Terms of reference

A. Authority

The Engineering Endowment Fund Committee is a standing committee of the Price Faculty of Engineering Council. It is established by the Price Faculty of Engineering Council for the purpose of (i) recommending policy on and developing guidelines for Faculty Council approval on 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 community engagement in the Price Faculty of Engineering. It is expected to promote, through its actions, the enhancement of learning spaces, research facilities and equipment, innovative staff and student activities, visits by guest speakers, student financial support, staff development courses and workshops, special library acquisitions, enhancement of facilities, and outreach efforts. It is understood that not all types of support may be requested in any given year.

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 Price Faculty of Engineering.

1. The voting membership of the Committee shall be as follows:
   1. Five academic staff members, one nominated from each of the five Engineering departments (Biosystems, Civil, Electrical and Computer, Mechanical, and Engineering Education.
   2. One administrative or technical staff member, nominated by staff.
   3. Five engineering undergraduate students, nominated by UMES council, with consideration given to gain representation from each of the five 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 Price 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.
2. 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 administrative support and to oversee the disbursement of awards).
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. A quorum of the Advisory Committee meeting shall be constituted of ten members during competitions. It is recognized that availability of members can be limited outside of competition times. Should modifications to an application funding direction be requested by the applicants during those times, a reduced quorum is acceptable but will not be less than one quarter of the total committee membership.  
   • Exception to quorum If an applicant identifies a change in application funding that does not alter the previously-approved intent of the application, the recommendation for approval may be made by the Chair in consultation with the financial administrator.
6. All voting members of the EEFAC are expected to vote for all applications and issues brought forward. Members may opt to abstain from voting on an application. If a member opts to abstain, their vote will be considered as part of the total quorum.
7. Disbursement of funds shall be 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.
8. Funds are normally disbursed in two ways: to projects and activities by application from individuals or groups; and to the Dean’s Office for undergraduate laboratory and other educational enhancements identified by the Dean of Engineering.
9. Scholarships and Bursaries are supported by providing funding to UM Financial Aid & Awards. Individual requests for scholarships and bursaries to the Engineering Endowment Fund competition are not accepted for consideration.
10. The committee will support annual calls for applications to the fund. This includes ensuring the Committee website remains functional to allow for competitions, periodically reviewing the terms of reference, and providing information sessions to student organizations through UMES.

C. Responsibilities

C. 1 Responsibilities of the Advisory Committee

It shall be the responsibility of the Committee to:

1. ensure that meetings are held at least once a year to review applications to the fund, or at the
   call of the Dean;
2. ensure that guidelines, under Section B of this document are maintained and available at all
   times through the Dean's Office and on the EEF webpage for a call for proposals;
3. ensure that application deadlines for proposals are well publicized to academic and 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 and a consistent
   rubric across applications.
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 webpage; and,
8. actively work with the Dean to review unspent allocations and/or accumulating balances in
   the fund and consider options, including one-time projects, to ensure the fund does not
   accumulate excessive carryover.

C. 2 Responsibilities of the Dean

It shall be the responsibility of the Dean to:

1. Provide, through their office, administrative support for the Advisory Committee.
2. Make known, through the administrative support to the committee, the 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.

C. 3 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. Acknowledge the support of the Engineering Endowment Fund on/in awarded projects.
4. Notify the Dean’s Office 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 If funding
   allocation needs to be modified, it may be reassessed by the Committee. If the funds cannot
   be reallocated after such an exercise, the funds will be returned the Endowment Fund.
5. The availability of allocated funds will cease two years after they have been awarded unless
   approval is obtained to extend the award.