The Research Advisory Committee (RAC) was established by the Research Strategic Plan of 2003 as a way to advise the Dean of the School of Medicine on matters related to research, and it now also advises the Vice Chancellor for Research. The committee meets monthly.
RAC has recommended in the past that a center for stem-cell biology and regenerative medicine should be established and that a campus child-care facility should be constructed as a means of retaining research faculty—and as the right thing to do. The RAC selected the six proposals to be presented at the research retreat of 2009 and collated faculty reviews submitted at the conclusion of the retreat, which was the basis for funding decisions.
RAC deliberations over this past year included prioritization for Dean Reilly of opportunities to strengthen research, including restructured management of research space and core facilities, urged active representation of the research enterprise at the highest level of Dean Reilly’s administrative team, considered how best to cooperate with the new Office of Advancement to promote philanthropic support of research, and represented faculty researchers in concerns related to matters such as PhD faculty salaries and placement of a new building in the research quadrangle.
Eric Clambey, PhD – Committee Chair