The Chronicle
The Academic Council opened its new year Thursday with a thorough discussion of University research, approving new policies on the use of human subjects and hearing a breakdown of study expenditures.
Professor of Sociology Linda George proposed revisions of the Duke University Principles and Procedures Regarding Research on Human Subjects, which had not been updated in 20 years.
"The major reason for [the revisions] is that the policy is currently inconsistent with federal guidelines," said George, who is chair of Duke's Institutional Review Board for Protection of Human Subjects in Non-Medical Research.
Her committee reviews all human studies, except those in the Medical Center, to ensure the privacy and safety of subjects.
The elimination of a double standard for studies funded by the federal government was among the revisions, which were passed unanimously by the council. Previously, federally funded studies were held to a higher level of scrutiny than studies not funded by the federal government. Now all research will be held to that higher standard.
The council also agreed to liberalize the relatively strict review requirements surrounding research with vulnerable groups, such as children and pregnant women. Studies involving students or employees will still receive full review.
The council then heard a report on University research expenditures from Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Lewis Siegel. The University spent about $62 million on research during fiscal year 1999, an increase of over $5 million from the previous year. However, Siegel said, that spending accounts for only 25 percent of Duke research, most of which is done at the Medical Center.
"The Medical Center is actually the tail that wags the dog in research spending," he said.
For the research done on campus during that time period, Siegel said 80 percent of the funding came from the federal government, and 95 percent of that came from just four government departments-the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. The funding was mainly spread across three of the University's divisions-arts and sciences received 65 percent, the Pratt School of Engineering received 23 percent and the Nicholas School of the Environment received 11 percent. Siegel said this distribution reflects the success of social science researchers in obtaining grants, especially in relation to their traditionally well-funded counterparts in biology and chemistry.
Adding that many professors simply are not searching out funding, Siegel said only eight percent of research professors had three-year funding in excess of $1 million, and 50 percent had no significant funding at all.
IN OTHER BUSINESS: The council unanimously elected four new members to the Faculty Hearing Committee, including its chair, Elvin R. Latty Professor of Law Thomas Rowe.
Academic Council Chair and Professor of Classical Studies Peter Burian announced the creation of a new committee that will examine the way in which professorships and other academic appointments are awarded and tenured. It will be chaired by James B. Duke Professor of Experimental Psychology Peter Holland.
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