Comments on: Â鶹´«Ã½Applied Research Laboratory contract extended /news/2013/07/16/uh-applied-research-laboratory-contract-extended/ News from the University of Hawaii Tue, 23 Nov 2021 20:31:28 +0000 hourly 1 By: Â鶹´«Ã½News staff /news/2013/07/16/uh-applied-research-laboratory-contract-extended/#comment-30174 Fri, 19 Jul 2013 21:04:26 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=18425#comment-30174 In reply to Kathy Ferguson.

Hi Kathy,

Thank you for your comment. We forwarded it up the chain and received this response from External Affairs and University Relations:

It was widely known that the contract for the Applied Research Laboratory was to expire in July 2013. Public comment was not required for the contractʻs extension, because the only modification to the existing contract was its duration.

The contract ceiling is still $44.7 million. To date, the ARL has brought in $7.9 million. These funds were used to reimburse the cost of doing the research as well as reimburse the ARL for its operating expenses.

No classified work has been done, although this remains an option. The ARL has released all the information it has been able to thus far. The contract requires any release of information to first be cleared with the U.S. Navy.

With regard to the universityÊ»s commitment to creating and sharing knowledge, Interim University President David McLain wrote this in 2007, when recommending establishment of the ARL: “Because of the inherent diversity and need for freedom of inquiry which in my view does and should characterize the academy, I tend to be biased in favor of measures to support the individual scholar no matter how popular – even more importantly, how unpopular – his or her research interests.”

Hope this answers some of your questions!

]]> By: Kathy Ferguson /news/2013/07/16/uh-applied-research-laboratory-contract-extended/#comment-30173 Thu, 18 Jul 2013 17:50:26 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=18425#comment-30173 This controversial issue slipped through in the summer, when faculty and students are largely unavailable for comment. I have several questions:
1. If the VP for research has been discussing the extension with the Navy for several months, why not let the Â鶹´«Ã½community know about it earlier, so a full and open discussion could take place?
2. Has the first 5 years of this arrangement brought the promised benefits to UH? Five years ago, we were told it would bring in 50 million dollars. How much has it really brought in, and where did the money go?
3. Has classified work been done? What impact is that having on the peer review process?
4. How do our leaders square the secretive nature of ARL’s work and the contract process with the university’s commitment to creating and sharing knowledge, not to mention honest and transparent operation?

I’m waiting to hear these questions addressed.

Thank you.
Kathy E. Ferguson, Professor
Departments of Political Science and Women’s Studies

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