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The following notes document the proceedings of the Maxwell Research Administrator Network Monthly Meetings.  Unit administrative staff with proposal development (pre-award) and/or grants management (post-award) responsibilities address together the research-related policies, processes, and best practices for Maxwell. Table of ContentsmaxLevel3minLevel2The following notes document the proceedings of the Maxwell Research Administrator Network Monthly Meetings.  Unit administrative staff with proposal development (pre-award) and/or grants management (post-award) responsibilities address together the research-related policies, processes, and best practices for Maxwell.

MAY 08, 2024 

In attendance: Vanessa Gatmaitan (Dean's Office), Christiane Page (CQMI), Christina Cleason (HIST), Jacquie Meyer (Political Science), Yetunde Hamilton (CEPA), Jackie Wells (Anthropology), Lynnell Cabezas (ASPI), Karen Tavernese (ASI), Ashley DiCarlo (Economics), Jackie Nocevski (Campbell), Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Debbie Toole (Geography), Juanita Horan (Moynihan)

cc: Doris Mahoney (ASI), Tara Slater (PARCC), Peg Austin (CPR), Emily Graham (Lerner)

Round Robin - recent awards and future proposals

• Put large upcoming projects on our radar so we know its coming
• CQMMI may be able to assist with recent awards
• KT - R01 for June sub
  • PI wants to schedule conference at Lubin House in year 5, Tips? Rates? Hotels?
    • CP
      • has conferences there annually
      • room prices have been stable or small increase
      • catering cost was more than 10% inc this year
      • usually work with Park Central - 15 min walk near Central Park - $200/night in Feb - may be amenable to SU rate
  • Falk PI - would like an RA but social work doesn't typically have PhD RA, could they get someone from Sociology?  Falk won't share tuition, tuition will put them over the cap
    • KF - just had a meeting with someone coming from Falk, planning to hire someone from Sociology
    • JH - might be able to get Maxwell to help with tuition
    • JM - had a student from VPA and got charged tuition at VPA rate
• KF - Ying Shi - WT Grant Scholars

Updates

• Appleby-Mosher
  • tracking - did any FAST requests go through? No
• GA letters, stipends
  • Did tables for GAs, summer money, etc come from DO yet? No
  • GA letter meeting with Gabby and Peter - notes from those who attended?
    • New letters came out

• JH
• all letters are semi monthly?  There are still hourly students - not working same hours
• Paying students same rate but work is not necessarily an extension of their research - PhD level work
• KT
• Unless it's strictly admin - have to go through OnBase, have to have letters, have to create a pin
• What do you do if they do some clerical, some research?  Part time?
• JM - No guarantee they are doing the work
• KT - not our responsibility, PI should be monitoring this
• JN - emailed Gabby and seemed to think nothing has changed for hourly
• JH - one award with 8 students - hours varying throughout the year
• KT
• just reached out about a student working on same project but taking two weeks off - had to do two letters and get them signed

• Also appointments can cross fiscal years with one letter

• AD - confirmed with Holly that if strictly admin can be paid hourly and a rate we set
• CC - if it's hourly - we just have to pay at the rate?
• KT - has to be a letter
• What is admin?
  • If doing research, need a letter but can still pay hourly?
• JH - MA level - learning skills
• JW - Editing, transcription
• JH - fringe rate for semi monthly will be different
• DT - job code -

• 7904 - TA
• 7910 - RA

• New hourly rate $30/hr, effective this summer?
  • AY stipend/39(week)s/20(hours/week)=hourly rate
    • $ 23,432/39/20 = $ 30.04102564 (so $30.05)
    • KT -this is just the rate of pay, still need to be paid bi-monthly, also PAIA has a higher rate for AY23-24
    • JM - what about a masters student at TA rate?
      • KT - Yes, use the TA rate for the calculation
    • Only for PhD students - not MPA/MAIR/MSOP/etc?
      • JH, AD - Applies to these as well
    • Ideas for how we can achieve that?
      • Ask sponsor if they can use MS/undergrad/external hires?
      • Work less hours?
      • KT - most projects have residual funds from Covid that can be shifted
    • $35/hr next year
  • Still need to know if we can still set up students as casual temp exempt?

General Discussion Topics

• FCAR
  • Where were they told to spend from?
    • JN - Dean's Office Research Subsidy
    • JW - This year was told to use her own
    • JM - two FCARs - email from July says to use DO account
  • Can they spend from their own accounts?
    • JN - can you create an account
      • VG to ask Julie/Lisa
    • Will they provide the GL detail required for reimbursement? Yes

MARCH 10, 2024 

In attendance: Vanessa Gatmaitan (Dean's Office), Liz Lance (Dean's Office), Christiane Page (CQMI), Christina Cleason (HIST), Jacquie Meyer (Political Science), Yetunde Hamilton (CEPA), Jackie Wells (Anthropology), Lynnell Cabezas (ASPI), Karen Tavernese (ASI), Doris Mahoney (ASI), Tara Slater (PARCC), Ashley DiCarlo (Economics), Jackie Nocevski (Campbell)

...

• ealance@syr.edu, 410A Maxwell Hall, 315.443.4919

Round Robin - recent awards and future proposals

• Put large upcoming projects on our radar so we know they’re coming
• CQMI may be able to assist with recent awards
• Intros to RAs for Liz
• Tara (PARCC)
• Ashley (ECON)
• Debbie (Geo) – Chie and Andre working on NSF submission
• Karen (ASI) - P30 center grant resubmission
• Lynnell (ASPI) – Johannes - CNY Humanities Corridor, NSF recently submitted
• Jackie W (Anthro) – Armstrong - Air force, NSF; DeCourse - NEH
• Jackie N (Campbell) - Shana - Carnegie
• Christina (Hist) - University of Michigan, CNY Humanities Corridor
• Jacquie M (Poli Sci) - Yael – Guggenheim; GA APSA - Dissertation Completion (Georgiev)
• Yetunde (CEPA) – Golden – USDA

...

• Associate Director CQMI, within Moynihan
• Housed in Maxwell
• Wants to help anyone at Maxwell/SU who wants to do collaborative research
  • Spec - Methods - Sub - Data Management Planning
• CQMI can offer DMP, incl pre & post award services
  • NSF is requiring DMP, NIH - DMSP
  • Have worked with other gov't agency, private funders
  • Especially interested on helping on the pre award side
    • Help figure out a DMP that meets the award
  • Will help with DMP throughout the life of the data - teaching, etc
• Free consultations – email qdr@syr.edu
• Qualitative data repository - https://qdr.syr.edu/
• Have worked with IRBs - anonymization, protection
• Do their own research - NSF and private funders
• DT - do you help grad students?
  • Need access to NVIBA, Adobe Cloud, MacCDQ, etc
  • Materials - tape recorders, etc
  • University software cannot be download on personal computers
  • CP -
    • have materials, please reach out
    • there are proprietary issues for software, can help with some licensing
    • CQMI is thinking of a system that is more student friendly
    • Looking into hands on tech to do qualitative research

Updates

• Appleby-Mosher
• JD working on DI access for all admins to AM program code
• Track AM funds unless you have discussed with me a handoff
• Zero out last year's funds in July
• ASI SPA
• Was due April 8th - no applicants
• $2k plus fringe
• Dean’s Office SPA
• Due April 22, Decisions May 6
• $2k
• May apply while other applications pending but can only accept one
• Grad student union agreement
• New stipend rates - Shana would like us to begin using these for next year
• Unclear whether or not fringe rates will change
• VG to update on Answers
• JM - Have received comm from DO - Table for GA, summer money, by each dept, how many assistantships
• AD - Econ sends out letters - can they send new letters? Not per email from Peter/Gabby
• VG - to FUP if updated letters can go out - to have new rates in writing
• JW - in the past has received a stipend form from Julie to submit for May payment - was 4/21 last year - hasn't received yet?
• KT - When does the union agreement go into effect - summer stipend?  Can we pay what was budgeted in grants for summer pay?
• CP - Have been paying what grad school says, splitting by hr - will be looking for two academic year students and probably a couple more - can help if people can't fund their students
• KT - new fringe rates prob released June 30
• CC - Have been told (Carol) pot would be determined 2/9 grad student stipend *16 for summer funding - 16 of the grad student awards - $83,313 - this was for this year - what about increase?  Will pots increase?  Admin letters all went out as unofficial based on this
• New OSP template
• Reminder to pull from website prior to creating a new budget, to ensure you have the most recent copy
• If I find a new one, please send to all of us
• OR Newsletter
  • Until May 19 - 3 page limit on biosketches
• NSF updates summary
• Research computing series - as a reminder please engage with ICT
• DI training video
• Anne Marie Domingue-Kratz from roll out team
• RAN Teams
  • Questions require more detailed information/backstory
  • Avenue for more meaningful/detailed responses
• Holding on this right now since Liz and I are working out the best file sharing system for our projects and info
• General RAN info may be included as a separate channel
• Either way we will have a repository and method for chat
• Wondering if a listserv may also serve another purpose? Yes

General Discussion Topics

• NCURA
• Does anyone know how bulk registration works?
• Hiring grad students
  • ESF students - casual grad assistant - have to choose code that charges FICA for summer - when full time don’t get charged taxes
  • Undergrads
  • During the year - enter in ONbase
• Contracts?
• Hourly?
• When/how to use each?
• Tracking use of funds?
• DT - uses equation from Mary Pat - based on total and rate and fringe - hourly, time clock
• KT - uses casual exempt temp contract - pay system
• JM - full time students not charged fringe
• KT - NIH - any proposal submitted Jan 25 - common form for CV and C&P
• Liz added more about form H, form I
• ScienCV will be required the way it is for NSF
• LL - Review criteria will also be changing in Jan - faculty will need more help on technical pieces while they address that

...

• Appleby-Mosher
  • Should be tracking balances and zeroing out 22-23 funds by end of June
  • 23-24 funds available now and I am available to assist with administering for faculty supported by dept admins
  • We will be asking for a final report of how the funds were spent
  • For now all can ask me for any AM DataInsights reports that are needed
  • Julie is working on transfer of funds for centers/institute admins - feasibility of creating a new chart string
  • already using AM funds from this year from fund 11 - can JTE (PA - move to personal notes)
• Roscoe Martin
  • Checks going out once approvals received or confirmation of no approvals
  • If used for summer specific purposes, this does disqualify GAs from Grad School pre-dissertation/dissertation summer fellowship funding
• Maxwell DO Summer Project Assistantships
  • CFP late March - early April - deadline will be mid April - after ASI awarded
• If a faculty member gets internal funding, shouldn't it go to research subsidy? (DT)
  • Employees should not get a personal check
  • RAP can be submitted for faculty teaching engagements - ASPI Grad Seminar
• Some funds need to go into research subsidy - that is why there may be different mycodes for different projects?

General Discussion Topics

• Put large upcoming projects on our radar so we know it's coming
  • Approvals
  • Connecting people - e.g. Matt Frew
• NCURA Region II 2024 Regional Meeting will be held at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA, from November 10-13, 2024
  • Full Annual meeting in August - universities and colleges only so very helpful - bigger picture - NIH/NSF do their own sessions (always full)
  • Right before some NSF deadlines in Mid-August - let faculty know
  • Regional smaller - may not be as many pertinent sessions - more intimate - good for networking
  • SRA - May
• InfoReady Training Webinar - Awards and Progress Reports - March 19 1-2pm
• Future RAN Meetings
  • Monthly? yes
  • Hybrid? yes
  • Wed 1pm - first Wednesday
  • Agenda - upcoming deadlines, ERS tricks and tips, other tips/tricks, fringe rate changes
• RAN Teams? YES
  • General chat channel for questions/ideas/info between meetings? Purely task-oriented questions
  • Shared OneNote notebook for meeting minutes (also posted on answers)? No interest
  • Repository for shared files? Yes
  • Max Research Admin Contact list? Yes
  • Scheduled meetings and repository for chats/recordings? Yes
• RAN Meeting notes
  • All on one page with expand macros on answers page? May be ideal for searching all min - yes keep as they are
  • One file for each meeting? Word?  PDF?  May be easier to navigate between days/save?  No
• Process Capture
  • Teams/OneDrive repository? Answers? Yes
  • I could use the information on how to do things?
  • Curious if people are doing things differently and what I can learn from that?
  • Development of best practices?
  • Update of changes?
  • I could email in advance for agenda items - or these could be added to a shared OneNote notebook

...

• Applications for grants from the Appleby-Mosher Fund for Faculty Research and the Roscoe Martin Fund for Dissertation and Thesis Research were due 12/4. Funding decisions will be announced in late December or early January. 

• The Appleby-Mosher Fund provides grants of up to $2,000 (increased this year from $1,500 in past years) to full-time faculty members in the Maxwell School for research-related expenses.
• The Roscoe Martin Fund provides grants for expenses related to dissertation and thesis research. Graduate students in the Maxwell School are eligible to apply for awards up to $1,500 (increased this year from $1,200 in past years). 

• The application deadline for both programs is Monday, December 4. For more information, including the CFPs, please see the following Answers pages: Appleby-Mosher Fund for Faculty Research and Roscoe Martin Fund for Dissertation and Thesis Research

Office of Research/Maxwell Research Office Updates

• Contact Shana Gadarian with questions concerning research administration (pre-award and post-award) and the Office of Research Development at resdev@syr.edu with questions concerning research development support. 

...

• A Call for Proposals for the Appleby-Mosher Fund for Faculty Research and the Roscoe Martin Fund for Dissertation and Thesis Research went out on last week to Maxwell faculty and graduate students, respectively. 

• The Appleby-Mosher Fund provides grants of up to $2,000 (increased this year from $1,500 in past years) to full-time faculty members in the Maxwell School for research-related expenses.
• The Roscoe Martin Fund provides grants for expenses related to dissertation and thesis research. Graduate students in the Maxwell School are eligible to apply for awards up to $1,500 (increased this year from $1,200 in past years). 

• The application deadline for both programs is Monday, December 4. For more information, including the CFPs, please see the following Answers pages: Appleby-Mosher Fund for Faculty Research and Roscoe Martin Fund for Dissertation and Thesis Research

Maxwell Faculty Research MyCodes

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Maxwell Research Support Overview on Answers

https://answerssu-jsm.syratlassian.edunet/wiki/x/gAllCuYWVCQ

• This brief guide is intended for new faculty and as a quick reference for all  faculty researchers and research support staff. 

SU Office of Research Development

• The Office of Research Development is responsible for supporting Syracuse University’s proposal, research and faculty development efforts. This includes facilitating team-based collaboration around strategic funding opportunities and managing the University’s internal funding competitions, including both seed grant programs and externally funded limited submissions.

RD and RA Org Chart Changes 

• Please contact Jill should you (or your faculty) have questions about Maxwell Research Support. 

JUNE 27, 2023

In attendance:  Lynnell Cabezas (ASPI), Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office),  Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Yetunde Hamilton (CEPA), Heather Macknik (PAIA),  Doris Mahoney (ASI),  Jacquie Meyer (Political Science),  Jackie Nocevski (Campbell),  Karen Tavernese (ASI), Jackie Wells (ANT)

...

Please continue to share about the RA professional development in which you participate; see here for a curated listing. 

Cross-School/College Collaborations

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Maxwell GA Pay Rate AY23-24

• See Maxwell Research Policies under the heading "Graduate Student Compensation." 

...

New NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy Effective Jan. 25, 2023

• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released a new policy for data management and sharing that applies to all research funded or conducted in whole or in part by NIH that results in the generation of scientific data. The Syracuse University Libraries and Office of Research have developed Syracuse University guidance to aid researchers on adhering to the new policies. 
• Please share this important information with your faculty, as appropriate. 

New NSF Proposals & Awards Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 23-1) Effective Jan. 30, 2023

• In October 2022, NSF issued a revised version of theProposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 23-1). The new PAPPG is effective for proposals submitted or due on or after January 30, 2023. 
• See here for NSF's Summary of Changes: https://beta.nsf.gov/policies/pappg/23-1/summary-changes
• Reminder: Related Maxwell Research resources on Answers: Proposal Development Resources for Faculty Research → NSF Application Toolkit → NSF Standard Grant Proposal Outline

Requests to Waive Indirect Cost Recovery 

• See here for current policies and procedures, under "Fringe Benefits and Facilities and Administrative Costs."
• Note that the terms "indirect costs," "facilities and administrative costs," "F&A," and "overhead" are interchangeable.  

...

• Award notices for Appleby-Mosher funding for faculty research and Roscoe Martin funding for graduate-student research have been issued. 
• There are no programmatic changes from last year. Requests for extensions to spend funds are reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis.
• In addition, the Dean’s Office will support two additional emerging projects as part of the Tenth Decade Project. 

Contracts versus Grants

...

• The Maxwell School policy is here: Faculty Course Buyouts
• In the OSP Budget Template, 12.5% of institutional base salary (i.e., the cost of a first buyout) is equal to 1.0625 academic months.   
• The PI should seek prior approval by email from their department chair to include a course buyout(s) in a grant budget.
• When routing the Internal Routing and Review (IRR) form, the departmental research administrator should include the chair's email as an attachment (along with the OSP budget template, the sponsor's budget form, the budget justification, and the project summary).  

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10a. To update an appointment by moving a portion of salary to the sponsored account, enter a chartstring change request.

For committed effort, use the award’s chartstring for allocated costs. For cost sharing or voluntarily committed effort, use an institutional chart string, adding the award’s “project tail” (i.e., project, activity, and budget reference numbers).

*From the Administrator New Award Checklist (Maxwell RAN resource on Answers)  

...

• SciENcv for NSF proposals
  • Note: The mandate to use SciENcv only for preparation of the biographical sketch  and the Current and Pending (Other) Support information will go into effect for new proposals submitted or due on or after October 23, 2023. In the interim, proposers may continue to prepare and submit this document via use of SciENcv or the NSF fillable PDF. NSF, however, encourages the community to use SciENcv prior to the October 2023 implementation (NSF 23-1).
• Issuing subawards
  • In the meantime, see here.

OCTOBER 25, 2022

In attendance:  Lynnell Cabezas (ASPI), Yetunde Dozier (CEPA), Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office),   Heather Macknik (PAIA),  Jacquie Meyer (Political Science),  Jackie Nocevski (Campbell), Tara Slater (PARCC),  Karen Tavernese (ASI), Debbie Toole (Geography), Jackie Wells (ANT)

...

• A Call for Proposals for the Appleby-Mosher Fund for Faculty Research and the Roscoe Martin Fund for Dissertation and Thesis Research went out on October 17 to Maxwell faculty and graduate students, respectively. The Maxwell Dean’s Office makes this funding available annually to support ongoing and emerging research across the School. The application deadline for both programs is Monday, November 21. For more information, including the CFPs, please see the following Answers pages: Appleby-Mosher Fund for Faculty Research and Roscoe Martin Fund for Dissertation and Thesis Research

New Resource: Grant Application Workflow

• Located at Maxwell Research Home → Proposal Development Resources (Faculty) → Grant Application Workflow

SEPTEMBER 27, 2022

In attendance:  Peg Austin (CPR), Lynnell Cabezas (ASPI), Yetunde Dozier (CEPA), Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office),  Kathy Forrest (ASI),  Jackie Nocevski (Campbell), Karen Tavernese (ASI), Debbie Toole (Geography), Jackie Wells (ANT)

...

New Answers Page: Boilerplate Language for Grant Applications

• Maxwell Research Home → Proposal Development Resources → Boilerplate Language for Grant Applications
• In an effort to keep this page current and useful, please send Jill updated or additional language as you encounter or develop it for proposals within your units. 
• Over time, we plan to build a password-protected library of successful grant applications, by permission of the PI(s), to be shared on a limited basis. 

...

Maxwell Research Support Overview on Answers

https://answerssu-jsm.syratlassian.edunet/wiki/x/gAllCuYWVCQ

• This brief guide is intended for new faculty and as a quick reference for all  faculty researchers and research support staff. 

...

• The recording and slides are now available on the Office of Research Trainings web page.
• Contact Cathy Hayduke or Toni Besaw in the Office of Sponsored Accounting (OSA) with questions or to request/endorse enhancements to the SAMtool.
• OSA will continue to use PeopleSoft following the implementation of Cayuse in OSP and the Office of Research Integrity and Protections (ORIP). Cayuse will feed into PeopleSoft, which will alleviate the current manual-entry process for setting up new awards. 
• Reminder for Maxwell RAs: Offering a SAMtool walkthrough with a new award's PI is part of our Administrator New Award Checklist. 

Onboarding for New Staff with Research-related Responsibilities 

...

• The Office of Research has begun implementation of  Cayuse as the University's new information management system for sponsored projects, including pre-award, post-award, and research compliance (human subjects protections/IRB, animal research/IACUC, etc.). 
• First priority is bringing the Institutional Review Board (IRB)-related processes into the system; currently those processes are paper-based.  
• The timeline for full implementation has not been announced. 

Reminder: Maxwell Administrator New Award Checklist on Answers

• The Administrator New Award Checklist is an internal resource to aid Maxwell administrators at the start-up of a sponsored project. In using the checklist, the administrator will: (1) review the award information to ensure accuracy, (2) discuss award set-up and management with the Principal Investigator (PI), (3) confirm all compliance requirements are met, (4) ensure all needed project accounts are established, and (5) ensure expenses are appropriately allocated and documented.

...

• The request for proposals (RFP) will be posted here and emailed to all faculty in the next few days, with applications due in late April.

...

Maxwell GA Pay Rate FY22-23

• See Maxwell Research Policies under the heading "Graduate Student Compensation." 

...

Consulting Agreements

Per the Administrator New Award Checklist, under Non-SU Collaborators:  

• For projects with one or more consultants, complete required documentation (non-SU personnel worksheet, consultant agreement, third party engagement form) and submit to OSP.

...

New Rebudgeting Spreadsheet from OSP

• When required, complete the Sponsor Required Budget Revision Form and submit it to Caroline McMullin (Maxwell's OSP RA) for review. Caroline will then work with program staff and other offices as necessary on the revision and submission of budget modification to the sponsor. https://sponsoredprograms.syr.edu/awards/manage-awards/post-award-management/post-award-modifications/rebudgeting/

Reminder: Maxwell Administrator New Award Checklist on Answers

• The Administrator New Award Checklist is an internal resource to aid Maxwell administrators at the start-up of a sponsored project. In using the checklist, the administrator will: (1) review the award information to ensure accuracy, (2) discuss award set-up and management with the Principal Investigator (PI), (3) confirm all compliance requirements are met, (4) ensure all needed project accounts are established, and (5) ensure expenses are appropriately allocated and documented.

...

Internal Funding Programs 

• Dean's Office Summer Project Assistantships
• Appleby-Mosher Fund for Faculty Research 
• Roscoe Martin Fund for Dissertation and Thesis Research
• Tenth Decade Project
• CUSE Grants

MARCH 24, 2021

...

Applications due April 21. RFP sent via email to all Maxwell faculty on March 17 and posted here. 

PD in RA: Building Budgets and Post-award Grants Management

1. Reminder about upcoming Office of Research sessions:
   
   April 28 - Building Strong Proposal Budgets
   
   May 5 -  Managing Your Sponsored Funding
   
   
2. Please continue to share about the RA professional development in which you participate; see here for a curated listing. 

Reminder: Additional Approval Requirements Still in Effect for Research during the Pandemic 

...

From August 2020 meeting: 

• Per Maxwell Research Policies, budgets that include voluntary cost share require discussion and approval early in project planning and budget development—that is, well before the IRR routes for signatures. Examples include: 

  • F&A, either waived or return to the project 
  • Tuition remission for one or more graduate students (if an allowable cost on the grant)  

  In such cases, please send an initial draft of the internal budget to Jill Ferguson for review; as needed, Jill with consult with Andrew for pre-approval of the budget. 

  In general, voluntary cost share should be a rare exception. As such, in most cases, budgets will not require pre-approval ahead of the IRR. 

  Please including supporting documentation and/or a note in the IRR routing email for situations such as the following:     

  • The budget does not include full F&A recovery; however, the sponsor has a published policy, making the lower rate acceptable per University policy. 
  • The budget includes funds for a full-time graduate student(s) but does not include tuition remission; however, the sponsor has published policy that tuition remission is an unallowable cost or the PI has confirmed that the project requires an advanced student who has completed all coursework (ABD). 
  • The budget includes funds for a course buyout, which the academic chair has approved. 

...

Per an email from Holly Johnson on 2/19/21, the Maxwell Research Policies are updated as follows: For the 2021-22 academic year (AY), rates for a full AY (fall and spring) 20-hour graduate assistant (GA) are $22,000 for PhD students and $17,000 for MA students, with 24 credit hours of tuition. For a 10-hour GA for the full academic year or a 20-hour GA for one semester, calculate rates and credit hours by half. For a 10-hour GA for one semester, calculate rates and credit hours by one-fourth. To budget for out-years, increase rates by 3%.

...

JANUARY 26, 2021

In attendance:   Peg Austin (CPR),  Karen Cimilluca (ASI),  Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Kathy Forrest (ASI),  Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Heather Macknik (PAIA),  Jacquie Meyer (Political Science), Jackie Nocevski (Campbell), Debbie Toole (Geography), Roxanne Tupper (PARCC)

cc:  Alexandra Punch (Lerner), Amy Schmidt (CCE),  Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI)

New Campus-level Grants Trainings and Workshops for Spring Semester

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From August 2020 meeting: 

• Per Maxwell Research Policies, budgets that include voluntary cost share require discussion and approval early in project planning and budget development—that is, well before the IRR routes for signatures. Examples include: 

  • F&A, either waived or return to the project 
  • Tuition remission for one or more graduate students (if an allowable cost on the grant)  

  In such cases, please send an initial draft of the internal budget to Jill Ferguson for review; as needed, Jill with consult with Andrew for pre-approval of the budget. 

  In general, voluntary cost share should be a rare exception. As such, in most cases, budgets will not require pre-approval ahead of the IRR. 

  Please including supporting documentation and/or a note in the IRR routing email for situations such as the following:     

  • The budget does not include full F&A recovery; however, the sponsor has a published policy, making the lower rate acceptable per University policy. 
  • The budget includes funds for a full-time graduate student(s) but does not include tuition remission; however, the sponsor has published policy that tuition remission is an unallowable cost or the PI has confirmed that the project requires an advanced student who has completed all coursework (ABD). 
  • The budget includes funds for a course buyout, which the academic chair has approved. 

...

NOVEMBER 24, 2020

In attendance:   Peg Austin (CPR),  Karen Cimilluca (ASI),  Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Kathy Forrest (ASI),  Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Heather Macknik (PAIA),  Jacquie Meyer (Political Science), Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI)

cc:   Jackie Nocevski (Campbell), Alexandra Punch (Lerner), Debbie Toole (Geography), Amy Schmidt (CCE), Roxanne Tupper (PARCC)

University Travel Policy: High-Risk Destinations

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OCTOBER 27, 2020

In attendance:   Peg Austin (CPR),  Karen Cimilluca (ASI),  Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Kathy Forrest (ASI),  Heather Macknik (PAIA),  Jacquie Meyer (Political Science), Jackie Nocevski (Campbell)

cc:  Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Alexandra Punch (Lerner), Debbie Toole (Geography), Amy Schmidt (CCE), Roxanne Tupper (PARCC), Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI)

Essential Travel  

University-sponsored travel must be approved by the relevant chair, associate dean for research and the interim vice president for research.

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• Submit an application for Approval for Essential Research Travel, allowing at least 5 business days for such approvals. Deans (or dean’s designees) will make a recommendation as to the essential nature of the travel request and forward that recommendation to the interim vice president for research. The VPR will make the final determination and notify both the traveler and the dean or department chair making the request.
• For research outside of the Syracuse area, including international travel: If the location's current public-safety requirements are less restrictive, the researcher must follow NYS requirements. It is up to the researcher to find out what the requirements/restrictions are.

FY 2020 Research Expenditures, Awards, and Proposal 

The Office of Research will post its FY 2020 Annual Report here in the coming weeks. 

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SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

In attendance:   Karen Cimilluca (ASI),  Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Kathy Forrest (ASI), Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Heather Macknik (PAIA),  Jacquie Meyer (Political Science), Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI)

cc:  Peg Austin (CPR),  Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Jackie Nocevski (Campbell), Alexandra Punch (Lerner), Debbie Toole (Geography), Amy Schmidt (CCE), Roxanne Tupper (PARCC)

Resuming Face-to-Face Human Participant Research 

• Effective August 31, 2020, research involving human participants that was halted by the COVID-19 emergency may resume and new human participant research may begin (see Resuming Face-to-Face Human Participant Research). Any human participant research being conducted in person requires the submission and approval of a Return to Face-to-Face Research Plan prior to the conduct of in-person research. 
• For the latest on the research guidance for the university’s phased re-opening see the Return to Campus Research Guidance web page.
  

National Listing of Institutional and Agency Responses to COVID-19 and Additional Resources

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There really aren’t any guidelines for when to hire since so much depends on the particular needs of the faculty.  Part of what also plays into the timing, especially on the full GAs is who they are looking for.  Do they want a newly recruited student (if so, they should be working with their home department in that case) or do they need an ABD student who won’t need tuition? For the latter, it probably makes more sense to start looking after April 15^th when most incoming students/GAs will be solidified and departments should have a good idea what their needs for the department will be for the fall.  If they want a new student, then they should be working with their home department earlier in the spring/late winter depending on the admissions cycle.  All that said, I think April 1^st is a little early for having fall GA letters out, at least for returning students.  I don’t usually even start sending letters for returning students until after April 15^th. I think May 1^st for fall assistantships sounds reasonable.  For summer, I actually think May is a little late, especially if they are going to be working right after classes end in early May. 

 Also, it’s more typical for faculty to hire RAs for a full academic year.  We get some that are fall/spring, but they are less common.  Especially for students who would still be funded by their home department otherwise, it makes things a lot easier to do full academic years and not splitting whenever possible.  I think it’s easier for the faculty as well, although of course it depends on their funding situation.  In the case where they are splitting and need a spring-only GA, they probably are going to want to get this nailed down at the same time as the fall assistantships.  It’s really going to depend on what students are available and meet their needs.

Standing Invitation for Peer Demos 

• Results from 2019 member survey showed interest in the following topics (with # of “interested” votes):  

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AUGUST 25, 2020

In attendance: Peg Austin (CPR),  Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Kathy Forrest (ASI), Heather Macknik (PAIA), Jackie Nocevski (Campbell), Jacquie Meyer (Political Science)

cc:  Karen Cimilluca (ASI),  Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Alexandra Punch (Lerner), Debbie Toole (Geography), Amy Schmidt (CCE), Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI), Roxanne Tupper (PARCC)

Grant Proposal Budgets and IRRs

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B. Clarification/New Process: Per Maxwell Research Policies, budgets that include voluntary cost share require discussion and approval early in project planning and budget development—that is, well before the IRR routes for signatures. Examples include: 

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JULY 28, 2020

In attendance: Peg Austin (CPR), Karen Cimilluca (ASI), Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Kathy Forrest (ASI), Heather Macknik (PAIA), Jackie Nocevski (Campbell), Roxanne Tupper (PARCC)

cc:  Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Jacquie Meyer (Political Science),  Alexandra Punch (Lerner), Debbie Toole (Geography), Amy Schmidt (CCE), Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI)

Tenth Decade Project Special Call for Proposals 

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Faculty and Staff Resources 

Finding Funding 

New! Funding Opportunities

Proposal Development Resources 

Proposal Library (Open Grants)   

NSF Application Toolkit

Grants Administration 

Administrator New Award Checklist 

Maxwell Research Administrators Monthly Meeting Notes  

Professional Development Opportunities in Research Administration 

Research

About 

New! Maxwell Research Policies 

Maxwell Internal Grant Programs 

New! Tenth Decade Project

Entering Payroll

• Open discussion on processes (and preemptive workarounds) for entering payroll for summer salary, course buyouts, etc. Please continue to bring questions, tips, and tricks to the group. 

JUNE 23, 2020

In attendance: Peg Austin (CPR), Karen Cimilluca (ASI), Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Kathy Forrest (ASI), Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Heather Macknik (PAIA), Jacquie Meyer (Political Science),  Jackie Nocevski (Campbell), Roxanne Tupper (PARCC)

cc:  Alexandra Punch (Lerner), Debbie Toole (Geography), Amy Schmidt (CCE), Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI)

Chartstring Changes Crossing Fiscal Years  

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NSF Application Toolkit: Standard Application Guidelines

• Link to Answers page: https://answerssu-jsm.syratlassian.edunet/wiki/x/UddDBgRYiVCQ

• As of today, later sections are still under construction; however, sections through "Current and Pending Support” should prove useful now. 

• The Biographical Sketch section and Current and Pending Support section address the significant changes to the requirements for these documents as of the current PAPPG (NSF 20-1); see 2/25/20 meeting  notes below. 
• Active Funding Opportunities at the National Science Foundation (NSF): Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE), including:  
  • Biological Anthropology (July 20, 2020)
  • Law and Science (August 3, 2020)
  • Cultural Anthropology (August 17, 2020)
  • Security and Preparedness (August 17, 2020)
  • Accountable Institutions and Behavior (August 17, 2020)
  • Sociology (August 17, 2020)
  • Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences (August 18, 2020)
  • Economics (August 18, 2020)
  • Decision, Risk and Management Sciences (August 18, 2020)

MAY 26, 2020

In attendance: Peg Austin (CPR), Jill Ferguson (Dean’s Office), Katrina Fiacchi (CPR), Kathy Forrest (ASI), Heather Macknik (PAIA), Jacquie Meyer (Political Science),  Roxanne Tupper (PARCC)

cc: Juanita Horan (Moynihan), Alexandra Punch (Lerner), Debbie Toole (Geography), Amy Schmidt (CCE), Anthony Terrinoni (ASPI), Karen Cimilluca (ASI), Jackie Nocevski (Campbell)

Reminder: University's Fiscal 2020 Year-End Accounting Closing Procedures and Dates

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• La’retta Castro’s last day with the Aging Studies Institute (ASI) was December 21. The job listing for the Assistant Director position can be found here: https://www.sujobopps.com/postings/83463

• Sunju Raybeck’s last day with the Campbell Institute of Global Affairs was January 28. The job listing for the Administrative Assistant (S4) position can be found here: https://www.sujobopps.com/postings/83525

Policy Review: Special Considerations for Graduate Assistants – Fringe Benefits and Tuition

 https://sponsoredprograms.syr.edu/develop-and-submit-proposals/the-specifics/budget-development/preparing-your-budget/personnel-compensation/fringe-benefits/ 

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