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Campus Center Guidelines

Definition and Purpose

A Campus Center provides a group of researchers with use of the "Center" title and a structure for its collaborative activities. The rationale for establishing a Campus Center may include attracting greater recognition and extramural support for a research program at UCI and/or providing an infrastructure that promotes synergistic interactions among researchers within a school or across schools.

In accordance with the Office of the President's Administrative Policies and Procedures Concerning Organized Research Units, the term "Center" may be used for research units not formally constituted as Organized Research Centers (ORUs). Designation as a Campus Center is approved by the Vice Chancellor for Research after appropriate Academic Senate review. The Council on Research, Computing and Libraries (CORCL) has formulated the following criteria for "Campus Centers".

A Campus Center will normally be established for a period of three years and is required to report annually on its progress as a condition of continued funding by the Office of Research for the Center’s first term. Designation as a Campus Center may be extended, upon appropriate review by CORCL, but the Office of Research generally does not provide funding beyond the first three years of the Center’s existence.

The research goals of the Campus Center should complement the academic goals of the University. Faculty loosely organized around a common set of research problems do not constitute a Campus Center.

A Campus Center does not have jurisdiction over courses or curricula and cannot offer formal courses for credit. It may perform other academic functions ordinarily carried out by departments of instruction and Organized Research Units; that is, organize research conferences and meetings, advise on graduate curricula, support graduate research, and manage training programs in conjunction with departments of instruction. It may employ graduate students and conduct other administrative activities in the pursuit of its goals.

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Organization and Administration

  1. Appointment of Director

    Directors of Campus Centers are required to be tenured faculty members. They are appointed for the three-year life of the Center by the Vice Chancellor, and report to the Dean of their respective school. If more than one school is involved, the Vice Chancellor for Research may consult with appropriate Deans regarding the proposed reporting relationship prior to Center approval. Under rare circumstances, a Campus Center Director may report to the Vice Chancellor for Research.

    A Campus Center Director may not hold a concurrent appointment as Dean, Associate Dean, or Department Chair, unless exceptional approval is granted by the Vice Chancellor for Research.

    Directors are responsible for the administrative functions of the unit and for guidance of the unit's activities in accordance with its academic goals.

  2. Administration

    The "Center" title may be used in University correspondence, and in the General Catalog, listed on UCI Web pages, and noted in extramural grant or contract proposals and gift solicitations.

    Faculty affiliated with Campus Centers are expected to follow all University of California policies and the policies set forth by their respective academic departments related to academic responsibilities, including teaching workload, faculty commitment of effort, faculty compensation, honoraria, travel, and sabbatical leave.

    All employment opportunities in a Campus Center will be created and filled in accordance with University policies and procedures, and with full awareness of the finite life of a Campus Center.

    In support of the University’s commitment to attaining excellence through diversity, every Campus Center is expected to maintain an environment that values differences and is free from discrimination and harassment.

    All administrative and facilities support (including space) is provided by the academic unit as part of its normal service to the faculty. Prior to final approval for a Campus Center, agreement regarding administrative support and facilities provided by the academic units involved must be assured.

    Directors of Campus Centers report to the Dean of their school. The Dean's responsibilities include:

    1. Evaluation of the Center's progress as outlined in an Annual Report from the Center's Director.
    2. Working with the Center Director to establish administrative processes.
    3. Review and approval of all Center actions related to academic and staff personnel, space and facilities, contract and grant proposals and activities.
    4. Financial oversight of accounting and purchasing activities of the Center. Any financial deficits are the responsibility of the school.

    In those rare instances when a Campus Center Director reports directly to the Vice Chancellor for Research, the administrative systems will be determined by the Vice Chancellor in consultation with the appropriate Deans.

    Campus Centers that receive funding from the Office of Research must submit an annual report at the end of the academic year to the Vice Chancellor for Research. Continuation of financial support is contingent upon satisfactory progress and the availability of funds, which is normally limited to the first term of the Campus Center’s existence. The Vice Chancellor may solicit comments from the appropriate Dean(s) on the activities and accomplishments of the Campus Center over the past year.

    The establishment or renewal date for all Campus Centers will be January 1 or July 1.

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Application and Review Procedures

  1. Application

    Any group of faculty may submit a proposal to the Vice Chancellor for Research to establish a Campus Center. The proposal (not to exceed a total of 10 pages, excluding curricula vitae and letters of commitment) should do the following:

    1. Provide well-defined goals and objectives for the Campus Center. Special attention should be paid to the creative value and significance of the proposed research unit and its anticipated contribution to knowledge.
    2. Describe the proposed collaborations. Include a description of research activities to be undertaken and a discussion of how the proposed Center would integrate the separate activities of the participating faculty to develop a synergy greater than their individual efforts.
    3. Explain how designation as a Campus Center would help accomplish the goals of the group and why those goals are not attainable within the existing departmental structures.
    4. Describe, in detail, how objectives will be implemented and how performance will be monitored and measured. Include a timeline that specifies the stages of development in the research program over the three years for which recognition is requested.
    5. Discuss each of the four review criteria in Section C.3.

    Identify the proposed director and attach his/her curriculum vitae. Include a list of the participating faculty, brief curricula vitae (two to three pages) for each, and copies of letters or e-mail in which they have formally agreed to participate in the proposed Center.

  2. Budget Request

    A Campus Center may be established without campus funding if other sources are available and if it is the campus designation that holds the most value to the research team.

    If funding is being requested for the Center, a detailed budget proposal and justification are required, commensurate with the Center's goals and activities. List the anticipated expenses and identify the source of support, e.g. from the Dean(s), Department Chair(s), Vice Chancellor for Research, and/or extramural sponsors. Appropriate research expenses include workshops and symposia, research assistants, materials and supplies, equipment and facilities, and general assistance. Faculty salaries will not be supported as part of the Center budget. Funds provided to the Center are designated for "seed" research initiatives and are not intended to fund an independent administrative structure. It is expected that extramural support will be sought and obtained, consistent with the opportunities that exist in the specific field.

    Favorable review does not guarantee funding from the Office of Research (OR). If support is requested from OR to supplement the amount received from the academic units, such support generally will not exceed $15,000 per year, and normally will be limited to the first term of the Center’s existence. Office of Research funds may not be expended for staff personnel costs. Approved funds may not become available until the beginning of the next academic year and are contingent on annual budget allocations to the Office of Research for such purposes.

  3. Review Criteria

    CORCL requires that all proposals for designation as a Campus Center provide evidence for meeting or addressing the following criteria:

    1. Evidence of Academic Peer Review. All Campus Centers will have an academic peer review of their collaborative research performance and potential. Acceptable forms of peer review would be from national funding agencies such as NSF, NIH, etc. If peer review has not taken place, then an ad hoc subcommittee of CORCL may solicit letters from external reviewers in the field to help evaluate the timeliness and/or importance of the Center's activities.
    2. Evidence of Permanence. A record of (or, for new groups, the promise of) ongoing collaboration among the Center's participants is required. A minimum time period for existence is three years. Campus Centers may apply for renewal by submitting to the Vice Chancellor for Research a proposal that outlines their accomplishments over the life of the Center and goals for the next term of three to five years.
    3. Financial and Administrative Commitments. The proposed Center should have minimal administrative funding committed for the appropriate length (minimum three years), and the support of necessary administrative officials (deans, chairs, etc.). If space, computing, or other administrative support is needed for the proposed Center, a letter from the Dean is required to address these resources. Include a statement of the research group's potential for extramural awards and fundraising, as well as an explicit plan for pursuit of extramural support, consistent with existing opportunities.
    4. Library Resources. The proposal must include an assessment by the UCI Libraries, either indicating the need for additional library resources to support the Center or attesting to the adequacy of existing resources. Inquiries may be directed to the University Librarian's office.
    5. Relationship to Existing Units. Explain the relationship of the proposed Campus Center to other existing related Centers, ORUs, Special Research Programs, and School Centers. Identify and explain areas of potential overlap. Letters of support from directors of related centers/institutes/programs would be helpful.
  4. Proposal Review

    The Deans or Department Chairs of the affiliated faculty will be asked to comment on the quality and significance of the proposed unit in concert with the criteria established by CORCL. The Dean(s) will also be asked to confirm their school's support, if any, for budget resources and the space available for the proposed Campus Center.

    The Vice Chancellor for Research will submit the complete Campus Center proposal and the Deans' comments to an ad hoc committee of CORCL for review and recommendations. The ad hoc committee, following its own procedures for review, may request additional information from the proposers. External review will be sought only if there is no evidence of peer review. The ad hoc committee will draw from the list of proposed names and/or may contact other reviewers considered appropriate. All external reviews will be treated as confidential, subject to the policies of the University of California. After completion of its review, the ad hoc committee will present its recommendations to the full CORCL. The advice of CORCL concerning the establishment of a Campus Center will be taken as advisory by the Vice Chancellor for Research.

  5. Provisional Designation for Proposals

    If a proposed center is in the process of applying for a major extramural award to support the center's activities, it may request permission to use the title of "Center" in grant applications while the request is under review by CORCL, specifying the sponsor and amount of the grant application. While the grant proposal might be allowed to use the "Center" title, internal or public documents cannot use this title until CORCL has completed its review, and establishment of the Campus Center has been approved. (In the interim, "proposed center" or similar phrases may be acceptable.)

    CORCL review may lead to (a) unconditional approval, (b) approval subject to positive outcome of the extramural proposal, (c) request for further revisions, or (d) denial. If the request for the center designation is denied, the funding agency should be informed of the change in status.

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Extension of Term of Campus Centers

Campus Centers may apply for renewal by submitting to the Vice Chancellor for Research a proposal that summarizes accomplishments over the life of the Center and specifies goals for the next three- (or five-) year period. The proposal should be received in the VCR's office at least three months prior to the Center's expiration date.

The Vice Chancellor for Research will solicit from the Academic Dean(s) to whom the Center Director reports an assessment of the following:

The Vice Chancellor for Research will forward the request for an extension to CORCL to conduct an academic review and provide its recommendation.

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Unauthorized Centers

The appropriate Dean will be asked to recognize the policies regarding the "Campus Center" designation. The purpose of the review process, which relies heavily on the Dean's recommendation, is to maintain a high standard and ensure that all relevant parties are fully informed and that the interest of the campus is served. In the event that CORCL disagrees with the recommendation of a Dean, it will provide all relevant material (letters, internal evaluations, etc.) after appropriate redactions. The Deans will be allowed to provide rebuttal.

If the unauthorized use of the "Campus Center" designation continues, the Council will make the following recommendations to the administration:

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Proposal Submission and Staff Assistance

As an aid to faculty, the Office of Research has developed a Checklist for Review of Campus Centers in PDF format.

Proposals should be directed to:

Susan V. Bryant
Vice Chancellor for Research
Office of Research
160 Aldrich Hall
University of California
Irvine, CA 92697-3175

For inquiries, please call (949) 824-5796.

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Questions About Campus Centers?

James Earthman
Associate Vice Chancellor for Research
(949) 824-5796
earthman@uci.edu

Marie Richman
Director, Administration and Research Policy
(949) 824-2898
richman@uci.edu