A statement of understanding between Ray Ontko and Earlham
College regarding the creation of a Fund to support collaborative
research in Computer Science. Dated October 1, 1996.
Earlham College Computer Science
Alumni/Student/Faculty Collaborative Research
Endowment Fund Proposal
Objective
To engage Earlham students, faculty, and alumni in
collaborative academic pursuits that enhance the
educational experience of students, professionally
develop faculty, and involve alumni researchers
and practitioners in ongoing educational activities
in computer science at Earlham College.
Overview
We, alumni and friends of Earlham College, interested
in computer science and related fields, would like to
promote activities which:
-
enhance the student experience through interaction with
alumni and faculty in educationally appropriate areas
of research and practicum,
-
provide opportunities for professional development
for Earlham faculty interested in computer science, and
-
provide opportunities for alumni and friends of the
college to share academic and practical experience
with students and faculty.
We seek to provide funding for educationally appropriate
activities which bring students, faculty, and alumni into
collaborative efforts to address interesting
and important issues in computer science. We believe that
these activities could form an important complement to the
computer science program at Earlham and distinguish it among
institutions of higher education.
Suggested Activities
Here are a few suggested activities that may work to accomplish
the goals of this proposal:
-
A topical conference scheduled for a week or long weekend
during the academic year. The topic may coincide with a topic
for a junior or senior seminar course offering of the department,
and may involve materials being distributed to interested alumni
during the course. Alumni, students, and faculty might engage
in intensive design, coding, and review sessions as a culmination
of the study effort. Funding would provide materials and
could even be used for faculty professional development to
prepare such a course/project. The project may extend well
beyond the week/weekend through continued participation over
the internet.
-
A programming contest to be held in conjunction with
Homecoming (October) or Alumni Day (June) involving teams
comprised of students, faculty, and alumni. Funds would be
provided for an external adjudicator to prepare the programming
problems and to judge the submitted programs for accuracy,
elegance, and completeness.
-
Alumni colloquia on topics of interest to students and which
are part of the curriculum. Funds would be used to help cover
travel and accomodations for alumni to come to campus to share
their experiences.
Many other activities are possible, and ideas for them should
come from conversations among interested alumni, faculty, and students.
Equipment, speaking fees, travel costs, educational materials,
software, and other costs may be covered from the fund.
In no case shall the funds withdrawn from the endowed fund
exceed the prior year accumulated interest of the fund.
Funding Process
We would like the funding process to be as participatory as
possible. Any current student, faculty member, or donor
to the college may propose a project by submitting it in
writing to the EC CS A/S/F Steering Committee, comprised
of a current faculty member, a current declared CS major or minor,
and a current-year or prior-year donor to the fund.
The Steering Committee shall be responsible for working
with authors to develop proposals and for submitting them
for review and voting by the students, faculty, and interested
alumni.
If funds are to be disbursed in a given academic year, the
convenor of the computer science department shall have called
elections for student and fund donor representatives
no later than October 15 of the prior fiscal year.
The computer science faculty (anyone teaching at least
one course in computer science in the prior academic year
or scheduled to teach at least one course in the current
academic year) shall choose a representative from their
membership by approval of majority of their number.
The computer science students (anyone who is a current
student and declared computer science major or minor)
shall choose a representative from their membership
by approval of a majority of their number.
The computer science donors (anyone having given to
the fund in the current or prior academic year who is not a
current computer science student or computer science
faculty member) shall choose a representative from
their number by approval of a majority of their number.
The elected Steering Committee shall call for proposals no later
than December 15, consider proposals submitted by January 15, and
submit these for a vote no later than February 15. The results
of the vote are then to be used by the Steering Committee to make
a recommendation to the Convenor of the CS department no later than
March 15. The Convenor of the Computer Science department shall
make a final determination as to which project(s) are funded for
the coming year. No funding shall be awarded if the above process
is not executed substantially according to this process. For
the initial year (1996-1997), this process may approve a project
for the spring of 1997, funds permitting.
Money may be disbursed from the fund to cover the costs
of administering elections and distributing proposals
and balloting materials, although most if not all of
the process may be conducted through electronic mail
at minimal cost.
In the event that the computer science department ceases
to exist for any reason, the above process shall be administered
by the convenor of the mathematics department for the purposes
of fostering alumni/student/faculty collaborative research
in computer science until such time as the computer science
department is reconstituted, if ever.
Endowed Fund
We propose the creation of an endowed fund to promote these
activities.
The fund shall be officially labeled as the Earlham College
Computer Science Alumni/Student/Faculty Collaborative Research
Endowment Fund, or more informally, the Computer Science Fund.
Initially gifts will be placed in a quasi-endowment
account designated to support Alumni/Student/Faculty Collaborative
Research as described elsewhere in this proposal. The principal
may remain in the quasi-endowment for up to five years with the
assumption that the principal will reach at least $15,000 by
October 1, 2001. As soon as the principal reaches $15,000, the
fund will become a permanent endowment of the College to serve
the described purposes.
If the principal amount does not reach $15,000 by October 1,
2001, the quasi-endowment status will be changed to a restricted
account from which both income and principal may be drawn down
for the purposes described in this document.
While the principal is in the quasi-endowment account, income may
be dispersed by the convenor of the Computer Science department
as described elsewhere in this document, or may be returned to
principal on an annual basis.
Respectfully submitted,
Ray Ontko '84
Eric Eastman '96
Nick Fankhauser '85
Mark Johnson '92
Charlie Peck '84
Paul Retherford '90
Nathan Treadway '92