[Plsfaculty] Summer Stipend Support Proposal

Mon Apr 22 10:44:46 MST 2024

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to clarify the proposal for summer stipend support that I
presented at our faculty meeting on 19 April. I had hoped we would be
permitted time to discuss the proposal openly as a faculty but that was not
possible. As a result of the lack of discussion and in the interest of
effective faculty governance I hope to foster debate via email so that we
can make a decision in a timely manner.

The Graduate Student Program Committee (GSPC) proposes using the
accumulated interest in our graduate education endowment funds to support
all PLS and PLP graduate students this summer, except in cases in which PIs
opt out or students are supported on their own well-earned Fellowship funds.

First, the GSPC considered this proposal in our April 9 meeting. With their
approval I brought the proposal, with underlying numbers, to the entire
faculty. Second, I want to be clear that I asked the GSPC to weigh in on
this use of funds when I discovered that we had not effectively distributed
money from our endowment accounts. Third, I want to be clear that the use
of interest on our funds is well within the bounds of expected annual
return, even in lean years; therefore, we do not expect that this action
will impede future use of our funds. Fourth, I emphasize that I am in close
contact with those labs who have larger numbers of students, such that
there would not be an inequitable allocation to any individual’s
training/research/mentoring program.

Please note that the largest endowment account is from John Boynton, former
Duke Professor and UA alumnus. Dr. Boynton had given a portion of his
endowment prior to his death, but we received a much more significant
portion once his estate was settled. Therefore, the current scope of the
fund is relatively new to us and a plan for its distribution has yet to be
developed. As a result, a significant amount of interest income (nearly
$400,000) has accumulated. Under our previous funding model, unused funds
are subject to a 25% tax by the University. Thus, we must develop a plan
for the distribution of the Boynton funds and all endowment funds donated
by individuals who expected that we would deploy the money to support
graduate education.

Finally, I want everyone to know that *I will not personally benefit* from
the proposed use of endowment funds since one of my students is in the BMCB
program, and the NIH IMSD program covers the other.

*Important considerations regarding the use of these funds:*

1. Stipend / Fellowship awards which the distribution of these funds would
represent, are *not income* according to federal tax regulations and cannot
be given for "work done." This is something that Dr. McMahon noted in our
meeting on Friday. The stipend would support student research endeavors
over the summer. Because students would not receive other forms of
compensation concurrently (i.e., not paid as a GTA or GRA) there would be
no "blurring of the lines" between paid positions and stipend support. Dr.
McMahon referred to this as a "clean" way to distribute the endowment funds
and I agree. (See item 5, below).

2. Providing a summer stipend allows PI/Advisor grant funds to be
re-deployed as GRA funds during the academic year. It also may free funds
for students to engage in key professional development opportunities,
including conferences or courses, at the discretion of each PI. Here I note
that our graduate faculty support their graduate students from grant
accounts over the summer with only rare exceptions. How do I know this?
Last year I worked with Amanda Armendariz and Lizeth to collect the
necessary account information. In the rare instance that a PI lacks funds
for summer support, the unit has covered this expense from our IDC
return. Moreover, it is generally understood that PIs, if accepting
students into their lab, are responsible for ensuring that summer support
is available from grants or other PI-specific/student-specific sources
(such as fellowships).

3. Our recently hired Assistant Professors have been asked to reduce
spending on start-up accounts until the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
This presents a reasonable mechanism for retaining start-up funds that
could be used to compensate graduate students in these labs.

4. There has never been a broad or limited access proposal to use endowment
funds to provide summer stipends. What I have proposed, with GSPC support,
is new and is *not* intended to be an ongoing practice. It is a means to
spend accumulated interest income and relieve the current financial stress
(a truly “rainy day” scenario).

5. Reserving the funds to deploy as support during the academic year comes
with risks. Consider this *hypothetical *scenario (similar to one presented
by our Interim Director during the faculty meeting): Xiong teaches MIC205
for which our records indicate 3 x 0.5 FTE TAs have been assigned in past
years. This year, due to lack of funds for instructional support he
receives 3 x 0.25 FTE TAs. The other mandated 0.25 FTE for the student is
given as stipend support from endowment funds. The 0.25 FTE TAs cannot
assume the same scope of duties as past 0.5 FTE TAs because they *must
spend no more than 10 hours per week* (rather than 20) on TA duties. Who
will monitor this workload to ensure it decreases appropriately? What
happens when a TA indicates that the workload did not decrease from
previous years, or that they are spending more than 10 hours/week on TA
duties? What are the optics? Viewed from the outside, it will appear as if
we have used endowment funds meant for graduate support to provide
instructional support in violation of both the benefactors’ intentions and
federal stipend regulations. This is not an unrealistic scenario.

Please find attached a more detailed proposal with current
graduate students who are not supported by other programs listed. I split
support among the available funds. In addition, I provide pre- and
post-distribution account balances along with projected yearly earnings for
each endowment fund. As noted by Lizeth in our meeting on Friday, time is
of the essence since she will need to submit paperwork for summer
supplemental support on 4/26.

This coming year, we should discuss effective mechanisms for the ongoing
distribution of funds from our endowment accounts, including the amounts we
should hold in reserve and sums that need to be disbursed. Input from our
faculty is essential in charting a course forward that helps us all deliver
on our mission, and working together to support one another is a welcome
element in a well-functioning unit.

Best,

Mark

___________________
Mark Beilstein, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Director of Graduate Studies
Bart Cardon Fellow
School of Plant Sciences
P.O. Box 210036
Forbes Building, Room 303
Tucson, AZ 85721-0036
____________________
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://list.cals.arizona.edu/pipermail/plsfaculty/attachments/20240422/c229970c/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: SummerStipendProposal.Pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 152665 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <https://list.cals.arizona.edu/pipermail/plsfaculty/attachments/20240422/c229970c/attachment-0001.pdf>