Chancellor Mark Emmert issued an e-mail to LSU faculty Sept. 3 announcing a 5 percent increase in the money departments get back from grants and making grant programs more accessible to researchers.
The new initiatives, which continue Emmert’s Flagship Agenda, originate from the Chancellor’s Task Force on Administrative Procedures.
“What we’re trying to do is support faculty in their research activities so they can be more successful,” Emmert said. “For the student, this means they will be able to stay on top of their game as well as build their research productivity.”
Kevin Smith, vice chancellor for research and graduate studies, said the e-mail announced three major benefits for faculty researchers.
“The first part is a travel grant program, which will allow the campus to seize new research projects and scholarly activities,” Smith said. “Hopefully that will mature enough to get more funding from federal agencies and expand our research portfolios for the campus.”
Emmert announced an increase in the indirect cost rebate, or how much of federal grant funds each department gets after a grant is issued.
“Basically he’s raising the comeback from 10 percent to 15 percent, and we’re giving that money back to the departments,” Smith said. “It will help faculty travel to meetings, for maintenance for equipment. In the past we have used it to buy computers and other instruments that we can’t normally afford to buy.”
Smith said the indirect cost rebate for LSU is high for a public university, and at some universities such as the University of California-Davis, it can be as low as 6.7 percent.
“Originally the task force suggested a 20 percent increase,” Smith said.
Emmert said the 20 percent increase was a little too much to start with.
“Maybe after a year or two, if we can afford it we’ll raise it to 20,” Emmert said. “I’d like very much to make it to 20 percent for them.”
Lawrence Rouse, chairman for the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, said the new initiatives would be beneficial to his researchers.
“I can’t see it being bad, anytime the University gives people extra money, everything is good,” Rouse said. “The University has the money, so I think the faculty, for the most part, will take advantage of it.”
Rouse said the indirect cost rebate is often used to buy equipment, calibrate machinery and upgrade computers for oceanography research projects.
“I think it’s going to have an impact. The money that comes back can be a real help,” Rouse said. “You’re going to take what you usually give me and give me 50 percent more, more supplies and more equipment,”
Streamlining national grant proposals also was an issue Emmert addressed in his e-mail.
“In the past, a professor would write a grant proposal and that proposal would have to be routed through a lot of people and departments,” Emmert said. “It was a source of real tension between the professors. We are now trying to streamline the process and turn the proposals around faster.”
Emmert also said the new initiatives would help LSU in national college rankings such as those published by U.S. News and World Report.
“We normally score highly in most of the categories,” Emmert said. “We score poorly in our national reputation by our peers, and the more research we do, the more reputation we will gain.”
Emmert said many of the advantages would be immediate, such as professors having more money to take trips this semester and make themselves well known around the country.
Smith also said the benefits of the new policies could be seen within the year.
“Probably not immediately, but within the next year,” Smith said. “When the money starts to arrive, we will be able to start research projects for way down the line.”