R(1) - Appendix 2

ROBINSON COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
RESEARCH PROGRAM COMMITTEE
SPECIAL COURSE RELEASES FOR RESEARCH

Purpose

Special course releases for research are designed to support the research function of the faculty of the Robinson College of Business. These releases can be awarded for the preparation of proposals for externally funded research or for other research activities that do not meet the criteria for course releases awarded through the Research Program Committee, such as preparation of large data sets or completion of multiple research projects for publication.

Policies and Procedures

1. Requests for special course releases for research must be approved in writing by the chairman/director of the academic unit in which the faculty member is appointed. If approved, the chairman/director will attach the faculty proposal to the written approval which also states that the faculty member will be available to take the release if granted; these materials are forwarded to the Research Coordinator.
   
   
2. The Committee that reviews the request will consist of the Research Coordinator and two members to be appointed by him from the membership of the Research Program Committee on a rotation basis. This Committee will meet when necessary to review requests and determine whether the course release should be granted. In cases where the committee determines the request should go through the Research Program Committee, the request shall be returned to the submitting chairman/director.
   
   
3. All course releases granted will be subject to the availability of funding within the College.
   
   
4. Course releases must be taken during the quarter for which they are granted; unlike regular course releases, they may not be postponed.
   
   
5. In some cases, "short-fuse" opportunities may require most or all of the work do be done before the quarter for which a course release is granted. Course releases may be granted in such circumstances to allow the researcher to devote time to research that would otherwise be spent preparing classes for the next quarter or to give the researcher time to catch up on other duties that had to be postponed during the period of intensive work.
   
   
6. The recipient of a special research course release must submit a report to the Research Coordinator before taking any further course releases for research through the Research Program Committee. The report should describe what was accomplished during the period of the release and should attach copies of any products completed such as completed proposals for outside funding, scholarly papers written, and descriptions of data sets compiled or constructed.
   
   
7. The Research Coordinator will provide a report summarizing these activities and results annually to the Research Program Committee and the Executive Committee.