Announcement by Provost Mark McNamee, 9/29/06

Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the official launching of the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment (ISCE). The updated strategic plan recommended the creation of an institute focused on the "Social and Individual Transformation" discovery domain. The new institute will be one element of our efforts to strengthen our competitive position in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. A detailed proposal for the institute was submitted to the Provost's Office following the adoption of the strategic plan. The plan for ISCE incorporated substantial input from faculty and the college deans. The proposed plan was reviewed by Vice President for Research Brad Fenwick and he has provided a detailed analysis with a recommendation for approval. He has also proposed a prospective multi-year funding plan based on estimates of program activity and expected return on investment.

The official launch date will be October 1, 2006. Based on the recommended annual funding of $500,000 for the first year of operation, a pro-rated preliminary budget of $375,000 will be approved for the 2006-2007 fiscal year and an initial allocation will be made available immediately. Future annual funding will be based on progress and performance, and the projections recommended by the VP for Research provide guidance for future growth expectations, but the actual allocations will be determined each year. The funds are designed to stimulate research growth in key areas primarily by investing annual funds in priority areas selected by the institute. The institute will be guided by a Stakeholder's Group and the first order of business will be the selection of an interim director. I have asked Dr. Jerry Niles, as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, to serve as the Chair of the Stakeholder's Group.

ISCE joins ICTAS (Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science), IBPHS (Institute for Biomedical and Public Health Sciences), VBI (Virginia Bioinformatics Institute) and VTTI (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute) as major university institutes that will contribute to sustained research growth and scholarly advancement.

We can all look forward to the evolution of our newest research institute.

Mark