This can be addressed by the RGS staff person recommended above, both at the time of proposal preparation and again, when the grant is funded. The personnel process. As noted, this is best addressed by the chair's letter, in consultation with the faculty member involved and experts in the field. B. Staff concerns. There are issues related to staff security of employment that emerge when a grant ends and there is no continuing support for those hired to work on the project.
Morale can be low when staff are uncertain about their futures.
Departments and deans should be apprised of the need to identify new positions for such staff or to assist them in their efforts to identify new positions well in advance of the termination of the grant so that they can be proactive if positions appear for which the impacted staff are qualified. The Task Force requests that this report be distributed widely to faculty and suggests a website posting with solicitation for input and questions with a closing date during the Fall quarter, contingent upon the date of release of the report. In addition, we request that the administration respond to this report at the end of the coming academic year, and annually in subsequent years, providing an update on progress in the areas identified as well as the level of multidisciplinary research and its support on the campus. Finally, throughout our discussions the issue of multidisciplinary education arose numerous times. We recognize that there are unique problems associated with training students across disciplines administratively, financially and, most importantly, in course and examination requirements for these students.