The critical issues facing citizens in the Western Region during the 21st century will require comprehensive approaches to adequately address their increasing complexity. These approaches often require involvement of individuals representing a broad range of skills, expertise, and experience. The organizational structure to stimulate, implement, and oversee regional programming across the boundaries of research, extension education, academic, and international programs is inadequate. The importance of such integrated activity and the inadequacies of the current structure were identified in studies of the land-grant system, including the NRC's committee on the Future of Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture (LGCA). They recommended that the LGCA system and federal government revitalize the linkages among teaching, research, and extension. Likewise, the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 identifies that research, extension, and education activities are accomplished in a manner that integrates agricultural research, extension and education functions to better link research to technology transfer and dissemination activities.
Therefore, we are proposing the establishment of coordinating (integrating) committees across the lines of research, extension, academic, and international programs, similar to the Western Coordinating Committees (WCCs) that currently exist within the regional research structure. The WCCs bring researchers together to coordinate related research, without the need for a formal regional research plan, to organize technical conferences, work groups, task forces, or symposia for exchange of experience and opinions. Several years ago the importance of extension to the success of the WCC structure was recognized, and extension faculty were encouraged to join WCCs. We are now proposing that the participation of research, extension, academic, and/or international programs' personnel on some WCCs is critical for their success. We recommend the establishment of a Regional Coordination and Implementation Committee (RCIC) that will provide leadership and oversight to the WCCs.
The formation of the RCIC and the attendant procedures and processes will adhere to the following organizational concepts.
1. The RCIC will be delegated the responsibility for review, evaluation, and recommendation of all aspects of western multistate program. Programs may involve one or more functional areas, i.e., research, academic programs, extension, or international programs.
2. The approval process will include a rigorous review (that may include external ad hoc reviewers) to ensure the highest possible potential for success.
3. Individual faculty participation will be reviewed and approved by state directors or deans during the proposal formation process, prior to the regional review.
4. Funding to support faculty involvement in approved regional programs must be provided by the faculty member's institution.
5. Proposed projects may originate from one or more Western Region institutions and from one or more functional components (research, extension, academic programs, or international programs), including the ranks of faculty or the regional committee itself.
6. The RCIC will recommend disposition of program proposals to state directors of the impacted functional areas who will reserve authority for final approval.
7. The RCIC will recommend the assignment of administrative advisors.
8. Oversight and review of approved projects will include regular (annual) progress reports and statements of impact submitted to the RCIC.
| 9.Members of the RCIC will be appointed by the relevant state directors and deans. The proposed composition of RCIC is | |
| Experiment Stations | 4 members |
| Cooperative Extension | 4 members |
| Academic Programs | 1 member |
| Board on Human Resource Sciences | 1 member |
| CSREES | 1 member |
| ARS | 1 member |
| Forest Service | 1 member |
| NAPFSC | 1 member |
| Veterinary Medicine | 1 member |
The proposed RCIC will be effective March 1999, will be implemented on a trial basis for two years, and then reviewed in the third year. Continuation/modification/discontinuation of RCIC will be determined by the third-year review. It is envisioned that this committee could eventually have other responsibilities.