U of A, UA System Division of Agriculture sign special agreement

By to the MDR

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas and the UA System Division of Agriculture ( UADA) have signed a special agreement to guide the ongoing cooperation and fundamental interactions between the two entities.

“The agreement reflects a new spirit of collaboration for the mutual benefit of the University of Arkansas, the Division of Agriculture and the state of Arkansas,” said Ed Fryar, UA System Board of Trustees member and chair of the agriculture committee. “I’m thankful to all those who are working together with the best interests of Arkansans in mind to strengthen the collective impact of both entities.”

“This is an important step forward, not only in the formal codification of the specific details in the agreement, but also in reinforcing the benefits of the mutual association between the U of A and the Division of Agriculture moving forward,” said UA System President Donald Bobbitt.

In 1959, the Board of Trustees created the Division of Agriculture to focus land grant research and outreach efforts in Arkansas. Many of its faculty have joint appointments within the Division of Agriculture and the University of Arkansas and the two have overlapping properties. As the two entities have their own administration and policies, the agreement is meant to ensure fluid operations between the Division of Agriculture and the University of Arkansas.

The agreement includes operations for the remainder of the current fiscal year and fiscal year 2023, or until completion of a Memorandum of Agreement ( MOA) to take effect no later than the beginning of fiscal year 2024.

Appropriate leadership and other representatives from the U of A and UADA will continue to convene to finalize the terms of the MOA. The MOA will include but is not limited to terms and procedures related to finance and human capital operations, services, benefits, facilities and space allocation, and management of joint appointments.

“We have long partnered successfully with the Division of Agriculture,” said Interim Chancellor Charles Robinson. “And this initiative to evaluate and align our shared resources will play an important role in strengthening that partnership for the future as we seek to produce innovative research and provide meaningful outreach in service of our land- grant mission.”

“This is a new agreement for a new time, and I could not be more supportive,” said Interim Vice President of Agriculture Chuck Culver. “I want to thank former Vice President for Agriculture Mark Cochran for starting this process, the Division of Agriculture leadership team for their vision and cooperative spirit, and Chancellor Robinson for his desire to strengthen the relationship between our two institutions.”

“In addition to its many other benefits, this special agreement lays an important foundation for expanding the ways that we support our wonderful and hardworking staff and faculty,” said Deacue Fields, Bumpers College dean and vice president of agriculture designee. “I am delighted by that progress and look forward to helping facilitate the development of an MOA that positions both Bumpers College and the division for future success.”

Fields assumes his new role as vice president of agriculture for the UA System July 1, when J. F. Meullenet will begin his role as interim dean for the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. Meullenet will also continue to serve as UADA’S senior associate vice president for agriculture research, and director of the Agricultural Experiment Station.

“This agreement reinforces our already strong ties to the U of A and ensures that faculty have the tools and resources they need to conduct research and make discoveries,” Meullenet said. “We look forward to further collaboration with the U of A to finalize the MOA and advance our shared goals.”

“This collaborative agreement extends beyond Northwest Arkansas and into each county in the state,” said Bob Scott, senior associate vice president- agriculture- extension for the Division of Agriculture. “The Little Rock State Office and all 75 county offices are a part of the Division of Agriculture. I am pleased with the environment of collaboration and cooperation that Chancellor Robinson has cultivated during his tenure as interim.”

While the MOA is being developed, the special agreement provides specific guidance in the following areas:

Financial Terms

Until such time as the MOA is adopted, UADA AES- generated indirect costs related to sponsored research will be allocated according to the following structure:

University of Arkansas – 50%

UADA AES ( including allocations to Bumpers College departments) – 50%

Administrative vices Fees Benefits

Ser

No administrative services fees shall be charged by the U of A to UADA during the period of the special agreement.

Promotion & Tenure

Faculty hired in FY22 or FY23 with a minimum 20% U of A appointment will be eligible for a tenured or tenure- track position with the minimum 20% assignment for the U of A- budgeted appointment, to be in either teaching or research.

Current UADA employees on campus or at the Milo J. Shult Research & Extension Center will have access to the current benefits and discounts applicable to U of A employees.

Retired UADA employees who held joint appointments between the U of A and UADA will receive benefits and discounts customarily awarded to retirees who worked on campus. The U of A will maintain these customary benefits and discounts as long as they are also being provided to retired employees with 100% U of A appointment and as long as the UADA retirees otherwise meet the U of A’s guidelines for retiree benefit eligibility.

The two entities will also begin working together soon on a comprehensive spend analysis to inform the development of a jointly agreed upon cost- share model for implementation of the new MOA.