MEETING NOTES

RAC Task Force on Administration

July 29, 2015

3:15 – 5:00 PM Pacific Time

Crown Zellerbach Conference Room

Red Lion Hotel on the River, Portland Oregon

In attendance: Cynthia Jones (acting chair), Michelle Owens, Chris Hedges, James Watkins, Elisha Wright-Kehner, Skip Paul, Megan Swanson, Carolyn Morehouse, Michael Bufalino.

Decision and action items are underscored.

  1. Review agenda, roll call, welcome visitors
  2. Review and approve previous (June) meeting minutes

The previous meeting notes were approved by consensus.

  1. Old Business
  2. “Your Role in RAC”

This year’s session was much more interactive than in previous years. The presentation on STICs was interesting and revealed that RAC members are not involved with the STICs in many states. The question was raised whether the task force could play a role in clarifying the differences in requirements, application, and funding limits for the various federal programs such as EDC, AID, and SHRP 2.

Newer RAC members should be polled to (a) see if they watched the RAC 101 video before attending the national meeting; (b) solicit suggestions for topics at next year’s session. (Cynthia Jones will take the lead).

The prerecorded webinar will be reviewed to determine whether it should be updated for the 2017 national meeting (Carolyn Morehouse will take the lead).

  1. Website Subcommittee

Michael Bufalino reviewed the changes that have been made to the SCOR/RAC website. Details can be found in the meeting notes of the RAC Website Subcommittee Meeting held Thursday, July 30, 2015 from 7:00-8:00 a.m.

  1. Ahead of the Curve

The pilot course was reviewed very favorably by participants. Cynthia will collect and compile feedback forms from Barbara Harder and provide more details at a future meeting.

  1. Guidance Document for Hosting National RAC Meetings

Michael Bufalino will take the lead on refining the guidelines on hosting the annual meeting.The question was raised whether Region 1 will need some assistance in organizing the 2016 meeting in Providence, Rhode Island. The organizing committee plans to start monthly conference calls immediately and hope to have at least an outline of the agenda in September. The website should be posted and the agenda closed to final in February.

More effort should be made in 2016 to identify meeting sponsors. Consulting firms and universities in Region 1 (especially those involved in the Northeast Research Consortium) should be approached.

  1. RAC Task Force Membership Spreadsheet Update

Cynthia will check with Allison to see if the most recent updates have been posted.

  1. New Business
  2. Winter Meeting preliminary thoughts

It was decided that the winter RAC meetings will be organized by the region that will host the summer meeting two years later. Region 2 will have the responsibility to organize the winter meeting in 2016. A number of possible topics were suggested, including TRB hot topics; STICs; and reauthorization (if there is one and if it has direct implications to research).

  1. Solicit feedback from RAC Chair and/or Vice Chair

Skip suggested reviewing the new SCOR strategic plan to identify possible activities for the task force. (Elisha Wright-Kehner will take the lead).

  1. Review of Project Assignments
  2. Review and update SCOR/RAC Website content on a monthly basis. (Michael)
  3. Recommend agenda items for the RAC Winter Meeting held during the TRB Annual Meeting.(Admin members from Region 2)
  4. Coordinate the annual call for updates to the State DOT Research Fact Sheets posted on the SCOR/RAC website. (Web Chair)
  5. Coordinate the bi-annual review and update of the RAC Task Force Membership Spreadsheet posted on the SCOR/RAC website. (Chair)
  6. Review and update the RAC 101 webinar content on an annual basis. (Carolyn)
  7. Develop discussion topics and coordinate the “Your Role in RAC: A Foundation for Best Practices” session held during the RAC Annual Meeting. (Cynthia)
  8. Review and update the RAC Mentoring Guidelines on an annual basis. (James)
  9. Provide input on the “Ahead of the Curve” and” FHWA Research 101” professional development initiatives. (Cynthia)
  10. Provide guidance on RAC Task Force membership. (Chair)
  11. SCOR Strategic Plan Review (Elisha)
  12. Annual Fact Sheets (Web Chair)
  13. National Meeting Guidance (Michael)

Next meeting: Admin TF call August 25th 1:30 PM Eastern