Dean's Faculty Update
Non-Regulated Animal Research
Date: August 20th, 2007
From: Mark R. McLellan, Dean
To All IFAS Researchers:
After over a year of deliberations and discussions, I am pleased to announce the formation of a new faculty policy committee, the IFAS Animal Research Assurance Committee (ARAC).
This committee is charged with implementing a new process of review and approval of animal research protocols to assure protection of animal welfare by all IFAS faculty and staff working with non-regulated animals which fall outside of the jurisdiction of the UF IACUC.
Through the exhaustive work of a dedicated study group headed up by Dr. Charlie Staples (Animal Science), we have defined a new committee to help us remain diligent in the way we conduct research with non-regulated animals.
We hope the design of the committee, constituted by fellow faculty researchers and lead by faculty, will help ensure a reasonable and effective process for approval of protocols. The following units must identify members of the committee from their state-wide faculty: Animal Sciences, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, and Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences. Dr Staples, the committee Chair, will be contacting you shortly to ask for your selected individual.
This is a work in process however early discussions with the working group developing the establishment of the committee indicates that things will move along well. Our goal is to be the least intrusive possible while also being effective.
Please give your support to Dr. Staples as he puts this team together.
Committee Name:
IFAS Animal Research Assurance Committee (ARAC)
Committee Charge:
This committee is charged with implementing a process of review and approval of animal research protocols to assure protection of animal welfare by all IFAS faculty and staff working with non-regulated animals that fall outside of the jurisdiction of the UF IACUC.
Committee Authorization:
This committee serves at the request of the IFAS Dean for Research. Decisions of the committee are implemented by the authority of the Dean for Research. Any appeals are to be directed 1st to the committee’s Executive Council and finally to the IFAS Dean for Research.
General aspects of plan:
The committee will implement a process of protocol submission and review that creates an effective oversight while causing minimal intrusion into the research endeavors of IFAS faculty and staff. The committee will create an annual report to the Dean for Research summarizing the actions of the committee. The committee chair will meet annually with the Dean for Research to review committee functions and operations.
Initial Leadership: (Remainder of 06-07 academic year & 07-08 academic year)
The initial positions of leadership are appointed as:
Chair – Dr. Charlie Staples, Animal Science
Past-Chair – Dr. Bill Brown, Animal Science
Chair-designate – Dr. Bill Giuliano, Wildlife, Ecology & Conservation
These leaders form the executive council of the committee and will ensure units proceed as noted below to elect/select appropriate members.
Continuing Leadership:
The next “chair-elect” will be selected by vote of committee membership on the last meeting of the academic year and prior to September 1, 2008. This election will happen annually thereafter. All Committee terms will be from September 1st to August 31st.
Committee Membership:
This committee will be made up of members serving in a rotating membership with one-third (2 members) rotating off each year. Decisions and functions of the committee will be by Robert’s Rules of Order. The Chair-Elect will serve as Secretary of the Committee. An Executive Council of the committee will be defined as consisting of the Chair, Past Chair, and Chair-elect and will meet regularly to plan the work of the committee. The Chair of the Committee will annually call for IFAS unit election/selection process to choose representatives to the committee and will request of the IFAS Dean for Research appropriate committee appointments at least three months prior to the start of the academic calendar.
The following are the ten voting members of the committee:
Faculty positions filled by a faculty member selected from each of the following units:
1. Animal Sciences Faculty Member,
2. Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Faculty Member,
3. Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Faculty Member,
Appointed positions filled by the Dean for Research :
4. An IFAS unit leader 5. An IFAS-Gainesville based faculty member-at-large 6. An IFAS-REC based faculty member-at-large
Permanent position filled by
7. The UF Attending Veterinarian or his/her designate
Self Elected Positions of the committee:
8. Chair
9. Past Chair
10. Chair-Elect
IFAS Academic Chairs may select unique processes for the dept to use in selection of the departmental representatives. For those units with faculty at RECs, all faculty of the discipline should be included in the selection process. These processes may include election, appointment, affiliation with other duty, etc. It will be up to the department leadership to determine this process and implement the selection.
No committee member may fill more than one voting role on the committee at any one time, therefore upon election to the committeee executive council, the elected committee member’s position must be filled appropriatelty. No committee member may serve for more than 2 full terms (6 years) without a break from the committee of at least 1year.
Committee Support:
IFAS Dean for Research will provide support as needed for administrative functions of the committee. Additionally, a non-voting administrative liaison from the Experiment Station will be identified by the IFAS Dean for Research. Dr. George Hochmuth, Associate Dean for Research will serve in this capacity during this first term.
Committee First Year Startup:
In order to launch the committee and establish a rotation of membership, the following terms will be designated for the initial elections/selections and appointments. Thereafter all elections/selections and appointments will be for 3 years.
One-year term**:
Unit selected Wildlife Ecol. & Conservation Member ----- term ending August 2007
Appointed IFAS-REC based faculty member-at-large ----- term ending August 2007
Two-year term:
Unit selected Animal Sciences Member --------------------- term ending August 2008
Appointed IFAS unit leader Member -------------------------term ending August 2008
Three-year term:
Unit selected Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Member------term ending August 2009
Appointed IFAS-Gainesville faculty Member-at-large ----- term ending August 2009
** faculty serving on the short 1st-year appointment (06-07 academic year): This short term will not count as a full term for purposes of any limitations on committee participation.
Mark R. McLellan
Dean for Research, IFAS
Director, Florida Agricultural Experiment Station
