The Senate Executive Committee has convened an ad hoc committee to gather information about the proposed University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) to help UH Manoa Faculty have an informed discussion about this proposal before it is brought again to the Board of Regents. The ad hoc committee requests documents, opinions, weblinks that will help faculty arrive at an informed opinion.

The committee will strive to make available to the Manoa campus, in a coherent form, as many of the facts and opinions on this issue as possible, and represent the current state of collective knowledge. To that end, we invite faculty to share information and opinions about the UARC. Send your views to srutter@hawaii.edu or post to the Senate Discussion List at uhm-faculty-senate@hawaii.edu, to have that information linked to this MFS page.

Members of the committee: Danielle Conway-Jones, Jon Osorio, Calvin Pang, Tom Ramsey (SEC Liaison), David Ross, Sara Rutter (Chair), Roy Wilkens, Jim Tiles (SEC Liaison)

President McClain's recommendation to the Board of Regents, February 16, 2006, see link for full-text:

1. Accept Chancellor Konan's recommendation.
2. In its place, and in the tradition of our EPSCoR and P-20 grants and contracts and the Maui High Performance Computing Center itself, approve the establishment of the UARC as an administrative unit attached to the UH System.
3. Provide that the UARC will perform no classified task orders during its first three years of operation. This simplifies the administration of the UARC during its initial years, and addresses the "environments" issue profiled above.
4. Provide that the UARC will retain the option to terminate a task order should the research involved become classified after the task order begins. This approach mimics Stanford University's approach to research that it finds is classified in mid-stream and gives UH additional flexibility, over and above current practice of moving projects off campus, in this area.
5. Provide that UH will evaluate the UARC during its third year in terms of the financial and research returns received, and the costs and risks incurred, including the administrative burden associated with managing the UARC. If the UARC receives a favorable evaluation within UH, the university would invite the U.S. Navy to exercise its option for renewal of the contract for an additional two years. If the UARC did not pass the UH evaluation, or if it did and the U.S. Navy elected not to exercise its option, UH would discontinue the UARC.

Resolution #1: Opposed to the UARC proposal, adopted 31 to 18, November 16, 2005.

SEC ad hoc committee on the UARC final report (PDF), also in RTF version, posted November 8, 2005, Summary of final report, posted November 10, 2005

Outside counsels' report on UARC draft contract (PDF), posted November 8, 2005.

Interim Report from the ad hoc committee on the UARC. (PDF)

Memorandum from Interim Chancellor Konan, October 13, 2005, regarding the UARC process. (PDF)

February 4, 2003 Chancellor Englert and Vassilis Syrmos (Interim director of Science & Technology, RCUH) present an informational briefing to State Senate Committees on Science, Art and Technology, and on Economic Development on the UARC and the Engineering and Design Center, stating that each center will complement each other.

April 16, 2003 Chancellor Englert submits a UARC management plan to the Chief of Naval Research, Admiral Jay Cohen

July 8, 2004 Department of Navy designates University of Hawaii as a UARC, see UH Board of Regents Minutes pp. 9-12.

September 1, 2004 UMH Faculty Senate Committee on Research (CoR) receives a memo from Chancellor Englert with an attached proposal for the UARC.

The Committee on Research makes the following resolution:

"In order to make a recommendation to the Board of Regents on this proposal, we need to hear the presentation about the proposal planned by Peter Englert for the Manoa Faculty Senate meeting scheduled for September 15, 2004.

We are requesting that the proposal be scheduled for presenting at the November meeting of the Board of Regents to allow time for review by the Manoa Faculty Senate and the CoR."

September 15 2004 Manoa Faculty Senate meeting in which Vassilis Syrmos presented a powerpoint of the proposed UARC, see September 15, 2004 Senate Minutes

October 20, 2004 Faculty Senate Chair's Report lists UARC as one of the critical issues facing SEC.

November 17, 2004 Manoa Faculty Senate Executive Committee Resolution on the NAVSEA Applied Research Laboratory in which the Faculty Senate requested that the Board of Regents make approval of the UARC contingent on MFS approval. Resolution passed, see Minutes of Faculty Senate November 17, 2004.

November 18, 2004 Chancellor Englert requests Board of Regents approval of the establishment of an Applied Research Laboratory at the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus. Tom Schroeder, Chair of SEC, stated that the Faculty Senate expected to be consulted. Acting President McClain demands that the consultation process, which is to include Native Hawaiian stakeholder groups, be completed before the establishment of the UARC is approved by the Board. BOR gives provisional approval contingent on consultation with campus. UH Board of Regents Minutes pp. 9-12.

December 8, 2004 two resolutions on classified research from Committee on Professional Matters (CPM) and Committee on Academic Policy and Programs (CAPP) are tabled so that an SEC Ad Hoc Committee can research classified and proprietary research.

January 9, 2005 Ad Hoc Committee on Proprietary and Classified research formed

February 4, 2005 Proposal sent to Department of Navy to establish UARC at Manoa ARL Technical Proposal Cover Letter

February 16, 2005 Senator Ruth Dawson introduced resolution regarding classified research, see Dawson classified research resolution

March 16, 2005 Ad Hoc committee on proprietary and classified research presents Report on Proprietary and Classified Research and Resolution on Classified and Proprietary Research

April 6, 7, 21 Public forums are held by Chancellor Englert. Transcripts available at Transcript of Public UARC Session April 6, 2005, Transcript of Public UARC Session April 7, 2005, Transcript of Public UARC Session April 21, 2005

April 20, 2005 Committee on Research presents Resolution on Research Training and Revolving Funds (RTRF).

May 3-9 2005 Save UH/Stop UARC Coalition demands withdrawal of UARC proposal, stages six day sit-in at Bachman Hall in UH President's office.

May 16, 2005 Ad hoc Committee on UARC formed by SEC to work over summer, see SEC Minutes of May 16, 2005

September 21, 2005 Manoa Faculty Senate meeting, Minutes of the Manoa Faculty Senate in which the UARC is discussed.

October 19, 2005Manoa Faculty Congress, Minutes of the Congress in which the UARC is discussed.