Charter

Research Policy and Advisory Committee (RPAC)

The Research Policy and Advisory Committee (RPAC) advises University leadership on research and graduate education policy, procedures, and infrastructure. It recommends resource allocation, reviews research units for effectiveness and alignment with UWM’s mission, and oversees policy related to mandated review boards.

  1. Membership. The committee is composed of the following members:
    1. eight faculty members, as follows:
      1. six elected Faculty members, at least one from each Division;
      2. two faculty members appointed by the Chancellor;
    2. three academic staff members, as follows:
      1. one elected academic staff member who is engaged in research activities;
      2. two academic staff members appointed by the Chancellor;
    3. one representative of the Graduate Faculty Committee;
    4. three ex-officio and non-voting members, as follows:
      1. the administrative Director of sponsored research;
      2. the Vice Provost for Research or designee;
      3. the Dean of the Graduate School or designee.
  2. Functions.
    1. On its own initiative or in cooperation with other Faculty committees, advises the Chancellor, the Provost, the Faculty Senate, and the University executive office in charge of research (e.g. Vice Provost for Research), and the University executive office in charge of graduate education (e.g. Dean of the Graduate School) on matters of research policy, procedures, and infrastructure to promote and advocate for growth of research, graduate education and scholarship at UWM.
    2. Recommends overall allocation of resources for research at UWM, and reviews the operation of all University research units, in order to determine whether the programs and activities are both effective and consistent with the mission and research goals of the University.
    3. Recommends and reviews overall University policy governing all mandated review boards within UWM (e.g., Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects, Institutional Safety and Hazards Committee, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee)
    4. Monitors activities of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) through annual review of the IRB’s policies and procedures, workload, and actions on protocols submitted to the IRB.