As set forth in the Administrative Policies and Procedures Concerning Organized Research Units, all MRUs must be reviewed every five years or less. Five-year reviews of MRUs help ensure that the research being conducted or sponsored by the MRU is of the highest possible quality and that University resources are being allocated wisely and in line with University priorities. Five-year reviews are conducted by an ad hoc Quinquennial Review Committee, established by the Vice Provost for Research, whose membership is drawn from UC faculty and scholars outside UC. To begin their work, five-year review committees should be provided with a report from the Director of the MRU describing the unit's funding, activities, accomplishments, and unique value to the University.

The Director's Report should contain detailed information on specific aspects of the MRU for the preceding five years. A complete and informative Director's Report enables the Review Committee to conduct a quality review and do so without delays caused by the need to gather missing information. The following guidelines describe the essential features of the Director's report, as well as a checklist of these features for convenience in preparing the report. The body of the Report should not exceed 20 single-spaced pages, not including appendices.

The Director's report is the backbone of a timely and meaningful review. The following topic areas should be covered.

I. Mission. A concise statement should describe the history of the MRU, its mission, scope, and relationship with academic departments on the campuses. Has the mission or scope changed? If so, these changes should be explained in detail.

II. Budget. For each of the preceding five years, complete budgetary and expenditure data by fund source should be provided. All permanent and temporary funding provided from UC sources should be identified, as well as types and amounts of extramural funding for grants and contracts that are administered by the unit. Extramural funding should be listed as direct cost funding and associated overhead amounts, along with any further detail that will assist the review process. Multi-year awards should be displayed to show the individual fiscal year data. The use of UC-provided funds should be characterized by appropriate categories, for example: administration, staff salaries, supplies and expenses, and grants/awards made by the unit to other UC individuals/entities. Significant detail should be provided to make clear the exact expenditure of funds within these and any other appropriate categories of expenditures.

III. Evidence of accomplishment. For the preceding five years, provide evidence that the MRU has been successful in meeting its stated mission and goals. Information to be provided should include:

A. Research:

1. Describe the quality and significance of research accomplished and in progress.

2. Indicate the quality of the professional staff as evidenced, for example, by awards, honors, and presentations at national and international scholarly conferences.

3. List publications issued by the unit, including reports and reprints under its own covers as well as published material. Literature citations of published work should include title of work, departmental affiliations of co-authors, and journal reference. Significant publications in progress should be included as well as doctoral dissertations of graduate students.

4. Explain why the unit constitutes a unique UC research resource and why the goals and objectives of the unit cannot be accomplished within an existing departmental or other structure.

5. Describe the MRU's recognition beyond UC.

B. Undergraduate and graduate education:

1. Describe the degree to which undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students participate in the unit through assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, or otherwise are involved in the work of the unit, including paid employment and graduate student research activities.

2. What are the direct or indirect contributions of the unit to graduate and undergraduate teaching programs of academic departments of the University?

C. Public service:

1. Provide a concise description of the unit's contributions in the form of lectures, tours, visiting groups, conferences, etc. within the community, state, and nation, as well as services to the University community.

2. If appropriate, outline the interactions of the unit with other similar units or research centers at UC or at other institutions. Other services to the community, state, and nation, such as distribution of research information of policy significance and recognition by non-University groups or governmental agencies, should also be described.

3. Has there been direct, tangible impact by the activities of the unit on the public at large?

IV. Administration and governance. The administrative structure and functioning of the unit should be fully described, including campus location and reporting lines. In addition, the following topics should be addressed:

A. Resources: Provide a 5-year summary of the space, physical facilities, and other resources funded from intramural and extramural sources.

B. Personnel: List the number of full-time academic staff with fractional appointment in academic departments, faculty with part-time appointments in the unit, and state the degree to which they participate in teaching programs of academic departments. List al support staff and for each, percent FTE and sources of support.

C. Contract and grant administration: To what extent are the grants/contracts of participating or affiliated faculty members administered by the MRU? Does the unit have the staff expertise to assist with the preparation of proposals and award administration? If participating faculty members prefer to have grants/contracts administered through their home departments, are the reasons for this preference known? Conversely, if participants prefer to use the MRU as the unit of record for grants/contracts, what are the reasons for this choice? Are infrastructure services to research projects adequate?

V. Advisory Committee: Describe the unit's advisory and/or governance committee or committees. What are their roles, how often do they meet, and how well do they function?

VI. Problems and needs: Are there constraints which prevent the unit from being maximally effective? For example, if more space is needed, describe the needs of the unit and how they might be better met with additional or new space. Describe other resources that are needed by the unit (e.g. capital equipment). Is administrative compensation adequate? Are staff FTE needed and, if provided, what benefits to the MRU and UC would accrue?

VII Comparison with other units. The report should describe the work of the MRU in comparison with other similar units at UC. It should make clear the unique contributions to the field that the unit makes which distinguish it from the other units. The report should also provide a rationale for the continuation of the unit as a separate entity.

VIII. Projections for next five years. Although new directions in research or changes in the emphases the MRU places on its array of programs and activities may be evident in the information assembled in other sections of the Director's Report, new directions for the MRU as well as other changes planned for the MRU which are substantive in nature should be at least briefly summarized here.

IX. Annual Reports for the preceding five years should be appended to the Director's Report. (Although some of the information in the Director's Report may also appear in the Annual Report, the level of detail requested in the Director's Report is greater than that typically contained in annual reports. For the purpose of five-year reviews, therefore, annual reports are not considered equivalent to directors' reports.)

X. Advisory Committee Letter. A letter should be appended from the chair of the unit's advisory committee or board, stating the committee's opinion of the report.

CHECKLIST FOR DIRECTOR'S REPORT

I. Mission of the Unit

II. Budgetary Information

III. Evidence of Accomplishment

A. Research

 

B. Undergraduate and Graduate Education

 

C. Public Service

IV. Administration and Governance

A. Resources

 

B. Staffing

 

C. Contract and Grant Administration

V. Advisory Committee

VI. Problems and Needs

VII. Comparison with Other Units

VIII. Projections for Next Five Years (optional)

IX. Annual Reports for Preceding Five Years

X. Advisory Committee Letter