UO tries to charge

10/9/2009 update: Rich Linton gave a very helpful response to a request for F&A/ICC expenditure, below. We will put together a post over the weekend summarizing what we now know about this issue.

We have been reporting similar data to UW’s since I arrived at the UO, primarily via the annual reports available at the ORSA Website; For FY08 see http://orsa.uoregon.edu/web/reports/pdf/FY2008_FA_Expenditures.pdf
Figures F-3 and F-4 are most relevant and illustrate the extent to which F&A is used in direct support of faculty and their research endeavors.

Although our breakout of F&A expenditures by category is not identical to UW’s, it appears that we invest proportionately more in central support of faculty (e.g. start-up packages, matching funds on grants), and proportionately less in central support of facilities (e.g. operations and maintenance) or administrative costs (i.e. general, departmental and sponsored project administration combined). Note that 48% of UW’s F&A is directed to administrative costs, while ours is 24% plus the extent to which the units use discretionary F&A funds to support administrative functions The units generating the F&A receive comparable percentages of return for discretionary use at both UW and UO.

Hope this helps.

Rich

10/9/2009: If you google University of Washington F&A rate you get this nice explanation, complete with a pie graph showing how they spent the money.

Try to get that kind of info for the UO from Melinda Grier and Rich Linton, and you get an email like this:

Dear Professor X:

The University of Oregon received your public records request for a copy of the University of Oregon proposal submitted to the Program Support Center (PSC), the response from PSC sent to the University of Oregon, and the University of Oregon’s contract with Maximus. The University is now providing an estimate.

The University estimates the actual cost of providing the documents responsive to your request to be $173.11. Upon receipt of a check made payable to the University of Oregon in the amount of $173.11, the University will proceed to locate, copy, and provide the records you have requested that are not exempt from disclosure. Your check may be sent to the attention of the General Counsel’s office at 1226 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1226. Your request for a fee waiver is respectfully denied.

Please note that if the cost of preparing the documents for you is less than the estimate, we will refund the difference. If the cost of preparing the report for you exceeds the estimate, however, you may be charged for the difference.

We’ve got a ways to go. Oh yeah, their rate is 55.5%, versus 42% at UO.