Responsible Conduct of Scholarship Committee (RCSC)

Membership of the RCSC

NOTE: The membership and duties of this committee are being analyzed for potential restructuring. For more information, contact David Stone, Associate Vice President for Research, Division of Research and Graduate Studies.

A.    Membership

The Responsible Conduct of Scholarship Committee reports and is advisory to the Graduate Council.  Membership of the committee shall consist of the following:

The following will automatically be on the RCSC:

• vice president for research and graduate studies (chair)
• assistant to the graduate dean for research compliance
• chair, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
• chair, Institutional Biosafety Committee
• director, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center
• research development coordinator in the Office of Sponsored Projects
• executive secretary, University Council

The following will be selected by the vice president for research and graduate studies with the concurrence of the Graduate Council:

• One of the two chairs of the Institutional Review Boards;
• One member of the Faculty Senate selected from at least two Faculty Senate members nominated by the Faculty Senate;
• Additional faculty representatives from each college so that there are a total of three members from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences representing the areas of humanities, the social sciences, and the other sciences; two members from the College of Education; one member from each of the other colleges; and one member from the University Libraries.  For each of these positions, the respective College Council, or similar body shall nominate at least 2 individuals for each position.  Individuals nominated should send a short statement listing their research or scholarship areas.  Individuals selected will serve 3-year staggered terms.

one graduate student selected by the Graduate Student Advisory Council;

one undergraduate student selected by the student members of the Honors Committee.

B.    Duties

The purpose of the NIU RCS program is to provide awareness of complex ethical and related dilemmas that can occur in the scholarship process, and to suggest ways to address them.  The goal is to create a shared culture of responsible scholarship.  The program will not develop explicit rules that restrict intellectual activity.

The RCS program at NIU will make the University community aware of changing governmental and institutional laws, rules, regulations, policies, and ethical professional standards that guide scholarship, and will illustrate the normative issues that cut across scholarly disciplines.  Awareness of ethical and responsible conduct of scholarship includes:

1. Maintaining an awareness of professional responsibilities
2. Creating a shared culture of responsible scholarship
3. Identifying and responding to potential ethical problems
4. Recognizing and understanding cross--disciplinary issues and standards
5. Communicating to the NIU community the content of applicable internal and external policies.

Responsible Conduct of Scholarship Committee (RCSC)

The RCSC meets as needed and per committee members' availability.

*chair