General  -  In July 1999, an Ad-Hoc steering committee acting on a vote taken at a meeting of a significant number of the then research faculty (non-tenure track/self supporting) at MSU, submitted a proposal to the MSU President's Executive Council to sanction the formation of a Research Faculty Council for the MSU, Bozeman campus  proposal to sanction .  The proposal was reviewed by the MSU Vice President for Research, Department Heads, Deans, the President's Executive Council, by the MSU Faculty Council,  and Acting President Roark.  In June 2000, the name was changed to better distinguish the Alliance from the MSU Faculty Council.

 
 

 
 
 

 
      *graphics images by Adam Hart-Davis (www.hd.org)

The Research Faculty Alliance of Montana State University, Bozeman, is a standing body consisting of members of the research faculty elected by their peers. The purpose of this organization is to represent the collective interests of the research faculty to university administration, to recommend policies and procedures in matters which impinge upon these interests, and to provide advice and assistance to the Vice President for Research, Creativity, and Technology Transfer on such matters as the Vice President may refer to the attention of the Alliance.

Constituency
 

The constituency represented by this Alliance includes Research Professionals with Academic Responsibilities as defined in section 341.00 of the MSU Faculty Handbook, identified by the title Research Professor, Associate Research Professor, or Assistant Research Professor, and Research Professionals as defined in section 342.00 of the MSU Faculty Handbook, identified by the title Senior Research Scientist/Engineer or Research Scientist/Engineer. The constituency of this Alliance is funded primarily or exclusively by grants, contracts, and other agreements with external research sponsors, not by the State of Montana.

Means of Operation
 

The expenses of the Alliance are paid by funds provided by the office of the Vice President for Research, Creativity, and Technology Transfer at a level established by the Vice President in consultation with the Research Faculty Alliance Executive Committee, as provided for in the Alliance by-laws.

Principles and Objectives
 

It is the intent of this Alliance to promote and encourage research, education, and technology transfer at MSU in furtherance of the mission of the university to create new knowledge and to serve the people of the state and the nation. The Alliance strives to represent the general goals and aspirations of the research faculty of MSU, but not to do so to the detriment of the operation of the university community as a whole. It is not the intention of the Alliance to engage itself in the day-to-day governance of the university, the formulation of general governance policies, or the establishment of curriculum content.

The Alliance meets in regular open session convened not less than three times per year, and in special executive session as the need arises, operating under by-laws enacted by vote of the enfranchised constituency. The regular  open sessions serve as a forum for the discussion of issues pertinent to the promotion of research on the campus of MSU, which may result in recommendations or petitions by the Alliance to the Vice President for Research Creativity and Technology Transfer. In special sessions a committee of the Alliance may undertake to investigate contentious conduct in the administration, prosecution, or documentation of research which may be referred to the Alliance by the Vice President, or offer advice and opinion, as requested, on the resolution of disputes dealing with its constituency in a context not clearly within the jurisdiction of an established administrative unit of the university.

*graphics image by Damon Hart-Davis (www.hd.org)

Atomic force microscope image of a 
diatom attached to a surface. 
Cooksey lab. Image by Recep Avci
Copyright MSU

 

Confocal microscope image of cacer cells 
showing a laminin binding protein (purple).
Jean Starkey lab. Image by Deborah Berglund
Copyright Wiley-Liss

 
 
 

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By-Laws of the Research Faculty Alliance
 

I. Eligibility for membership in the Alliance

 Voting membership in this Alliance is tendered to members of the research faculty of Montana State University, as defined in the Charter of the Alliance.  Affiliate (non-voting) membership may be offered to other research (non-tenure) track employees, including postdoctoral appointees, who are not largely dependent upon their own externally funded grants for salary support.

II. Meetings

 The Alliance will meet as a committee of the whole on the Montana State University campus at least three times per year, with one meeting scheduled for early in each academic semester.  Meeting times and locations will be announced by posting on the Alliance web site, by e-mail to individual members, and by written notices mailed to members and to academic departments for display at departmental announcement sites.
 

III. Executive Committee and Officers of the Alliance

 There shall be an Executive Committee of the Research Faculty Alliance which shall have the authority to act on behalf of the Alliance as a surrogate for the committee of the whole except insofar as procedures are specified in the charter or by-laws for the action considered.  Issues affecting the general membership may be brought to the Executive Committee through any of its members at any time.  The Executive Committee shall consist of four voting members and the immediate past chair, serving in an ex officio capacity.  The voting members and their terms of office are:

 1. Chair of the Alliance, serving for one year.
 2. Chair-elect of the Alliance, who also serves as Vice Chair, serving for one year in this post.
 3. Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance, serving for  two consecutive years.
 4. An at-large member, serving for one year.  This member is to be elected at the beginning of each academic year by an e-mail vote of the members of the Alliance.

 IV. University committee memberships

 The Alliance shall elect by vote of the enfranchised membership representatives from the Alliance ranks, not to exclude appointments by the Vice President for Research, Creativity, and Technology Transfer, to each of a number of University committees.  The following committees have been identified as those upon which the Alliance shall seek representation:

  Library committee (in ex officio capacity)
  Intellectual property committee
  Faculty (Research) advisory council
 

V. Research Policy Advisory Committee

 There shall be a standing Research Policy Advisory Committee elected by and from the ranks of the membership, which shall serve as an advisory body to the office of the Vice President for Research, Creativity, and Technology Transfer.  The scope of matters with which this committee shall concern itself include issues of research ethics, authorship, patents, pay and departmental credit for teaching by research faculty, and other such matters as may be referred to its attention by the Vice President for Research, Creativity, and Technology Transfer.  This committee shall not undertake to address matters which are properly under the purview of the Montana State University Faculty Council.

 The Vice Chair of Alliance shall serve as the chair and as a non-voting member of this committee.  There shall be three voting members of this committee, elected by the membership to staggered three years terms.

VI. Rules of order

 Meetings of the Alliance and of its committees shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts’ Rules of Order.
 

VII. Membership roll, nominations, and operations

 The Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance will be responsible for maintaining the current membership roll.  A part-time secretary will be retained to assist with this task and to keep Alliance records.  Compensation for this position will be from funds supplied through the office of the Vice President for Research, Creative Activity, and Technology Transfer.

VIII. Amendment and revision of charter and by-laws

 Amendments to and revisions of the charter and/or the by-laws of the Alliance will be initiated via written or e-mail petition to the Executive Committee by 25% of the membership.  Such a petition will automatically result in the scheduling of a ballot on the issue.  A vote of 2/3 of the membership in favor of the proposed amendment or revision will effect its adoption.

*graphics image by Damon Hart-Davis (www.hd.org)
 
 
 
 

Research Faculty Alliance Executive Committee: 

Jean R. Starkey
Stephen Albert
Vacancy for Secretary/Treasurer
Dennis Neuman (Ad Hoc)