Whereas the University’s research mission has become increasingly important in today’s environment of rapid change and unpredictability,
Whereas the pressures of global competition add to the urgency to improve the effectiveness of the University’s research mission,
Whereas the proportion of faculty positions in US universities that have active research roles has decreased from 57% in 1975 to 35% in 2003[1],
Whereas increasing demands for accountability in the teaching missions of the University have drawn effort away from the development of scholarship,
Whereas the economic and cultural well being of the state of North Carolina depends crucially upon the health and growth of the University’s research and creative enterprise,
Be it resolved that The University of North Carolina conduct a competitive analysis of the University’s ability to attract and continue to develop excellent faculty, including but not limited to
- Policies that govern the funding and support of graduate students who assist faculty research
- Staffing strategies to support an appropriate mix of teaching loads and research expectations of faculty
- Policies that define reassigned time and research leaves for faculty
Funding levels and budgeting procedures to support faculty in the development of their research abilities (e.g., reassigned time, academic conferences and workshops, research tools)
[1] “Trends in Faculty Status” by John W. Curtis, AAUP Director of Research, 26 May 2005.
Unanimously adopted by the UNC Faculty Assembly, April 2006.