Professors concerned over funding for research awards
University of Iowa faculty members expressed concern about the fate of research scholarship awards during Tuesday's Faculty Council meeting.
The number of Global Scholar Awards and Career Developmental Awards were cut during the economic downturn, and they still aren't up to pre-cutback levels.
Prior to the downturn, 75 to 80 faculty members received these Career Development Awards, also referred to as sabbaticals, each year. Officials cut these by 50 percent in the last academic year for budgeting purposes, said UI Associate Provost Tom Rice.
This year, the Provost's Office lifted the cap on the Career Development Awards, but will continue to postpone any applications for the Global Scholar Awards and Faculty Scholar Awards one more year.
The state Board of Regents, Provost's Office, and several Faculty Senate leaders first met last year and reached an agreement to reduce the number of Career Development Awards being awarded.
The Global Scholar Awards are usually given to two eligible faculty members each year to be used for one semester for three years.
These and the faculty scholarships are awarded to the best researchers because they receive three semesters spaced over three years to devote solely to their research, officials said.
The Career Development Awards provide one semester of paid leave.
The amount granted in these awards wasn't immediately available Tuesday night.
Some faculty disagreed with continuing to postpone the awards.
UI history Professor Jeffrey Cox, a Faculty Council member, said the budget cut is misleading and the move provides no savings.
But while there may not be savings, this allows money to be distributed to more people through the shorter-term awards, Rice said.
The money will be shifted from the Global Research Awards and Faculty Scholarships directly to the Development Awards, he said.
He said the Career Development Awards are a core element in re-establishing the university's research presence.
After the school hit economically hard times, Rice said, he views this process as a "major step forward." This puts the university one step closer to normal research levels that the UI saw prior to the financial crisis, he said.
UI Professor David Drake views the situation as a "tradeoff" to allow more faculty members a chance at research.
It is not a termination of the programs, he said.
Faculty Council President Edwin Dove, an associate professor in biomedical engineering, said officials hope to fully fund all the awards next year.
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