Vermont EPSCoR has succeeded admirably in its goal of fostering the development of research programs within the state to the point where they become competitive in the national funding arena. Strong University research and scholarship programs have additional benefits outside of the research arena. In addition, the indirect cost reimbursements from sponsored research programs directly enhance the academic infrastructure on campus. Barriers to Success Many UVM faculty are frustrated with the lack of time and funding for research and scholarship, and feel the need for development of an academic climate more supportive of scholarship. In addition, the commitment to and success of research programs at UVM varies widely from department to department, partly due to differences in availability of funding, and partly due to cultural or attitudinal differences within the departments.
Financial resources are a dominant concern affecting research and scholarship.
Specific issues include our ability to provide adequate startup funds for new faculty, competitive salaries for faculty, release time for research, and interim research funding for faculty who are temporarily without external support. The presence of a noncompetitive salary structure in some, but not all, units clearly inhibits recruiting and retention of faculty in those units. Other research-oriented concerns include instances of inadequate communication and collaboration across administrative boundaries. Individual faculty members have been successful in forging fruitful collaborations that transcend these boundaries, but there are some cases where effective interdisciplinary cooperation has been inhibited by turf issues between administrative units. Such territorial disputes have proven to be enervating and demoralizing to campus scholars.