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University Research Computing Facility Advisory Committee

Charge

The University Research Computing Facility (URCF) provides high-performance scientific computing and secure storage of data including protected health information to Drexel University and its academic and industrial partners.

The University Research Computing Facility Advisory Committee (the “Committee”) is charged by the Executive Vice Provost for Research and Innovation (EVPRI), comprised of Drexel faculty, staff, and users, with the express purpose of advising the Director of High-Performance Computing, the Operations Director of Research Core Facilities, and the EVPRI to ensure the URCF meets its strategic, financial, and operational goals. 

The Committee’s responsibilities include:

  • Identifying and advocating for current and future research needs of the URCF’s stakeholders (faculty, users, and staff) and partners (external academic and industrial users).
  • Promoting stewardship of URCF resources including compliance with internal and external policies and regulations.
  • Assisting with the development and achievement of an URCF Strategic Plan.
  • Assisting with the production of a URCF Annual Report for the EVPRI.
  • Assist in identifying external and internal sponsored program opportunities that support URCF’s equipment and operational needs. This includes reviewing and making recommendations to the EVPRI on internal proposals for NSF Major Research Instrumentation and other internal funding competitions that impact the URCF mission.
  • Promoting facility usage by identifying business development and sponsored research opportunities.
  • Assist in developing training materials that support the growth in URCF utilization.
  • Advising the Director of High-Performance Computing on URCF policies and procedures.

Leadership

  • The Faculty Director serves as Chair of the Committee.
  • The Faculty Director is selected by the EVPRI with input from the committee, facility staff, and university community and must be a tenured faculty member or hold the rank of Associate Professor or higher. The Faculty Director can serve for no more than three consecutive one-year terms.
  • If the Faculty Director resigns mid-term, the EVPRI will select a new Faculty Director from the active committee members or the larger university community.

Membership

  • The Committee shall be comprised of at least 6 and not more than 12 active voting members, one of whom is the Faculty Director.
  • Ex-officio members include the Director of High-Performance Computing, the Associate Vice President for Core Technology Infrastructure, and ORI’s Operations Director of Research Core Facilities or another EVPRI representative.
  • The Committee should be comprised of faculty members, including tenured, tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty.
  • Members are appointed by the EVPRI annually for one-year terms in consultation with the Committee.
  • Members should represent users from diverse but relevant academic disciplines.
  • If a committee member resigns before the expiration of the term, the EVPRI can choose to open a new member selection process or allow the position to remain vacant until the next annual selection period.  A replacement member serves the remainder of the term that was vacated. A member appointed to fill a vacancy may be appointed to a new term if there is an opening.
  • The Director of High-Performance Computing and, if necessary, the Operations Director of Research Core Facilities will provide the Faculty Director and Facility Advisory Committee with regular updates on the facilities utilization and operations.

Attendance

  • Committee members are expected to inform the Faculty Director in advance of any absences. It is recommended that notice of absence be given as early as possible to provide the Faculty Director with the opportunity to cancel or reschedule a meeting for which low attendance is expected.
  • Three consecutive absences, for which the Faculty Director did not receive prior notice, will be considered a resignation from the Committee.
  • Members who have an approved leave of absence from the University may petition the Committee for a leave of absence as well. In such cases, the Committee will recommend a temporary replacement to serve for the duration of the leave of absence.

Organization

  • The Committee will determine meeting times and frequencies, nominally once per quarter, scheduled at a time to maximize member attendance. More frequent meetings or ad hoc meetings may be scheduled as needed. 
  • Administrative support will be provided by the Office of Research & Innovation and will include but not limited to scheduling, conference room reservation, and communications support.  
  • Persons who are not members of the Committee may be invited to join ad hoc to bring special expertise to the deliberations or to expand the Committee’s attention and information on certain issues. Ad hoc participants may also serve on task forces or sub-committees formed by the EVPRI or Faculty Director.
  • The Committee will strive to develop decisions by consensus; however, substantive matters will be determined by a majority vote.  A quorum of committee members must be present for a vote; a quorum will consist of a simple majority of the Committee roster.