BUILDING AN INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT RESEARCH
will be included as members of the WT Killgore Research Committee. The primary function of the director will be to lead and manage the research enterprise. Teaching responsibilities will be minimal and will reflect research-related content. SUPPORT OF RESEARCH FACULTY We will review the current appointment process whereby faculty are hired for percentages of research to determine if the assignment accommodates research or if research efforts become overwhelmed by college or school teaching priorities. WT will hire or identify “research faculty” in each college who will focus on conducting research. For these research faculty, WT will provide research support: time, resources, travel funding, library investment, facilities, equipment and the accompanying research production and evaluation expectations. We will develop a faculty research mentorship program that includes mentors from within and outside the researcher’s discipline, including industry research mentors as appropriate. The University will restructure the WT facilities and administration/indirect cost formula for research centers to financially support faculty research, including course reductions, travel funding, research sabbaticals, equipment and supplies.
In higher education, funding resources remain on the decline. 27 It is important to have adequate financial resources for research and its related infrastructure. 28
RESEARCH CENTERS Each WT college or school will have at least one established research center and have identified unique research capabilities and niche areas that have the capacity to serve the Panhandle region. Each center will be recognized through publications and presentations, and, as disciplinary appropriate, will secure grant and sponsored research and fees for local service work. A short- and long-term research and marketing plan for each center will be completed and include input from community/regionally-based advisory committees. Additional measurements could include the number of business and community partnerships established, the number of research hours achieved, the number of research papers published and presented, the number of faculty research sabbaticals awarded, the number of research grants awarded and total grant dollars calculated on an annual basis before and after establishment of each center. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY The University will identify a research director for each WT research center whose responsibility will be to facilitate the operation of the center and represent the center to both internal and external communities. The directors
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