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TSTC Harlingen Policy

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No: 1.12

SOS:

Effective Date: 10/14/2003

Division:

General Administration

Subject:

Grants and Contracts

Authority:

College Decision

Submitted By:

J. Gilbert Leal

Title:

President

Date: 10/14/2003

Approved By:

Dr. J. Gilbert Leal

Title:

College President

Date: 8/8/2003

STATUS:	Revised 8/8/2003
HISTORICAL STATUS:	Revised 8/8/2003

COLLEGE DECISION

Texas State Technical College Harlingen encourages faculty and staff to seek research and development funds through external grants and contracts that support the state’s economic development and educational needs and are consistent with the primary function of The College. Funding may be from private sources, competitively acquired sources, appropriated public funds, and/or other sources. The College will not support the pursuit of externally funded grants and contracts that are in conflict with the mission and strategic plan of Texas State Technical College or in violation of the stated policies of The College. The College will not engage in activities mandated by external funding sources that are not in the best interest of the faculty, staff, and students of Texas State Technical College. The College will pursue research support from external agencies that guarantee the freedom of the researcher to investigate and report results. The College guarantees the institutional control of the administration of research projects through fiscal and personnel management and the reporting functions of the grant.

The College maintains that instructional activities must never be sacrificed in the pursuit and/or the administration of externally funded grants and contracts. Grant and research activities will not take precedence over the instructional mission of The College and services to students.

The College monitors the external grant and contract function to ensure continuity of support for general institutional activities.

(Reference: Agency Strategic Plan for the 1992-98 Period, June 1, 1992 and Texas Education Code, Section 135.07)

PERTINENT INFORMATION:

Identification of External Funding Sources
1. Any TSTC personnel along with the Associate Vice President for Workforce Development are responsible for locating applicable external grants and contracts. Identification of Grants and Contracts may be from private sources, competitively acquired sources, and/or appropriate public funds. After identifying source requests for Proposals, are forward to the appropriate instructional units or administrative offices.
All grant proposals must be consistent with the Mission, Goals, Function and Policies and Procedures of Texas State Technical College Harlingen.
1. Faculty requests to apply for grants should first be approved by their Program Chair, forwarded to the appropriate Cluster Director and then to the Grants Committee, composed of faculty, staff, and administration members. Approved requests are reviewed by the Grants Committee for conformity with the mission, goals, and function of the College.
The Grants Committee verifies the conformity of the grant request with the goals of The College and advises the Associate Vice President for Workforce Development, whether in their opinion the grant proposal meets or does not meet the stated purposes of The College. Recommendations of the Grants Committee are forwarded in writing to the Associate Vice President for Workforce Development, who then notifies the Faculty Member of approval or disapproval to pursue the grant.
The Faculty, after receiving approval from the Associate Vice President for Workforce Development, works in partnership with the resource person designated by the Grants Committee and the Associate Vice President for Workforce Development to provide necessary content for writing the grant.
Staff requests to apply for grants should be submitted for approval to their immediate supervisor and then through proper channels to their appropriate Dean. Approved requests are reviewed by the Grants Committee for conformity to the mission, goals, and function of The College.
The Grants Committee verifies the conformity of the grant request with the goals of The College and advises the Associate Vice President for Workforce Development, whether in their opinion the grant proposal meets or does not meet the stated purposes of The College. Recommendations of the Grants Committee are forwarded in writing to the Associate Vice President for Workforce Development, who then notifies the Staff Member of approval or disapproval to pursue the grant.
The Staff, after receiving approval from the Associate Vice President for Workforce Development, works in partnership with the resource person designated by the Grants Committee and the Associate Vice President for Workforce Development to provide necessary content for writing the grant.

PROCEDURES:

Guarantee of Freedom to Investigate and Report
1. The AssociateVice President for Workforce Development is responsible for ensuring that the freedom of faculty and staff to investigate and report results according to basic research principles by verifying those assurances are contained in the grant application format. If the grant application does not offer those assurances, the Associate Vice President for Workforce Development notifies the proposed Project Director that assurances to freedom of investigation and reporting of results do not exist in the grant format.
2. The Project Director is responsible for negotiating assurances from the external agency at the time of contract/grant award that assurances for freedom of researcher investigation and reporting of results are guaranteed to The College.
The teaching efforts of faculty and the delivery of College services to students must never be compromised by research activities.

To ensure that instruction does not suffer from the Faculty Member’s participation in grant writing or other research activities, Program Chairs recommend the time frame necessary for the Faculty member to devote to the writing of the grant proposal and other research activities and forward to the Vice President for Student Learning for approval.
To ensure that Staff participation in grant writing or other research activities also safeguard the integrity of services provided to students, the immediate supervisor of the Staff Member recommends the time frame necessary for the Staff member to devote to the writing of the grant proposal and other research activities and forwards to the appropriate Vice President for approval.

Control of the Administration of the Research Projects:
1. The Project Director named in the grant proposal shall be responsible for the fiscal and personnel management, the fulfillment of the process objectives, and the reporting functions of the grant.
2. Research studies generated by the grant and/or articles published by faculty and staff must be approved by the Project Director. The manuscript must indicate the study was conducted under the following terms and conditions:
  1. under the auspices of the specific grant or contract title.
  2. the name of the funding source awarded to The College
  3. the complete name of “Texas State Technical College-Harlingen”
  4. under the direction of the Project Director and the Associate Vice President for Workforce Development.
Limiting and Monitoring the Number of Employees Funded by Grants:

The President’s Council shall recommend an acceptable level of the number of faculty and staff who receive salaries from external grants and contracts for each biennium. The limits should account for full salaries and supplemental salaries paid from grants during the regular academic year and for summer salaries. Their recommendations are forwarded to the President of the College who establishes an acceptable level which will ensure continuity of support for general institutional activities.
Director of Human Resources requests and receives a monthly report from payroll that monitors the number of Harlingen faculty and staff being paid through external grant funds.
When the reports indicate that the number of positions currently being funded by external grants is above the acceptable level, the Director of Human Resources reports the results to the President of the College.

Limiting and Monitoring Indirect Costs from External Grants and Contracts:

The President’s Council shall recommend an acceptable level of indirect cost allowances from external grants and contracts for each biennium. The limits should account for the regular operating budgets institution-wide. Their recommendations are forwarded to the President of the College who establishes an acceptable level which will ensure continuity of support for general institutional activities.
The Chief Fiscal Officer provides annual report to the President’s Council of the percentage of the indirect cost allowances from grants and contracts in comparison to the total operating budgets campus wide. This data becomes information that is used during the budget process each spring.

Monitoring Funds Awarded through External Grants and Contracts:

The Chief Fiscal Officer and the Business Office staff are responsible for Budget Control and Accounting of funds generated from external grants and contracts. The Supervisor of Grants and Contracts, who reports directly to the Chief Fiscal Officer, ensures the compliance with all State and Federal laws, and TSTC fiscal practices.
The Project Director, who is an employee of Texas State Technical College, is responsible for ensuring the Budget Control and Accounting Practices of the external funding agency are communicated in writing to the Supervisor of Grants and Contracts.

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