Present:

Abboud, Bounds, Cummins, Folsom, Hesli, Hichwa, Kirby, Knosp, Leddy, Malanson, Stuart, and Vigmostad

 IT Strategic Plan​

Steve Flaegle, Director of ITS, discussed the IT Strategic Plan that has been created.  Flaegle encouraged members of the Research Council to review the document and provide feedback, since Goal #2 specifically addresses IT support for research.  Goal #2 states, Support the evolving research IT needs of the campus. Strategies identified to accomplish this goal include:

1. building an e-research community;
2. promoting the integration of research with teaching and learning;
3. enhancing existing services to better meet the day-to-day IT needs of researchers;
4. developing cyberinfrastructure and services to address the extra-ordinary needs of researchers;
5. implementing data management infrastructures; and
6. supporting technology that facilitates inter-institutional, multi- and inter-disciplinary collaborative research.  

The link to the plan is located at http://cio.uiowa.edu/strategicplan/index.shtml.

U​I Presidential Search 

Ed Folsom, Sarah Vigmostad and Cheryl Reardon (members of the UI Search Committee) provided an update on the UI Presidential Search and solicited feedback from the committee.  Research council members offered the following comments:

• Candidates need to understand the importance of how research is integrated into other aspects of the university (i.e. teaching).
• It is important that the candidate have wide-ranging experiences.
• Search Committee will need to actively seek out and recruit candidates based on the media accounts from the last search.
• The ideal candidate would have first hand experience as a researcher.
• The person will need to have the background and credentials to have credibility among faculty and staff.
• The person would understand the multi-disciplinary nature of the research environment.   In addition, they need to understand that research is a large part of the University.  It is one area that we can grow (recruitment and retention). 
• Able to keep a balanced approach and has integrity.

Research Council overwhelmingly felt that campus visits were important, as it has become a part of the campus culture. 

The Research Council reviewed and approved the minutes from the March 6, 2007 Research Council Meeting.

Research Council Membership​

Johna Leddy continued the discussion about Research Council Membership.  Over the last month, Johna Leddy and Michael Mackey worked on the recommendations submitted at the last meeting and slightly modified the draft document.  The council also reviewed the first draft of the revision to the Operations Manual 2.8 (19) Research Council Charter.  The Research Council reviewed and approved the changes to the document.  The next step is to forward recommendations to Meredith Hay and the various constituent groups. 

The meeting was adjourned at 2:30 PM