About Membership
Non-federal partners can benefit in the following ways:
- Collaboration with a federal agency increases opportunities for other potential research projects. Long-term relationships often develop since federal land management agencies have an interest in researchers with specialized skills or knowledge that are not found within the agency. Multi-agency projects expose researchers to several agencies and multiple inroads for potential research projects.
- Graduate students benefit from participating in the development of real-life research and the introduction to federal land management agencies as potential sources of employment or federal resource management issues.
- Federal scientists are available to facilitate, direct, or cooperate on research projects; serve on graduate student committees; contribute to scholarly activities; and teach in their areas of expertise.
- Private sector research programs benefit from agreements that maximize opportunities for research, create a broadened scope of contacts with federal agencies, and offer a voice in establishing research agendas within the Southern Appalachian Unit.
Federal agencies can benefit in the following ways:
- Timely delivery of usable knowledge
- Facilitation of long-term collaborative relationships to solve resource issues
- Addition of depth and breadth of expertise to federal units
- Staying alert to emerging science issues and concerns
- Transcending the boundaries of federal agencies
- Ability to focus on multi-disciplinary problem solving
- Access to forums for exchange of information and delivery of new information
- Opportunities for professional development of federal employees
- Increase in efficiency for collaboration
Each federal agency in the Southern Appalachian CESU is expected to seek cooperation with non-federal partners in research, technical assistance, and education. This includes providing appropriate funds to support some projects and joint funding between the federal agency and a partner(s) for other projects. In addition, the federal agencies should provide research opportunities on federal lands or use federal facilities when and where practical.
A non-federal partner is expected to cooperate, jointly develop projects and supply research, technical assistance, and/or education expertise as requested by the federal agency.
The Southern Appalachian CESU is based on a single federal financial assistance agreement called the Southern Appalachian CESU agreement. Federal agencies are expected to use the Southern Appalachian CESU agreement to transfer the necessary funding needed to conduct the research, technical assistance, and/or education.
The Application Process
The CESU Network Council, as allowed under the CESU Memorandum of Understanding, has established the following standardized new member application and approval process. The Unit director oversees the inclusion of new members.
Interested parties are welcome to contact the CESU Network National Office or this Unit’s director anytime with inquiries. The Unit director may invite an applicant to attend the annual Southern Appalachian partner meeting for an in-person presentation and interview as part of the application process.
Southern Appalachian CESU application requirements are as follows.
Application Instructions for Federal Agency Partners
Federal agency applicants must be members of the CESU Network Council and signatories on the national CESU Network Federal Agency Memorandum of Understanding. Check whether your agency is on this council in our list of federal partners. These federal agency partners are eligible for enrollment in the Southern Appalachian CESU to support collaborative activities aligned with the mission and goals of the CESU Network and the Southern Appalachian Unit.
The steps for the federal agency partner application process are:
- Notify the CESU Network National Coordinator of intent to enroll in the Southern Appalachian Unit.
- Establish initial contact with the Southern Appalachian Unit director to begin dialog regarding enrollment as a new federal agency partner.
- Submit a formal letter of interest and application (no more than 10 pages) to the Southern Appalachian Unit director including:
- Expression of desire to enroll in the Southern Appalachian CESU as a new federal agency partner.
- Confirmation that the agency is a member of the CESU Network Council.
- Confirmation that the agency has read the Southern Appalachian CESU agreement, agrees to support the Southern Appalachian Unit’s mission and goals, and agrees to fulfill the roles and responsibilities of a federal partner as described in the agreement.
- Description of the federal agency, its mission, and the primary focus of collaborative activities to be supported through the Southern Appalachian Unit in the context of the Unit’s mission.
- Description or list of the primary agency programs, departments, or other institutional divisions that will likely be engaged in Southern Appalachian Unit activities. Include links for further information, as needed.
- Agreement to pay the required one-time $10,000 enrollment fee to support the Unit’s host university administration. The fee supports hosting annual meetings, maintaining this website, facilitating communication among partners, and coordinating periodic reporting.
- Designation of a technical representative (include full contact information) who will serve on this Unit’s federal managers committee; participate in CESU annual/semi-annual partner meetings; and facilitate internal/external communication, promotion, and response to CESU correspondence and administrative actions (announcements, new member applications, processing agreements/amendments, five-year reviews).
- Designation of an administrative/grants and agreements representative (include full contact information) to serve as financial assistance point of contact.
- Agreement to relay agency-specific research, technical assistance, and educational needs among this Unit’s partners.
- Endorsement from an appropriate agency official who has authority to commit agency resources in a binding multi-year federal cooperative and joint venture agreement (agency administrator, regional director, division or branch chief).
Application Instructions for Nonfederal Partners
Tribal organizations, state and local governments, academic institutions, museums, nongovernmental conservation organizations, and other nonfederal organizations are eligible to apply for enrollment in the Southern Appalachian CESU. The Southern Appalachian CESU accepts nonacademic, nonfederal partners.
Steps for nonfederal partner application process are as follows.
- Establish initial contact with the this Unit’s director to begin dialog regarding enrollment as a new partner institution/organization/agency.
- Submit a formal letter of interest and application (no more than 20 pages) to the Unit director including:
- Expression of desire to enroll in the Southern Appalachian CESU as a new partner.
- Confirmation that the institution/organization/agency has read the Southern Appalachian CESU agreement, agrees to support the Unit’s mission and goals, and fulfill the roles and responsibilities of a nonfederal partner as described in the agreement.
- Description of the institution/organization/agency, its mission, and the primary focus of collaborative activities to be supported through the Southern Appalachian CESU in the context of the Unit’s mission.
- Description or list of the primary programs, departments, or other institutional divisions of relevance to federal land management, environmental, and research agencies that will likely be engaged in the Unit’s activities. Include links for further information, as needed.
- A list and brief description of the staff or faculty with expertise in disciplines relevant to federal land management, environmental, and research agencies (do not submit CVs).
- For academic institutions, include a description of student demographics and the institution’s status as a minority serving institution as defined by the U.S. Department of Education.
- Description or list of facilities, equipment, centers, or institutes that would provide support to the research, technical assistance, or educational activities relevant to federal land management, environmental, and research agencies that will be engaged in the Unit’s activities.
- Description or list of past research, technical assistance, and educational services supported through federal financial assistance awards that are relevant to federal land management, environmental, and research agencies that will be engaged in Unit activities.
- Description or list of current formal agreements and informal relationships with federal agencies that are relevant to federal land management, environmental, and research agencies that will be engaged in this Unit’s activities.
- Confirmation of the institution’s/organization’s/agency’s willingness to accept a limited overhead rate of 17.5% and cost items to which the rate is applicable for activities conducted through the Southern Appalachian CESU, including research, technical assistance, and educational services (this overhead rate applies to the entire institution/organization for Unit activities).
- Designation of a technical representative (include full contact information) to serve on the Southern Appalachian CESU steering committee; participate in the Unit’s annual/semi-annual partner meetings; and facilitate internal and external communication, promotion, and response to CESU correspondence and administrative actions (announcements, new member applications, processing agreements/amendments, five-year reviews).
- Agreement to relay agency-specific research, technical assistance, and educational needs and associated funding opportunities to other institutional/organizational members (i.e. faculty, students).
- Endorsement from an appropriate official with authority to commit institutional resources in a binding, multi-year federal cooperative and joint venture agreement (president, executive director, chief financial officer, vice president for research, director of sponsored programs).
- Letter(s) of support from one or more Southern Appalachian CESU federal agency partners sponsoring the new partner’s application, including a description of successful past collaborative work supported through federal financial assistance awards.
Following submission of an application for enrollment, the Southern Appalachian Unit director shares the application package to all existing partner technical representatives for consideration.
Once existing partners have reviewed the new member application, the Southern Appalachian Unit director solicits a vote for selection of the applicant for membership. The director determines the timeline and method of voting. Voting requires a minimum of a quorum of 50 percent of partners. Approval is determined by a super majority (two thirds or greater) of votes in favor of selection for membership. The director then informs the Unit’s membership and the applicant of the outcome.
Federal applicants do not require a vote for membership. Federal applicants are enrolled upon receipt of an appropriate and qualified application.
Upon enrollment of a new federal member, or approval of a new non-federal member applicant for enrollment, the Southern Appalachian Unit director sends the application materials to the CESU Network National Coordinator with instructions to prepare an amendment to the Southern Appalachian CESU’s master agreement. The CESU Network National Office prepares a draft amendment to the Southern Appalachian master agreement, formally adding the applicant as a new partner. The draft amendment shall be prepared within four weeks of receipt of materials from the Southern Appalachian Unit director.
The CESU Network national office sends the draft amendment to the new partner for review and signature. The new partner reviews and processes the amendment, returning the completed signature page by email to the CESU Network National Office. The amendment must be signed by an appropriate official with authority to commit institutional resources in a binding, multiyear, federal cooperative and joint venture agreement (president, executive director, chief financial officer, vice president for research, director of sponsored programs).
Once the completed signature page has been received from the new partner, the CESU Network National Office works with the Southern Appalachian Unit director to circulate the amendment to existing partners for signatures. Existing partners shall have 45 days from receipt of the amendment to sign the amendment or provide comments in writing. The amendment is in effect upon receipt of the host institution’s signature and 100% of partner signatures, or after the 45-day signature period has expired, whichever occurs first. If a partner has not responded within the 45-day signature period, its signature will not be required.
Once the amendment is in effect, the CESU Network National Office works with the Southern Appalachian Unit director to distribute a digital copy of the fully executed amendment to all existing partners for their files and posts the amendment to the CESU Network national website.
Once the amendment is in effect, the new partner is expected to actively participate in the Southern Appalachian Unit and CESU Network activities, including supporting/conducting collaborative projects, responding to Unit correspondence and administrative actions, sharing announcements or funding opportunities with colleagues, participating in partner meetings, and disseminating project outputs.