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F Y 2 0 0 5 Research Catalog October 2005 Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning
FY
2005
ResearchCatalog
October 2005
Board of Trustees of StateInstitutions of Higher Learning
FY
2005
Board of Trustees of StateInstitutions of Higher Learning
ResearchCatalog
Prepared by
Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher LearningOffice of Research and Planning
3825 Ridgewood RoadJackson, MS 39211
Phone: (601) 432-6742 Fax: (601) 432-6117www.ihl.state.ms.us/research/default.asp
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PREFACE
The external resources identified in the Research Catalog are an indication of the nationalcompetitiveness of the universities in the State of Mississippi and of the quality research they conduct.These resources provide essential funds to the state’s public universities which not only strengthenthe different areas of research, but also strengthen the teaching and service missions of the universities.
The Research Catalog is mandated by the State through the University Research Center Act of 1988(37-141-17). This publication indicates the sources and the amounts of the external funds whichsupport the research and sponsored program activities conducted by the eight universities.
The catalog also serves as a resource which:
1. Assists in developing strong legislative funding support for research,
2. Improves the national image of Mississippi universities as research institutions,
3. Encourages continued and expanded external funding support for research at thestate’s universities, and
4. Enhances further development of technology transfer and practical applications ofresearch which have the potential to impact the state’s business economy.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Notes:C The Research Catalog only includes external funding awards for research and sponsored
programs. External funds for student financial aid are not included in the totals.
C For more specific information concerning research projects, contact the designatedresearch official at each university.
C For additional information concerning the Research Catalog itself, contact the IHL BoardOffice of Policy Research and Planning at 601/432-6742.
C To view the Research Catalog online and to download additional copies, visit the web site atwww.ihl.state.ms.us/research/default.asp and then click on planning/statistical publications.
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF STATE INSTITUTIONSOF HIGHER LEARNING
Virginia Shanteau Newton, PresidentGulfport
D. E. Magee, Jr., Vice PresidentJackson
Ed BlakesleeGulfport
Thomas W. ColbertFlowood
L. Stacy Davidson, Jr.Cleveland
Roy KlumbGulfport
Bettye Henderson NeelyGrenada
Bob OwensTerry
Aubrey PattersonTupelo
Robin RobinsonLaurel
Scott RossWest Point
Amy WhittenOxford
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INSTITUTIONAL EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Clinton Bristow, Jr., PresidentAlcorn State University
John Hilpert, PresidentDelta State University
Ronald Mason, Jr., PresidentJackson State University
Charles Lee, PresidentMississippi State University
Claudia Limbert, PresidentMississippi University for Women
Lester C. Newman, PresidentMississippi Valley State University
Robert C. Khayat, ChancellorUniversity of Mississippi
Shelby F. Thames, PresidentUniversity of Southern Mississippi
__________________
Daniel W. Jones, Vice Chancellor for Health AffairsUniversity of Mississippi Medical Center
Vance Watson, Vice President forAgriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine
Mississippi State University
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface ............................................................................................................................. i
Board of Trustees ............................................................................................................ ii
Institutional Executive Officers ........................................................................................ iii
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... iv
System Summary ............................................................................................................ 1
System History ................................................................................................................ 3
Alcorn State University (ASU) ......................................................................................... 4
Delta State University (DSU) ........................................................................................... 5
Jackson State University (JSU) ....................................................................................... 6
Mississippi State University (MSU) .................................................................................. 8
Mississippi University for Women (MUW) ..................................................................... 10
Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) ................................................................... 11
University of Mississippi and Medical Center (UM and UMMC) .................................... 12
University of Southern Mississippi (USM) ..................................................................... 14
_______________________________________________________________________
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH GROUPS ........................................................................... 17
Mississippi University Research Authority (MURA) ....................................................... 19
Mississippi Research Consortium (MRC) ...................................................................... 21
Mississippi Education and Research Group (MERG) .................................................... 23
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MISSISSIPPI INSTITUTIONS of HIGHER LEARNING
FY 2005 Research Catalog - IHL System Summary
Dr. Richard Crofts, Commissioner
Period Covered: July 1, 2004 - June 30, 2005
Funding Sources
UniversityTotal Funding
Awarded Federal State Private/
Corporate/Other ASU $21,999,143 $20,772,109 $639,045 $587,989DSU 6,803,026 4,519,396 389,987 1,893,643JSU 49,151,264 42,204,445 3,776,018 3,170,801MSU 127,943,563 76,291,514 13,891,360 37,760,689MUW* 6,715,242 921,827 4,986,557 806,858MVSU 11,102,780 9,953,819 1,080,584 68,377UM/UMMC 114,208,908 86,776,038 5,747,899 21,684,971USM 71,379,786 62,745,013 3,184,056 5,450,717SYSTEM $409,303,712 $304,184,161 $33,695,506 $71,424,045
Total ResearchUniversity Projects SupportedASU 101DSU 69JSU 165MSU 1,688MUW* 28MVSU 2UM/UMMC 461USM 412SYSTEM 2,926
NOTE:* MUW figures include the Mississippi School for Math and Science.
Percent of Funding Sources
74.3%
8.2%
17.5%
FederalStateOther
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MISSISSIPPI INSTITUTIONS of HIGHER LEARNING
System History - Research and Sponsored Programs
Total External Funding
University FY 2001 FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005ASU $16,508,276 $16,222,664 $19,120,216 $20,426,054 $21,999,143DSU 2,869,251 5,678,354 6,773,064 7,087,707 6,803,026JSU 38,691,941 47,285,034 43,361,165 56,907,532 49,151,264MSU 111,921,628 123,161,291 126,295,941 150,045,912 127,943,563MUW* 4,421,083 4,413,251 5,105,920 5,591,936 6,715,242MVSU 9,157,286 11,186,322 9,238,832 9,026,373 11,102,780UM 72,594,887 65,327,241 78,432,868 64,276,622 67,986,974UMMC 42,106,837 37,317,418 29,282,592 38,416,659 46,221,934USM 50,101,359 62,688,022 67,132,899 69,004,140 71,379,786SYSTEM $348,372,548 $373,279,597 $384,743,497 $420,782,935 $409,303,712
Percent Change in External Funding
FY 2001 FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004University to FY 2002 to FY 2003 to FY 2004 to FY 2005ASU -1.7% 17.9% 6.8% 7.7%DSU 97.9% 19.3% 4.6% -4.0%JSU 22.2% -8.3% 31.2% -13.6%MSU 10.0% 2.5% 18.8% -14.7%MUW* -0.2% 15.7% 9.5% 20.1%MVSU 22.2% -17.4% -2.3% 23.0%UM -10.0% 20.1% -18.0% 5.8%UMMC -11.4% -21.5% 31.2% 20.3%USM 25.1% 7.1% 2.8% 3.4%SYSTEM 7.1% 3.1% 9.4% -2.7%
Percent Change in Total Projects Supported
Fiscal Year Total Projects % ChangeFY 2001 2,650FY 2002 2,757 4.0%FY 2003 2,849 3.3%FY 2004 2,637 -7.4%FY 2005 2,926 11.0%
NOTE:* MUW figures include the Mississippi School for Math and Science.
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ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY
Annual Report on Research and Sponsored Programs
Dr. Clinton Bristow, Jr. - President
Dr. Franklin D. Jackson - Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Planning, and ResearchPhone (601) 877-6118
Period Covered: July 1, 2004 - June 30, 2005
I. Funding Distribution - College/Division TotalSchool of General College for Excellence $615,148School of Arts and Sciences 2,284,412School of Education and Psychology 1,188,595School of Agriculture, Research, Extension, and Applied Sciences 13,790,531School of Nursing 887,781Office of Community Development 339,608Office of Strengthening Institutions Program (Title III) 2,893,068GRAND TOTAL $21,999,143
II. Funding Sources TotalFederalNational Institutes of Health $816,428National Science Foundation 517,653U.S. Department of Agriculture 12,170,776U.S. Department of Defense - NASA 7,500U.S. Department of Education 4,293,466U.S. Department of Energy 50,000U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 1,034,005U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 894,150U.S. Department of Labor 900,000U.S. Department of State - USAID 88,131Total Federal $20,772,109
Total State Agencies $639,045
Total Private/Foundations/Corporate/Non-Profit $389,099
Total Other $198,890
GRAND TOTAL $21,999,143
III. These awards supported a total of 101 research projects in FY 2005.
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DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY
Annual Report on Research and Sponsored Programs
Dr. John Hilpert - President
Dr. John Thornell - Provost and Vice President for Academic AffairsPhone (662) 846-4867
Period Covered: July 1, 2004 - June 30, 2005
I. Funding Distribution - College/Division TotalBologna Performing Arts Center 28,487Center for Community & Economic Development 2,131,277Coahoma County Higher Education Center 500,000College of Arts & Sciences 918,900College of Business, Small Business Development Center 78,454College of Education 1,446,715Delta Center for Culture & Learning 84,918Greenville Higher Education Center 28,900Library Services 12,672Office of the President 615,860School of Nursing 354,344Vice President for Finance 602,499GRAND TOTAL $6,803,026
II. Funding Sources TotalFederalCorporation for National & Community Service 1,673,553Department of Health & Human Services 352,344Department of Education 992,000Department of Justice 100,000Delta Regional Authority 858,499National W riting Project 43,000USDA 500,000Total Federal $4,519,396
Total State Agencies $389,987
Total Private/Foundations/Corporate/Non-Profit $1,497,732
Total Other Universities $323,134
Total Local Governments $72,777
GRAND TOTAL $6,803,026
III. These awards supported a total of 69 research projects in FY 2005.
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JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY
Annual Report on Research and Sponsored Programs
Dr. Ronald Mason, Jr. - President
Dr. Felix A. Okojie - Vice President of Research and Federal RelationsPhone (601) 979-2931
Period Covered: July 1, 2004 - June 30, 2005
I. Funding Distribution - College/Division Total College of Business $370,221 College of Education & Human Development 595,215 College of Liberal Arts 2,025,485 College of Public Service 3,649,448 College Science, Engineering & Technology 19,351,289 Division International Studies 7,460,207 Division of Lifelong Learning 130,000 Office of Academic Affairs 688,787 Office of Business & Finance 6,245,127 Office of Economic Development & Local Governmental Affairs 387,450 Office of Research Development & Federal Relations 4,665,080 Office of the President 3,582,955GRAND TOTAL $49,151,264
II. Funding Sources TotalFederalU. S. Agency of International Development $4,000,000U. S. Department of Agriculture 288,768U. S. Department of Commerce 1,551,988U. S. Department of Defense 7,921,126U. S. Department of Energy 309,340U. S. Department of Education 8,682,741U. S. Department of Environmental Protection Agency 60,000U. S. Department of Health & Human Services 1,450,546U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 248,000U. S. Department of Justice 100,000U. S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs 2,683,587U. S. Department of Transportation 400,550National Aeronautics & Space Administration 571,118National Endowment of the Humanities 127,806National Institutes of Health 9,528,748
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National Science Foundation 3,887,472National Collegiate Athletic Association 139,450Small Business Administration 253,205Total Federal $42,204,445
Total State Agencies $3,776,018
Total Private Foundations/Corporations $956,081
Foundations and Non-Profit Agencies $2,214,720
GRAND TOTAL $49,151,264
III. These awards supported a total of 165 research projects in FY 2005.
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MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
Annual Report on Research and Sponsored Programs.
Dr. J. Charles Lee - President
Dr. Colin G. Scanes - Vice President for Research and Graduate StudiesPhone (662) 325-3570
Dr. Vance H. Watson - Vice President for Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary MedicinePhone (662) 325-1215
Period Covered: July 1, 2004 - June 30, 2005
I. Funding Distribution - College/Division TotalArchitecture 66,980Arts and Sciences 3,089,194Branch Campuses 3,215,969Business and Industry 484,975Centers and Institutes 38,799,434Continuing Education 26,800Education 4,970,998Engineering 34,043,063Forest Resources/FWRC 6,838,360General Administration 15,000Graduate 180,000MS Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES)/CALS 21,726,211MS State University Extension Service (MSU ES) 11,229,869Veterinary Medicine 3,149,943Vice President for Research 7,175Vice President for Student Affairs 99,593GRAND TOTAL $127,943,563
II. Funding Sources TotalFederalU.S. Department of Agriculture 20,571,654U.S. Department of Education 1,483,643U.S. Department of Commerce 159,192U.S. Department of Defense 18,343,841U.S. Department of Economic Development Administration 140,000U.S. Department of Energy 7,003,827U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 1,242,625U.S. Department of Interior 2,498,874U.S. Department of Justice 986,643U.S. Department of Labor 2,053,375
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U.S. Department of Transportation 995,800U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 547,100National Aeronautics and Space Administration 4,999,935NAVY 213,421National Institutes of Health 3,433,691National Science Foundation 9,861,408National Security Agency 491,041TACOM 600,000Other Federal 665,445Total Federal 76,291,514
Total Mississippi State Agencies 13,891,360
Total Private/Corporate 18,662,662
Total Foundations and Non-Profit Agencies 10,867,565
Total Other State Governments 350,922
Total Other Universities 6,019,584
Total Foreign Governments & Organizations 53,314
Total Local Governments 1,806,643
GRAND TOTAL 127,943,563
III. These awards supported a total of 1,688 research projects in FY 2005.
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MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY for WOMEN
Annual Report on Research and Sponsored Programs
Dr. Claudia Limbert - President
Ms. Nora Miller - Vice President for Finance and AdministrationPhone (662) 329-7145
Period Covered: July 1, 2004 - June 30, 2005
I. Funding Distribution - College/Division TotalDivision of Education & Human Science 389,302Division of Nursing 364,059Division of Science and Math 773,669Division of Humanities 22,830Academic Support 4,681,317Other Units 484,066GRAND TOTAL* $6,715,242
Funding Sources TotalII. Federal
U. S. Department of Education $554,002U. S. Department of Justice 297,903.98FEMA 25,193.00National Aeronautics and Space Administration 6,728U. S. Department of Health and Human Services 38,000Total Federal $921,827
Total State Agencies $4,986,557
Total Private/Foundations/Corporate/Non-Profit $468,555
Total Other Universities $338,303
GRAND TOTAL* $6,715,242
III. These awards supported a total of 28 research projects in FY 2005.
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MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Annual Report on Research and Sponsored Programs
Dr. Lester C. Newman - President
Dr. Moses Newsome, Jr. - Vice President for Research, Planning, Community & Econ. Dev.
Mr. Perry L. Herrington - Director of Sponsored Programs and Title IIIPhone (662) 254-3434
Period Covered: July 1, 2004 - June 30, 2005
I. Funding Distribution - College/Division TotalAdministrative Support 936,075Education 5,576,564Liberal Arts 56,680Outreach Programs 3,105,885Science and Technology 504,149Student Personnel 923,427GRAND TOTAL $11,102,780
II. Funding Sources TotalFederalU. S Department of Education $7,068,539U. S Department of Agriculture 883,302U. S Department of Health and Human Services 270,898National Institute of Health 91,800National Science 762,123Other Agencies 652,572U. S Department of Transportation 224,585Total Federal $9,953,819
Total State Agencies $1,080,584
Total Private/Foundations/Corporate/Non-Profit $68,377
GRAND TOTAL $11,102,780
III. These awards supported a total of 2 research projects in FY 2005.
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UNIVERSITY of MISSISSIPPI
Annual Report on Research and Sponsored Programs
Dr. Robert C. Khayat - Chancellor
Dr. Alice M. Clark - Vice Chancellor for Research and Sponsored ProgramsPhone (662) 915-7482
Dr. Daniel W. Jones - Vice Chancellor for Health AffairsPhone (601) 984-1010
Period Covered: July 1, 2004- June 30, 2005
I. Funding Distribution - College/Division Total A. Oxford Campus
College of Liberal Arts $3,462,564School of Applied Sciences 593,970School of Business Administration 913,326School of Education 1,345,920School of Engineering 9,993,450School of Law 1,136,257School of Pharmacy 18,752,757Office of Research and Sponsored Programs & Associated Units 28,958,008Other Units 2,830,722Total Oxford $67,986,974
B. Medical CenterSchool of Dentistry $5,694,844School of Medicine 27,354,865School of Nursing 2,528,626School of Health Related Professions 515,379Teaching Hospital 378,603Office of Strategic Research Alliances 7,129,117Academic Affairs 120,500Office of the Vice Chancellor 2,500,000Total Medical Center $46,221,934
GRAND TOTAL $114,208,908
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UNIVERSITY of MISSISSIPPI
Annual Report on Research and Sponsored Programs
Dr. Robert C. Khayat - Chancellor
Dr. Alice M. Clark - Vice Chancellor for Research and Sponsored ProgramsPhone (662) 915-7482
Dr. Daniel W. Jones - Vice Chancellor for Health AffairsPhone (601) 984-1010
Period Covered: July 1, 2004- June 30, 2005
I. Funding Distribution - College/Division Total A. Oxford Campus
College of Liberal Arts $3,462,564School of Applied Sciences 593,970School of Business Administration 913,326School of Education 1,345,920School of Engineering 9,993,450School of Law 1,136,257School of Pharmacy 18,752,757Office of Research and Sponsored Programs & Associated Units 28,958,008Other Units 2,830,722Total Oxford $67,986,974
B. Medical CenterSchool of Dentistry $5,694,844School of Medicine 27,354,865School of Nursing 2,528,626School of Health Related Professions 515,379Teaching Hospital 378,603Office of Strategic Research Alliances 7,129,117Academic Affairs 120,500Office of the Vice Chancellor 2,500,000Total Medical Center $46,221,934
GRAND TOTAL $114,208,908
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UNIVERSITY of SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
Annual Report on Research and Sponsored Programs
Dr. Shelby F. Thames - President
Dr. Cecil Burge - Vice President for Research and Economic DevelopmentPhone (601) 266-5116
Period Covered: July 1, 2004 - June 30, 2005
I. Funding Distribution - College/Division TotalArts and Letters $577,478Business 180,066Education and Psychology 3,372,335Health 11,807,654Office of the Provost - Gulf Coast Campus 5,146,903Office of the Provost - Hattiesburg Campus 5,643,827Research and Economic Development 7,074,934Science and Technology 35,536,084Student Affairs 1,798,125University Libraries 242,380GRAND TOTAL $71,379,786
II. Funding Sources TotalFederalNational Aeronautics and Space Administration $3,346,478National Endowment for Humanities/Arts 15,993National Science Foundation 6,342,167U.S. Department of Agriculture 3,884,867U.S. Department of Commerce 10,453,371U.S. Department of Defense 4,430,258U.S. Department of Education 6,516,689U.S. Department of Energy 757,535U.S. Department of Health and Human Service 12,939,444U.S. Department of Interior 819,084
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U.S. Department of Justice 5,216,944U.S. Department of Transportation 1,273,063U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2,219,976Other Federal Agencies 4,529,144Total Federal $62,745,013
Total State Agencies $3,184,056
Total Private/Foundations/Corporate/Non-Profit $5,450,717
GRAND TOTAL $71,379,786
III. These awards supported a total of 412 research projects in FY 2005
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH GROUPS
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Mississippi University Research Authority(MURA)
The primary role of the Mississippi University Research Authority (MURA), authorized by theLegislature in 1992 through the Mississippi University Research Authority Act, is to promote thepublic welfare and prosperity of the people of Mississippi and to foster economic development withinthe state by forging links among the state=s educational institutions, businesses and industrialcommunities, and state government through the development of cooperative ventures of innovativetechnological significance which will advance education, research, or economic development withinthe state. These ventures facilitate the commercialization of technologies developed or discovered incampus environments and enhance the economic development of the state through suchcommercialization. Before the MURA Act was passed, the ethics laws of Mississippi effectivelyprohibited university faculty from commercializing their research. These laws were established toprohibit public servants from engaging in activities which would be in conflict with their public positions.Although the ethics laws were directed toward public officials, the language in the laws is such thatattempts to commercialize technology by faculty members of a university could be construed as aviolation of the laws.
The MURA Board is composed of the University Research Vice-Presidents from the threecomprehensive public universities and from the urban public university, a representative from theMississippi Development Authority, the president of the Mississippi Resource DevelopmentCorporation, the president of the Mississippi Education Research Group (MERG), and the VicePresident of the IHL Board of Trustees. The Commissioner of Higher Education serves as an exofficio member, and members of the Board staff serve as the Executive Director and as theAdministrative Assistant.
MURA was established in such a way that there is an extensive review process for any proposalfor technology transfer or commercialization. The process is initiated with the Chief Research Officerof the affected university. The proposal is then recommended to the President of the university, whomust certify that there is no conflict with the university and that the participation of the faculty memberin the commercialization of the technology will not bring harm to the university or to the economicdevelopment of the state. The President then recommends that the proposal be reviewed by theMURA Board, which objectively assesses the nature of the proposed commercialization. This processof full disclosure and evaluation first by the university and then by the MURA Board serves to assurethat each proposal is of economic interest to the state and is not in conflict with the interests orcommitments of the state, the university, or the faculty member(s).
MURA enables faculty members who conceive of new technologies to copyright and/or patenttheir discoveries, to participate in the development of the technologies, and to realize some commercialbenefit. It allows individuals who have developed or discovered new technologies through campus-based research to be a part of new spin-off businesses in Mississippi, rather than being forced tochannel their discoveries through agencies and businesses outside Mississippi, thus allowingMississippi to realize the economic benefits of the commercialization. The impact from universityresearch, particularly when commercialization occurs, can be far reaching and long-term. The MURAprocess for facilitating technology transfer and commercialization holds tremendous future possibilitiesfor the state of Mississippi.
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Mississippi Research Consortium(MRC)
The Mississippi Research Consortium, formed in 1986, is a coalition of Mississippi’s fourresearch universities, Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, the University ofMississippi, and the University of Southern Mississippi. The four Chief Research Officers constitutethe Board of Directors. The Board members serve as the driving force for collaborative university-based research. The MRC Board also serves as the Science and Technology Research Advisors toboth the Governor and the Legislature with the responsibility for integrating science and technologyinitiatives with economic development plans in Mississippi. The Board links the physical and intellectualresources of the universities to identify needs and opportunities for the state and to address appropriateresponses to those needs and opportunities. A member of MRC also serves on the Board of theMississippi Enterprise for Technology and the Mississippi Science and Technology Commission.
The goals of the MRC include to develop, support, and sustain basic and applied researchthat is nationally competitive; to increase public awareness of science, engineering, and mathematicsat every educational level in order to develop a scientifically literate citizenry who will fuel the scienceand engineering pipeline with the state’s own human resources and who will attract external scientificexpertise; to establish and maintain a solid scientific infrastructure, including equipment, collaboration,facilities, private sector linkages, and federal laboratory partnerships; and to expand the economicopportunities of the state though technology/knowledge transfer activities that includecommercialization, technical assistance, and education of a workforce that can support technology-based industries. The creation of the Mississippi Universities Research Authority (MURA) Act of1992 was the culmination of the Mississippi Research Consortium Technology Transfer Task Forceworking with the IHL Board Office.
Member institutions work from an attitude of mutual respect and trust. All agree that theindividual institutions have secured more resources through their combined efforts than any one ofthem could have received working independently. This attitude has been successfully conveyed tothe faculty, who often initiate the collaborative efforts and recommend that certain proposals gothrough MRC. Generally, MRC operates by forming faculty teams from several universities to addressthe research opportunities. The organization has received visibility as a national model, especiallyfrom the National Science Foundation, as a way to put together a state science and technologyinfrastructure. Often MRC works with all eight public universities and the medical center to strengthenresearch components.
Very quickly MRC became involved not only in joint research activities but also in humanresource development programs and in science policy issues both within the state and the nation.Through the successful cooperative agreement with the Stennis Space Center, agencies located inthe Stennis Center issue task requests, and MRC puts together the mechanism from the institutionsto develop the proposal to address that task.
The cooperative structure of MRC removed the political problems of perceived favoritism thatstate agencies had in using the state’s public universities for technology support. Now, rather thangoing out of state for such support, many state agencies work with MRC.
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Mississippi Education and Research Group(MERG)
The Mississippi Education and Research Group (MERG) was established in 1990 withrepresentation from each of the eight public universities in the state. The primary goals of MERG areto promote collaboration, resource sharing, and communication concerning education and researchmatters that have an impact on all of the public universities. The result of these efforts is thatopportunities which would have been outside the budgetary capabilities of an individual universityare made available to the universities through MERG.
The conception of and the need for the establishment of MERG originated in the MississippiResearch Consortium (MRC), comprised of the Chief Research Officers of the four ResearchUniversities (Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, the University of Mississippi,and the University of Southern Mississippi). The MRC had successfully promoted collaborativeresearch and collaborative funding among themselves. However, MRC realized that Mississippi wouldbest be served if a separate organization was created for the coordination of statewide projects.Additionally, this new organization provided a vehicle for sharing the research and education expertiseof the research universities with the four other universities (Alcorn State University, Delta StateUniversity, Mississippi University for Women, and Mississippi Valley State University).
MERG was initially involved with two projects, the Mississippi Alliance for Minority Participation(MAMP) and the Rural Science Initiative (RSI). However, many new and important outcomes haveevolved from the activities of MERG. The accomplishments and initiatives of MERG may best bereviewed in three broad categories: (1) Educational Efforts, (2) Research Efforts, and (3) Administrativeand Legal Consulting.
Educational Efforts: MERG served as the coordinating agent for the development of theMississippi Alliance for Minority Participation, a major grant from the National Science Foundationwhich provides financial and academic support to under-represented minorities wishing to pursuecareers in science, engineering, and mathematics. MERG members worked from a nuclear concept,developing plans for each of the universities and continuing as the primary coordinating group in theoversight of changes and new directions throughout the program’s implementation. MERG has alsoserved in the coordinating role for the successful Rural Science Initiative Grant, which supportspublic school education in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas, and has developed a proposal forScience-Humanities initiatives in undergraduate teaching.
Research Efforts: The MRC developed and received major research funding under the EPSCoRprograms, designed to advance the research capabilities of universities in selected states. Numerouscollaborative research projects have resulted among the research universities. MERG has servedas a means of disseminating related research opportunities to the regional universities and of sharingboth human resources and research facilities among all eight public universities. MERG has alsomade contacts with the National Science Foundation about developing proposals to support the useof the Internet as a research resource and for research discussion groups.
Administrative and Legal Consulting: Through MERG, the research universities, which havemajor grants and development offices, have been able to provide assistance to the regional universitiesconcerning grant proposals, rapidly changing federal regulations, and sources of funding.
