MINUTES OF THE FACULTY MEETING -- MARCH 9, 2006

ATTENDEES: C. Barfield, M. Branham, E. Buss, J. Capinera, S. Choate, B. Crow, J. Cuda, D. Dickson, J. Foltz, D. Hahn, J. Hayes, M. Hoy, P. Kaufman, P. Koehler, P. Lawrence, N. Leppla, O. Liburd, J. Maruniak, H. McAuslane, B. McSorley, F. Oi, M. Sanford, M. Scharf, J. Stimac, S. Webb, S. Yu, R. Baldwin, C. Pickles, and P. Howell. Joining via PolyCom were R. Cave, B. Howard, B. Kern, B. Overholt, R. Scheffrahn, W. Tabachnick, N.-Y. Su.

Meeting convened at 10:32

Dr. Capinera introduced Nancy Wilkinson, Director of Research Programs and Services in the IFAS Office of Sponsored Programs. She spoke about secrecy in documents and contracts for such. She passed out a handout which showed the terminology for secrecy agreements, the types of legal agreements, etc., and she briefly discussed each item. Dr. Cuda asked if what goes on in her office is the same type of thing that goes on in the Office of Technology and Licensing. Ms. Wilkinson responded that it is the same thing but that her office deals with the early stages of the agreements. She mentioned that they often put disclaimers into legal language. She said that they like to keep the restrictions as narrow as possible but don’t want to restrict the researcher’s ability to publish, especially with regard to a student’s thesis/dissertation. Dr. Leppla asked what to do with legal forms from companies and what is our obligation. Ms. Wilkinson said that it is your task to protect your own and UF’s interests, but her office needs to see any legal forms sent to researchers. Dr. Koehler said that it is his position that UF makes the agreement, not himself. Ms. Wilkinson said that one should remember that companies are always going to represent their interests first, so researchers need to see to it that they protect themselves, their research and UF. Dr Buss asked what would happen if a company sent a protocol with a confidentiality agreement. Ms. Wilkinson said that it is customary to do so, and that all should be sent to her office for review. Her office can do a quick turn-around. A research agreement may take longer and may have some constraints, especially with regard to publishing and with intellectual property areas. She said her office is getting stronger every day. She also mentioned that with regard to indirect costs, those costs are needed for the whole infrastructure of IFAS and UF, so companies are going to have to pay for those costs. Dr. Crow asked if we should contact her directly or go through the person responsible for our department. Ms. Wilkinson said it would be best to go through our person, Melvina Cutwright. Dr. Dickson said he had a good experience when going through the Sponsored Programs Office. He also said that when he gets requests from companies to do work, he tells them outright that they have to be responsible for payment of the indirect costs if they want him to do the work. Dr. Stimac said that he thinks our overhead rates are reasonable. Ms. Wilkinson said that companies come here because they are aware of the expertise here at UF and they want that expertise. Dr. Koehler said there are a limited number of companies that do business with UF and asked if there are standard agreements that are used with these companies. Ms. Wilkinson said we do have standard agreements; they are on the office website. She said they contain many protections novel to IFAS. Dr. Lawrence asked what is the minimum overhead that IFAS wants to use. Ms. Wilkinson said the same rate, 45.5%. She also stated that actual expenses are more than that percentage. She also said that researchers should be sure to have companies clarify their definition of “confidential”. Dr. Dickson asked if we are in conformity with other universities, and do we all play by the same rules. Ms. Wilkinson said that for the most part we do all have the same rules. She said that the Top 10 schools don’t change their rules for any reason. They have an “our way or no way” rule of thumb for companies wanting to work with them.

Dr. Capinera spoke about the appointment of Sandra Allen to the graduate faculty and asked for any input. Dr. Maruniak said that she has served on several of the committees for graduate students and that she has contributed in many ways, i.e., intellectually, materially and with technical help. He said she will be a good resource for the department. Dr. Stimac stated that she is top notch and has high regards for her and her abilities. It was put to a vote and it was approved unanimously. Ft. Pierce showed 3 positives, and Ft. Lauderdale showed 3 positives.

Next Dr. Capinera spoke about the Apiculture and Youth Programs position. He gave a brief description of the job duties, stating that it will be 70% extension, 20% research and 10% teaching. He listed each of the candidates, Alonso Suazo, Timothy Haarmann, James Strange, and James Ellis, and listed the strengths and weaknesses of each, as perceived by the Search and Screen Committee. Considerable discussion was held by the faculty, with a great deal of input on the candidates. One question asked was how the strengths and weaknesses were discerned by the committee. The candidates were asked “what would you do if…” questions and their answers helped the committee make determinations. Dr. Liburd asked if feedback from students had been gathered. Dr. Capinera said that it will be/has been requested, but has not been gathered yet. He handed out a university protocol for search committees and called attention to several of the regulations, saying he was attempting to stay close to the regulations. He said there had been a lot of passion for candidates in the last meeting and he was hoping not to get that involved in this meeting. He said he had heard from junior faculty that they were a bit intimidated and reluctant to speak. He said he wants all faculty to be able to express their opinion without fear. He passed out a form to the faculty to allow response to specific questions about the candidates’ qualifications, along with a blank paper for the faculty to vote for their preference or to rank the candidates. There was further discussion about the candidates and their strengths. Dr. Capinera will recommend a candidate to the deans after considering all evaluative material.

Meeting adjourned at 12:00