FRAC Proposal 11/21/2025

RESOLUTION: MODIFICATION TO FACULTY RESEARCH AWARDS COMMITTEE (FRAC) STRUCTURE AND TERMS

REVISED: November 24, 2025

Dear Faculty Senate Committee:                                                                             

Please accept this resolution to extend the length of Faculty Research Awards Committee (FRAC) appointment terms and to modify the process in which members of the committee are appointed. To align the committee’s representation with the colleges that house tenure-track faculty (Agriculture, Business, Education and Behavioral Science, Engineering & Computer Science, Liberal Arts and Communication, Nursing and Health Professions, Sciences and Mathematics, and Veterinary Medicine), we propose removing the current Chair’s council position on FRAC and adding the College of Veterinary Medicine. This shift allows for equitable representation so that the committee members can adequately advocate for the proposals from their units.

We also propose establishing staggered, three-year appointment terms to ensure the committee’s sustained experience with the grant-making process. The committee is currently on a two-year appointment rotation at a 1:1 ratio, on average, of first- and second-year appointees. This constant turnover prevents the committee from further streamlining its processes and, hereby, alleviating the learning curve new committee members experience when reviewing proposals. Adding a year to the appointment term would allow for more exposure in this area and serve their own grant-writing experience when they see how others interpret the work of their peers and what makes for a compelling proposal.

This initiative will not only enhance committee members’ readiness for participation on federal agency review panels but also grow the A-State research community’s knowledge base. As we grow institutional capacity for research, extending FRAC committee appointments to three years will support this objective.

Moreover, we propose that FRAC committee member rotations are staggered in a way that allows for two or three new appointees each academic year. This means that five to six of the eight committee members are continuing their term of service when two to three of them have completed it.  An example of this is shown below.

As Faculty Senate meets to confirm committee appointments, we propose implementing a process that allows the deans to provide input for their representatives prior to Senate voting. The Deans understand the research interests of their colleges and can make nominations for FRAC that protect those interests and move research forward in their colleges.

In our proposed model, Faculty Senate approaches the Deans (two to three Deans each year, on rotation) at the beginning of the academic year to request their nominations of research-active faculty for new three-year appointments. These nominations are brought to the next Faculty Senate meeting for confirmation. The Faculty Senate President sends the next rotation of appointees to the Associate Dean of the Library for dissemination to the responsible parties.

Finally, we propose that there is one representative from each college on the committee, for a total of nine committee members.  The Chair will be selected by the committee and must complete at least one year of service on the committee prior to selection. 

In conclusion, we are proposing:

• Restructuring committee membership to remove Chair’s council representation and adding a representative from the College of Veterinary Medicine
• Staggered appointment terms with two - three new appointees each academic year
• Increasing appointment terms from two to three years
• Dean endorsement of college representatives
• Chair selection by the committee

We are seeking Faculty Senate’s endorsement on these changes and a vote to implement this process effective immediately.

Sincerely,

Travis D. Marsico, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Research, Innovation, and Discovery
Executive Director of the Arkansas Biosciences Institute

Vicent Moreno, Ph.D.
Chair, Department of English & Philosophy
Chair, Department of World Languages & Cultures
Chair, Faculty Research Awards Committee, 2024 - 2026