Terms of Reference

A. Authority

The Engineering Endowment Fund Committee is a standing committee of the Engineering Faculty Council. It is established by Engineering Faculty Council for the purpose of recommending policy on and developing guidelines for: (i) the management of the Engineering Endowment Fund; (ii) reviewing applications for financial support under the Fund; and (iii) recommending to the Dean on the funding of those applications.

The Committee is expected to respect the goal of the Engineering Endowment Fund to support the pursuit of excellence in education, research and public service in the Faculty of Engineering. It is expected to promote, through its actions, the enhancement of instructional and research facilities and equipment, innovative staff and student activities, visits by guest speakers, undergraduate and graduate scholarships, staff development courses and workshops, special library acquisitions, enhancement of facilities and outreach efforts.

B. Composition

The membership of the Committee shall consist of members based on nominations from the respective groups. Nominations should reflect the disciplinary breadth of the Faculty of Engineering.

The voting membership of the Committee shall be as follows:

  1. Four academic staff members, one nominated from each of the Engineering Departments.
  2. One support staff member, nominated by support staff.
  3. Six engineering undergraduate students, nominated by UMES council, with consideration given to gain representation from each of the six undergraduate programs.  The search for nominees shall be advertised to the entire engineering student body by UMES council.
  4. One engineering graduate student, who is also an alumnus from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba, nominated by the graduate students registered in Engineering (including Biosystems Engineering).
  5. Two engineering alumni, appointed by the Dean of Engineering.

The Committee will include the following non-voting members:

  1. The Senior Stick or designate (to serve as an adviser).
  2. A support person appointed by the Dean of Engineering (to serve as committee secretary and to oversee the disbursement of awards).

The Dean of Engineering will appoint the Chair from among the committee members. A new chair will normally have served a minimum of one year on the Committee.  If a suitable nominee is not available on the Committee, a past member or external nominee may be named to serve as an observer for one year to familiarize the incoming Chair with current practices.  The chair serves at the Dean’s discretion with no fixed term.  The chair does not vote except for deciding a tie vote.

Committee members will be appointed for three years and can be renewed for three additional years at the Dean’s discretion.  Normally, after the second term, committee members must be absent for a minimum of two years before another term is served unless otherwise noted above.  Normally, undergraduate student terms will be limited to a maximum of three years during the course of their undergraduate degrees.

 A quorum of the Advisory Committee meeting shall be constituted of ten members.

Funds will be dispersed amongst the various funding categories (Research & Scholarly Activities, Student Activities & Facilities, Equipment & Facilities, Academic & Support Staff Continuing Education, and Outreach) according to guidelines established on an annual basis by the Dean of Engineering in consultation with the Chair of the Engineering Endowment Advisory Committee and the Senior Stick.

C. Responsibilities

C 1 Responsibilities of the Advisory Committee

It shall be the responsibility of the Committee to:

  1. ensure that meetings are held once a year, or at the call of the Dean;
  2. ensure that guidelines, under Section B on p. 215.1 of this document are maintained and available at all times through the Dean's Office and on the EEF web-page for a call for proposals;
  3. ensure that application deadlines for proposals are well publicized to academic and support staff; undergraduate and graduate students, and alumni;
  4. ensure that established guidelines for reviewing proposals for allocation of funds are updated and are available at all times through the Dean's Office, and on the EEF webpage;
  5. ensure that proposals are evaluated according to the established guidelines under Section C on p.215.2 of this document;
  6. ensure that recommendations for full funding, for partial funding, and for non-funding are submitted to the Dean of Engineering.
  7. ensure that EEF-funded projects are well advertised and that project-related information
    is available at all times through the Dean's Office, and on the EEF web-page.

C 1 Responsibilities of the Dean

It shall be the responsibility of the Dean to:

  1. provide, through his office, administrative support for the Advisory Committee
  2. make known, through the secretary of the committee, the approximate amount of money available for disbursement from the earnings of the Engineering Endowment Fund;
  3. disburse the funds available after receiving advice from the Advisory Committee, and inform all applicants on the level of funding assigned to their proposals. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified in writing of the reason(s) for which they were not funded.
  4. assist the Advisory Committee in evaluating proposals by providing a list of priorities for equipment and facilities in the Faculty. The list shall be developed, maintained and updated annually.

C 1 Responsibilities of the Award Winners

It shall be the responsibility of the Award Winners to:

  1. spend the awarded funds in a manner consistent with the original proposal;
  2. submit a report upon completion of the project which includes a complete budget/spreadsheet, and if an event, provide event time schedule with all financial details;
  3. affix a sticker and for plaque which indicates the equipment was sponsored by the Engineering Endowment Fund; when the award does not involve equipment, then some acknowledgement should be made through otherwise suitable means;
  4. notify the Dean at the earliest possible time in the event the funds committed to a project cannot be spent in a manner consistent with the original proposal so the funds can be reallocated by the Dean or returned to the Endowment Fund, The availability of funds will cease two years after they have been awarded unless approval is obtained to extend the award.