MINUTES
NORTH CENTRAL REGIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
STATE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION DIRECTORS

One Hundred Sixty-Seventh Meeting
July 9-10, 2003
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN

 

Wednesday, July 9, 2003

1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Multistate Research Committee Meeting (STEW214A)

 

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Reception at Dean Lechtenberg's Home (no formal dinner planned)

 

 

Thursday, July 10, 2003

7:00 a.m.  - 8:00 a.m. - Registration and Continental Breakfast (West Faculty Lounge)

8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. - Welcome, Vic Lechtenberg (West Faculty Lounge)

8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. – NCRA Meeting

1.0                    Call to Order and Introductions – Phil Larsen

Attendance: S. Pueppke (IL), R. Woodson and M. Martin (IN), W. Wintersteen (IA), F. Chumley (KS), J.I. Gray (MI), P. Larsen and B. Stromberg (MN), K. Grafton and V. Clark Johnson (ND), S. Slack and D. Benfield (OH), N. Betts (NE), M. Dentine (WI), D. Lund and N. Nelson (NCRA), T. Nelson (USDA-ARS), M.A. Rozum and G. Cunningham (CSREES). 

 

2.0                    Approval of the March 2002 Minutes – Phil Larsen  (Available at: http://www.wisc.edu/ncra/march2003.htm) Approved

 

3.0                    Adoption of Agenda – Phil Larsen

4.0                    Executive Committee Report and Interim Actions of the Chair – Phil Larsen

5.0                    Executive Director's Report - Daryl Lund

5.1   Activities Since the March Meeting

5.2   NCRA Office Update

5.3   NIMSS Update

5.4   Update on Impact statements and BAC

5.5   Strategic Plan

5.6   March 2004 Joint Meetings - North Central and Southern Regions

5.7   Wording Change to the Multistate Research Guidelines Regarding Adding Participants to a Project

 

6.0                    ESCOP Report

6.1   ESCOP Activities – Ian Gray

6.2   Budget and Legislative Committee - Daryl Lund for Darrell Nelson

6.3   NIAS Report – Daryl Lund for Darrell Nelson

 

7.0                    Multistate Research Committee Report – Margaret Dentine

8.0                    NASULGC Presidents Food and Society Initiative – Daryl Lund

9.0                    Dairy Research and Education Consortium – Phil Larsen and Wendy Wintersteen

10.0               Desirability and Need to do Multidisciplinary Research; What are the Rewards? (Informal Discussion) - Steve Pueppke

 

11.0               Update from each SAES on budgets (since the March meeting)

We will once again go round robin for comments about the current budget situation in your state affecting the AES budget.  We won't record any minutes of this part of the meeting and you don't need to bring anything in writing.  However, so that we are all commenting on the same basis, please consider organizing your thoughts around the questions found in the agenda brief.  Also, see the Hatch Appropriations Analysis on NCRA homepage (http://www.wisc.edu/ncra/hatchanalysis.xls).

 

12.0               ARS Report – Terry Nelson (There will be a 2% cut to ARS.)

13.0               CSREES Report – Gary Cunningham

14.0               Nominations Committee Report – Bert Stromberg (Approved – see brief)

15.0               Resolutions – Marshall Martin (Approved – see brief)

16.0               Announcements

·           All COPs Meeting – Jersey City, NJ – July 21-23, 2003

·           SAES/ARD Fall Workshop: – Deerborn, MI – September 22-24, 2003.  The program is in place and with registration in the ESCOP workroom (http://www.escop.msstate.edu/draftdoc.htm).   

·           NASULGC Meeting – New Orleans – November 16-18, 2003

 

17.0               Summary and Review of Assignments – Phil Larsen


Agenda Briefs

 

Agenda Item 4.0 - Executive Committee Report and Interim Actions of the Chair – Phil Larsen

The Executive Committee facilitated a session with NCRA representatives from member states at the March meeting to provide input for the annual performance review for our Executive Director, Dr. Daryl Lund.  The responses were summarized in a letter to Dr. Margaret Dentine at the University of Wisconsin.  The collective opinion of the voting NCRA members was that Dr. Lund is providing excellent leadership for NCRA.

 

The Executive Committee met via teleconference April 14, 2003.  It was decided that NCRA will meet jointly with the Southern Division at a site to be determined in Alabama [likely Orange Beach or Mobile] for the 2004 Spring meeting.  A joint planning committee has been appointed.  Wendy Wintersteen, Marshall Martin, Daryl Lund and Nikki Nelson will serve on the planning committee. The theme for the meeting is to be decided following the September ESS/AHS meeting.

 

The Executive Committee endorsed a plan to meet jointly with the NC Extension Directors from 11:00 to Noon at the July Mini-Landgrant meeting to discuss the Federal Plan of Work process.

 

NCRA desires to establish a strong interactive working relationship with 1994 Land Grant institutions and has invited a representative of Tribal Colleges to attend NCRA meetings.  To help facilitate attendance of a Tribal College representative at NCRA meetings, the Executive Committee elected to provide $500 to assist with travel expenses at the March and July, 2003 NCRA meetings.  Since Tribal Colleges do not have adequate funds to support travel of a Tribal College representative to these meetings, the Executive Committee requests the support of NCRA to provide up to $500 in travel support for future meetings.

 

Action requested:  Approval of request to provide up to $500 per NCRA meeting from NCRA funds to partially cover travel expenses of a Tribal College representative.

 

Action taken: There was discussion about who would determine the one representative from the tribal colleges to receive the $500 travel advance, concluding that this would be decided among the tribal colleges themselves.  This is an invitation or the “beginning of a conversation” with the tribal colleges.  Action approved. 

 

 

 

Agenda Item 5.0 - Executive Director’s Report – Daryl Lund

5.1   ED Activities Since the March 2003 Meeting

5.1.1          Follow-up from March Meeting

·           Assessment Invoices from NASULGC: I generated a memo for the NCRA chair to send to Bobby Moser, Chair of the BAA Policy Board re: providing more detail on the utilization of the assessment by function (T/R/E) and by activity (staff support, advocacy, etc.). Response: There will be changes in the information next year.

·           Leveraging MRP Funds: The EDs suggest that the SAES-422 have space to report the pending grants/contracts and funded grants/contracts during the past year that primarily support the objectives of the MRP and were generated directly from activity of the MRP.  See MRC Item 7.15. 

 

5.1.2          Events Attended

·           NC Extension: I attended the May 6 meeting of the NC Extension Directors in Chicago. I briefly reviewed the portfolio of the NCRA. They would like to be notified of projects in the multistate research portfolio as they are generated. My email to the Extension Directors contained the following: "So that there is no misunderstanding, this only allows you (sic Extension Directors) to put extension participants into projects (across all four regions) and puts you on the automatic mailing list to receive notices of new projects soliciting participants. It does not authorize you to require that Experiment Station Directors pay for the expenses associated with that participant's activity in the project even though the participant may have some AES research appointment. If you need further explanation, please call Nikki or me."

·           National Multistate Coordinating Committee: The NMCC meeting was held at UMd Eastern Shore April 22 - 24. We welcomed Tom Fretz into the group as the ED for the NE Region. We agreed on: (1) language for adding/deleting a participant from an MRP (to be presented as part of the MRC report), and (2) requesting information on leveraging MRP funds. Gary Cunningham reported that the OGC of USDA should have finished their review of the MRF Guidelines by the end of June.

·           Food and Society Initiative: The NASULGC Presidents' F/S Initiative on food and health was the subject of a National Academies of Science workshop June 9. I chaired the afternoon breakout session. A report identifying research gaps in the food, agriculture and health connection will be generated within two months. Jack Marburger (Director OSTP) and Joe Jen (Deputy Undersecretary for REE) will both be champions for a research initiative. Tommy Thompson attended the cocktail reception and also supported further research in this area.

·           Woodroof Lecture: I was the 2003 Woodroof Lecturer at the University of Georgia (March 27).

·           NASULGC-ICA Meeting: The purpose of the NASULGC-ICA Initiative is to enhance cooperation in research and education between US and European universities. As co-chair of the Research Committee, I attended the meeting in Beauvais, FR Mar 31 - Apr 4. I presented one paper on the Food and Society Initiative and another one on appropriate content of a website promoting cooperative research.

·           Sigma Xi: As a member of the Sigma Xi Lectureship Committee I attended the annual lectureship selection meeting (Apr 11- 12).

·           WFLO: I attended and reported to the membership the activities of the Scientific Advisory Council (I chair it) of the World Food Logistics Organization (Tucson Apr 26 - May 1).

·           BAA Farm Bill Committee: I have been appointed to the BAA Farm Bill Committee Steering Committee.

·           BAA BAC: I attended the BAC June 3 - 4. The report of the BAC is in a separate agenda brief.

 

 

5.2   NCRA Office Update

5.2.1          NCRA Office: The office continues to be very efficient (in Daryl’s opinion). Nikki is an outstanding administrative assistant and is showing strong leadership skills in NIMSS and data mining. She is enrolled in Economics 101 this summer.

 

5.2.2          Homepage Updates (Nicole Nelson and Daryl Lund):

·           In addition to the Administrative Advisor Virtual Handbook, we have now posted a Committee Chair Virtual Handbook on the NCRA Homepage (www.wisc.edu/ncra).  Both virtual handbooks contain the latest NCRA information, as well as administrative procedural instructions for NIMSS and the NCRA Office.  They are an invaluable source of information regarding most aspects of multistate research.

 

·           For those committees writing new or renewal projects for 2004, we have now included a new link on the homepage: the NCRA New and Renewal Project Approval Process.  By clicking on this link, you can choose to view the project creation/renewal timeline, or view step-by-step instructions for NIMSS entry and proposal review. 

 

·           Station directors should now be aware of the Appendix E Requirements for Each Project Type and Region in the US.  We have posted these requirements on the homepage, making them easier to locate. 

 

·           Indirect Cost: Daryl Lund generated a white paper on the history of the cap on indirect cost on USDA competitive grants (http://www.wisc.edu/ncra/IDChistory.htm).

 

·           Hatch Allocation in the NC Region: We developed a survey of the NC states asking for the distribution of the Hatch resources. The results are reported on the NCRA homepage (http://www.wisc.edu/ncra/hatchanalysis.xls).

 

·           NCRA Operating Procedures (Standing Committees): Guidelines were generated for the MRC and the Nominating Committee and are posted on the homepage (http://www.wisc.edu/ncra/committees.htm).

 

If changes need to be made or more information needs to be added to any of the links, please contact Nicole Nelson in the NCRA Office (nnelson@cals.wisc.edu). 

 

 

5.3   NIMSS Update

·           AA Training: Nikki organized several sessions for training AAs, administrative assistants in SAES offices, and chairs of MRP/Committees.

·           NIMSS: There was one teleconference to assess status and prioritize development of NIMSS. The NIMSS job jar is posted on the NCRA homepage (http://www.wisc.edu/ncra/NIMSSjobjar.htm)

·           NC Extension/ARS Directors: Please refer to brief 5.1.2.  The NCRA office is currently in the process of authorizing Extension and ARS Directors to input their own project participants into the NIMSS system. 

 

5.4   Update on Impact Statements and BAC

 

5.5   Strategic Plan

 

·           We have reviewed the NCRA strategic plan relative to the ESCOP Road Map, the CSREES/GPRA Goals and the USDA 2002 - 2007 Strategic Plan. The recommendations have been presented to the MRC for their subsequent analysis.  Please see this website: www.wisc.edu/ncra/strategicplan.htm for the initial mapping and objectives of the above goals/priorities. 

 

5.6   March 2004 Joint Meetings - North Central and Southern Regions

 

·           The joint Planning Committee for the Spring 04 meeting between NCRA (represented by Wendy Wintersteen, Marshall Martin, Daryl Lund and Nicole Nelson) and SAAESD held a teleconference June 18.  Please review the possible agenda and venue recommendations.  NCRA will share the results of its discussions with the Planning Committee so the next steps can be taken." 

 

1.        Date:  March 28-31, 2004

Location Preferred by Committee: Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, AL
(See hotel website at:
http://www.perdidobeachresort.com/ )
Group rate: approximately $110
Proximity to airport: 45 miles from Pensacola, FL airport (shuttle - $45 one way)

 

2.        Optional Location: Adams Mark, Mobile, AL
Group rate: $92
Proximity to airport: 14 miles from Mobile, AL airport (shuttle - $19 one way)


3.        General Schedule: Several meeting schedule scenarios were discussed:

a.        Sunday – MRC-NCRA meet all day (OR meet earlier at another location)
Sunday evening – Reception for all
Monday morning – Joint meeting and lunch
Monday afternoon – Separate meetings
Monday all day – Guest activities
Monday evening – Joint dinner (all) – or “on your own” for local restaurants
Tuesday morning – Separate meetings
Tuesday afternoon – Joint agricultural-related tour (includes guests if desired)
Tuesday evening – Joint dinner (all)
Wednesday morning – Separate meetings (no lunch – adjourn by noon)

b.        Monday all day – MRC-NCRA meet (8-10 members)
Monday all day – SAAESD meet
Monday all day – SAAESD and MRC-NCRA guest tour (and NCRA guests if arrive on Sunday)
Monday evening – Reception/Dinner (all) – or “on your own” for local restaurants
Tuesday morning – Joint meeting
Tuesday afternoon – Joint agricultural-related tour (includes guests if desired)
Tuesday evening – Joint dinner (all)
Wednesday morning – Separate meetings (SAAESD adjourns at noon)
Wednesday afternoon – NCRA meets (adjourns at 5:00)

4.        Ideas for topics for Joint Meeting

a.        Reports common to both groups: CSREES, ARS, ESCOP Committees, Rural Development Centers, etc.

b.        Plan of Work process – follow-up

c.         Discussion topic of common interest with up-front prep work by a committee
(Example: Intellectual Property was theme of 2003 SAAESD meeting)

d.        Cooperative agreements between stations – what works, what doesn’t, process, etc.

e.         Host institution present research highlight (30-45 minutes)

f.          Guidelines for transgenic crops and/or food animals – perspective of directors, federal regulators, etc.

5.        Ideas for member and guest activities:
(Alabama hosts say, “We feel confident that we can certainly provide all the entertainment and interest that your group can imagine.  Bring your spouses and children.  Make it a family vacation on the most beautiful gulf in the world.)

a.         Resort and nearby activities for tennis, world class golf, fishing, etc. -


b.        Day trips to:
Historic Mobile - Azalea Season
Mobile Bay and Docks
Fort Conte
USS Alabama
Oakleigh Plantation - (Historic Home Tour)
Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center
Bellingrath Gardens (perfect time of the year for spring blooms)
Dolphin Island - New Research Lab
Air Museum
Wonderful Shopping Centers (includes nearby outlet mall)
A host of agricultural sites in Baldwin County, Alabama.

 

Actions Taken: Decisions about the content and logistics of the March 2004 meeting will be left up to the planning committee.  The MRC will meet at an earlier date, possibly O’Hare. 

 

5.7   Wording Change to the Multistate Research Guidelines Regarding Adding Participants to a Project (Contained in the MRC Report, item 7.0)

 

Background Information:

 

The other regions are taking "official" action and we probably should also. Here is the statement that the EDs have agreed to:

"It is the responsibility of each Experiment Station Director to monitor their faculty members' participation in multistate projects. Although it is preferred that all participants be involved prior to the writing stage of new projects, it will occasionally be necessary to add a participant to an active project. After an Experiment Station Director approves a faculty member to join a project, it is the responsibility of the AA to facilitate incorporation of the new member into that project. If a concern arises regarding a member's participation in a project, the AA should discuss this concern with the member. If the concern is not resolved, the AA should discuss the member's participation with that member's Experiment Station Director. It is the responsibility of that Director to take whatever action is appropriate relative to that member's future participation."

 

Here is the section of the multistate guidelines where this statement should replace some language and be inserted (page 11 of the Multistate Research Guidelines):


Requests to join an on-going multistate research project must originate with the administrator of the proposed member's institution; in the case of a SAES that would be the director; for ARS that might be a laboratory director; for a private laboratory that might be the scientist's supervisor. This correspondence must include the information required in Appendix E. The request is forwarded to the AA who will consult with the technical committee to arrange for implementation. The AA working with the ED's office of the sponsoring regional association and CSREES will arrange for completing the necessary documentation.

 

The modified section should then read:


Requests to join an on-going multistate research project must originate with the administrator of the proposed member's institution; in the case of a SAES that would be the director; for ARS that might be a laboratory director; for a private laboratory that might be the scientist's supervisor. This correspondence must include the information required in Appendix E. It is the responsibility of each Experiment Station Director to monitor their faculty members' participation in multistate projects. Although it is preferred that all participants be involved prior to the writing stage of new projects, it will occasionally be necessary to add a participant to an active project. After an Experiment Station Director approves a faculty member to join a project, it is the responsibility of the AA to facilitate incorporation of the new member into that project. If a concern arises regarding a member's participation in a project, the AA should discuss this concern with the member. If the concern is not resolved, the AA should discuss the member's participation with that member's Experiment Station Director. It is the responsibility of that Director to take whatever action is appropriate relative to that member's future participation.

 

 

Action Requested: Approval of the above modification to the Multistate Guidelines.   

Action Taken: Approved. 

 

 

Agenda Item 6.0

6.1 ESCOP Activities – Ian Gray

 

There were no face-to-face meetings of ESCOP since the meeting March 3-4, 2003.  There have been two Chair's Advisory Committee teleconferences (April 7 and June 2).  The following actions have been taken:

6.1.1 NRSP Guidelines:  The Guidelines are in the process of being implemented.  CSREES has determined that these guidelines are part of the NRSP review process and are therefore not rules.  This is significant because it means they can be modified by action of the ESS without requiring review by the USDA Office of General Counsel (provided the proposed changes do not violate the Multistate Research Fund Rules that are now being considered by the OGC).  To initiate the implementation, Scott Angle, ESCOP Chair, appointed the National Advisory Committee (NAC) (Cathy Roheim (RI) SAES-Northeast Region; Gary Lemme (MI) SAES-North Central Region; Charles Scifres (TX) SAES-Southern Region; Lee Sommers (CO) SAES-Western Region; Al Parks (TX) ARD; (tba) ECOP; Larry Miller CSREES; Don Latham (Latham Seeds) Stakeholder Representative; (tba) Regional Executive Director, Executive Vice-Chair; (tba) Regional Executive Director).  A teleconference is being organized for the committee at the end of July.  Since the Federal Government is sensitive about the word "Advisory", it is suggested that the name of the NAC be changed.  The proposed name is "NRSP Review Committee." 


Action:  Request is made to approve changing the name of the Committee.  This will be voted on at the ESS meeting in September. Approved. 


6.1.2 NIMSS and NRSP-1:  Scott Angle asked NRSP-1 to include NIMSS in its thinking as NRSP-1 prepares for project renewal.  NIMSS needs to be linked integrally with the research data management and reporting system under the purview of NRSP-1.


6.1.3 Assessments:  Scott Angle expressed disappointment to the BAA Policy Board about the accompanying information that went to Deans with the assessments.  Couples with the letter that NCRA Chair Phil Larsen sent to Bobby Moser, there were promises that the communication system would have major changes next year.


6.1.4 Science Roadmap:  There is a need to develop a marketing plan around the Science Roadmap.  A half-day session will be devoted to strategic planning around the Science Roadmap at the Fall Workshop.  Also the Communications and Marketing Committee will develop some marketing plans following the workshop.


6.1.5 IRS Lobbying Penalty:  Mort Neufville informed ECOP, ESCOP and the Board on Human Sciences that expenditures in 2002 on lobbying through NASULGC exceeded the maximum allowed based on NASULGC income and that there was a penalty due IRS of ca. $28K.  NASULGC proposed that the penalty be distributed to the three units according to contribution.  ESCOP has made the argument that because our absolute expenditures were $35K less that in 2001, the penalty could not have been due to ESCOP activities (through AESOP Enterprises).  However, the argument failed on the basis that ESCOP had been warned that penalties could occur and that NASULGC had prior permission to pay penalties out of assessed funds of ESCOP and ECOP.  ESCOP has advised the BAA Policy Board that it recommends that a policy be put in place along with a management plan by NASULGC to assure that such occurrences do not happen in the future.


6.1.6 Civil Rights Review:  CSREES has submitted proposed guidelines for conducting civil rights reviews of SAES projects and CES programs.  ESCOP had previously had a committee working with CSREES during the development of the guidelines.  Scott Angle appointed a committee to review the guidelines and develop a response to CSREES on the proposed new guidelines.  The primary concerns from the SAES viewpoint is that most of our projects are already covered under existing regulations on EEO and Affirmative Action within our university administrative structures and that many of our projects are not directly delivered to stakeholders (as CES programs are).  By the time you read this report the response of ESCOP to the proposed guidelines will have been sent to CSREES and you will have a copy of it.  The ESCOP Committee is Scott Angle, Mike Harrington, Daryl Lund, Darrell Nelson, Lee Sommers, Eric Young, Nancy Cox, and Paul Rasmussen (chair).

 

6.2 – Budget and Legislative Committee – Daryl Lund for Darrell Nelson

 

Although the ESCOP Budget and Legislative Committee has not met face-to-face in some time, action is proceeding.

6.2.1 BAA Farm Bill Committee - ESCOP made recommendations for participants in the 5 subcommittees of the BAA Farm Bill Committee chaired by Jeff Armstrong. Daryl Lund has been appointed to the Steering Committee. The other recommendations are: Conservation - Henry Vaux (CA, henry.vaux@ucop.edu); Rural Development - Alfred Parks (Prairie View A&M, alfred_parks@pvamu.edu); Energy - Kevin Kephart (SD, kkephart@abs.sdstate.edu); Research and Education - Bill Brown (LA, bbrown@agctr.lsu.edu); Forestry - Bruce Wiersma (ME, wiersma@apollo.umenfa.maine.edu).  The subcommittees will be working on the five most important titles of the farm bill.

6.2.2 FY 04 budget - By now you have all seen the House mark up of the Agriculture Appropriations bill. Although there was a 4.8% cut in ag approps, the research, extension and education parts (CSREES) was cut only 1.6%. The Hatch line went up 0.65% (basically returning the appropriation to the FY 03 prerecission level) and the NRI was reduced ca. $16M to offset the new integrated program money ($16M) for homeland security. The Senate will get at their work after the July 4th recess. Action is requested by the BRT that you may wish to contact your House members prior to introduction of the House approps bill to the floor. Continuing to contact your Senators may also be helpful for the Senate approps.  Regarding FY 04 budget in the Department of Homeland Security, the BRT had submitted a placeholder statement with the House staff for $10M for the System.  ESCOP submitted a request for $4.8M for NIAS.  ECOP and ACOP were also invited to submit suggestions for the $10M.  The House Approps recent action did not include this $10M but did include $14M to be spent between DHS and USDA to assess the need for research in agrosecurity.

6.2.3 FY 05 budget - The BAC met June 3 and 4 to set priorities for the FY 05 budget recommendations.  Colien Hefferan indicated the priorities for CSREES are (1) equity in capacity, (2) plant and animal disease, (3) homeland security, (4) functional genomics (rice), and (6) human health, especially youth and obesity.  After considerable discussion and the realization that the BAC has been pushing the NRI for the last 10 years without much success, the BAC agreed unanimously that the FY 05 budget request will be based around two themes - (1) obesity and nutrition and (2) homeland security (especially natural resources and plants and animals). Both fit the priorities of ESCOP. These two themes will be supported by two initiatives: (1) an increase in base funding (amount to be determined at July meeting) and (2) capacity building in minority serving institutions.   ECOP priorities (Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act (IMPACT) To Prevent and Decrease Childhood Obesity and Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences at the NSF Children's Research Initiative & Human and Social Dynamics) can be found at http://www.nasulgc.org/CFERR/BOHS.htm. They have also identified EFNEP as a priority (found at the BoHS homepage within NASULGC's homepage).  The BRT will prepare a request for impact statements in support of these two themes.  The impact statements should identify what is now being done in the area and what would be done if more resources were available. 

6.2.4 Next Steps:  The BAC will meet July 19 and 20 prior to the All COPs meeting in Jersey City, NJ.  At that meeting specific recommendations will be hammered out for the FY 05 request for base funds and for capacity building.  Also, the BRT will present their guidance on the development of impact statements in support of the FY 05 budget.  

 

 

6.3 - NIAS Report – Daryl Lund for Darrell Nelson

The ESCOP Task Force on Homeland Security officially launched the National Institute for Agricultural Security (NIAS) during the first week of February, 2003.  The NIAS Executive Board of Directors convened, officers were chosen and a part-time Executive Director was appointed (President, DC Coston; Vice President, Dave Thawley; Treasurer, Scot Angel; Secretary, Mike Harrington; Executive Director, Terry Nipp).  The Board of Directors developed a plan of activities and a set of priorities for the year.

 

Management

 

·           NIAS is incorporated as a nonprofit organization in the state of Maryland.  A Federal ID number has been obtained and a petition for nonprofit status has been submitted to the IRS. 

·           The Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws have been tentatively approved by the Board of Directors and will be updated and provided to the Experiment Station Directors and Administrators at the September 2003 meetings.

·           Residual ESCOP funds were transferred to the University of Maryland and the NIAS Treasurer.

       

Activities

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