CTAHR College-Wide Conference: Building A Shared Vision

1. How are you integrating R.E.I. in the curriculum so our 1) CTAHR students benefit from hands on research in their undergrad experience and 2) our communities benefit from the energy & enthusiasm of our studies applying their new knowledge to major conditions in the field & the community?
   
   We definitely have to stress the importance of involving students in research, extension activities, and promote internship and experiential learning. As leaders, we need to encourage faculty to integrate students in the laboratories; work with communities, private sector businesses, and public sector agencies. In addition, we would urge faculty to include student help dollars in the project proposals to finance the student related activities.
   
   Currently, all undergraduate students have to complete an internship in order to graduate. I would encourage faculty to take advantage of this opportunity and provide our students with exciting, practical, hands-on experiences to round up their education at CTAHR. With this commitment, the communities and businesses will definitely experience the energy and enthusiasm of our faculty, staff and students.
   
   Finally, the faculty definitely needs to document these efforts in their annual self-evaluation, promotion and tenure application and/or post-tenure review to receive the credit for integrating R.E.I. in the curriculum.
   
   Great question.
   
   
2. Need an annual schedule of deadlines for grants, so that PIs have sufficient time to prepare high quality grant proposals. Set deadlines for Hatch, McIntire-Stennis grants that don’t move around from year to year so PIs can plan ahead. Need seed money grant to support post-doc to get preliminary data to write high quality, nationally competitive grants.
   
   We will do that. We will institute the deadlines that do not change drastically from year to year and post it on the CTAHR research website. RFP for Hatch, Integrated Hatch, McIntire-Stennis, etc. will be posted by late Fall this year.
   
   Currently, the opportunity exists for seed money to support personnel with some of the grants such as ARS pass-through, T-STAR, Integrated Hatch, and McIntire-Stennis. Some of those grants might not be large enough to support a full-time post-doc but probably a part-time post-doc position.
   
   
3. Do CTAHR get credit for research accomplished and published, even if never funded? Or is funding the bottom line?
   
   Yes, we get credit/recognition, for example:
   
   1. The new knowledge created maintains UH’s reputation as the place to get a quality education and the place to seek employment.
      
   2. The accomplishments and impacts from the research endeavors provide transparent, measurable accountability to the State and the federal government who support us.
      
   3. If CTAHR has an excellent reputation through her research efforts then we will attract more students thus more tuition dollars back to CTAHR.
      
      
4. How do you vision additional faculty & staff in 80% percentile considering budget restraints and sweeping vacant positions?
   
   This is a target stated in the Manoa Strategic Plan Draft. The funding, I presume will come from the best and the brightest faculty that we retain and attract as they generate more extramural funding and students. In addition, UH has been aggressive raising fund through other non-State sources and through marketing the University to increase student enrollment.
   
   
5. You mentioned some of the priorities and the need to have research, instruction & extension linked. Does this mean that all research be integrated and that all projects should have an extension component? How can we do international research when we can’t even take care of our local needs and solidify agriculture as a viable economic alternative? Charity begins AT HOME!
   
   Eventually, all research projects should have an extension component either within the same project or a separate project. For a 3-5 year research project, the extension component may emerge towards the last couple of years of the project. We need to be creative in turning our local challenges into international priorities. Selective international problems may affect our local stakeholders as well.
   
   
6. How could research results filter down to the farmer stakeholders?
   
   Research problem should be driven by the agricultural and social problems of the State and the U.S. If we have effective stakeholder inputs then the results generated will automatically be applicable to solving societal problems and the farmer stakeholders will benefit. Thus, we need an effective prioritizing process and the necessary infrastructural support to identify existing and emerging social/economic problems. Seamless transition from research to extension is essential to solve agricultural and socioeconomic problems.
   
   
7. Goal: Faculty to obtain research $ equal to base salary. If 25% FTE must be committed to obtain $10,000 that tells faculty that a full-time researchers is expected to bring in $40,000 per year. This is not compatible with the stated goal.
   
   The suggestion was that faculty brings in DOLLARS equal to their base salaries. This would include tuition dollars through teaching efforts.
   
   
8. It all sounds good-but questions…why does it take an “act of congress” to get the wheels rolling? i.e.: funding, frozen positions “Yikes!” Find out who/where the bottlenecks are and “penalize them” for not being timely in responding to our needs.
   
   The goal is to have an effective CTAHR. Many instances people are going in different directions because of the lack of clarity in priorities and necessary training. We, as leaders must take the responsibilities to communicate the priorities clearly to faculty and staff and provide the necessary training to support the faculty to do their jobs.
   
   
9. It really matters what we do after the conference that is important. SO the faculty/staff need to be reminded, (nagged) or encouraged about their commitments. Don’t let the momentum generated by today return to the inertia of old days.
   
   I totally agree. If you have any initiatives or something that you would like us to follow up, please let us know.
   
   
10. I am just a pair of ears. One faculty said in a private conversation, that it is the same old thing we have heard in the past. The vision, goals, etc. The presentations didn’t excite this person. This college lacks the warmth (people relationship?) Just thought I mentioned this observation.
    
    In order to maintain the people relationship, we need to have us communicate openly and effectively. We need to work together to reach shared common goals and give suggestions to improve upon them then we will achieve success.