Additionally, incidents that resulted in no loss or injury but had significant accidental-loss potential should also be reported through this system. See the Jacksonville State University Manual of Policies and Procedures for additional details.

6.12 Publicity and Promotion

The Office of Public Relations is the official channel for university publicity. All publicity releases shall be coordinated through this office. See the Jacksonville State University Manual of Policies and Procedures for additional details. All official university publications, prepared for public distribution, must meet certain standards with regard to the quality of the writing, printing quality, and overall impression. In addition, any administrative office, department, or individual desiring to distribute printed materials that advertise, solicit, or inform on behalf of the university must obtain prior approval from the vice president for university advancement.

The university's name, logo, and seal are the exclusive property of the university. Use of the university seal and the university logo is determined by the executive director of marketing and communications or the vice president for university advancement. See the Jacksonville State University Manual of Policies and Procedures for additional details.