Division of Research and Graduate Studies
University Grants and Research - Record-Setting Year for Grants and Research
Grant funding tops $38 million, another record for Fresno State
FRESNO, CA (Sept. 19, 2002) -- California State University, Fresno faculty recorded another record-breaking year of securing grants and contracts for a variety of research and projects during 2001-2002.
Growth in funding increased 15 percent in the last fiscal year, said Dr. Thomas McClanahan, associate vice president for University Grants and Research.
In the last five years, the total of grant dollars received has tripled, from $13 million in 1997-98 to more than $38 million in 2001-2002, making Fresno State one of the top five California State University campuses in terms of grant funding.
McClanahan credits Fresno State faculty members, backed by proactive deans and vice presidents. The grants and research office works with faculty and submitted over 550 proposals last year, nearly half of which were funded.
Dr. J. Michael Ortiz, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, also cited the work of faculty, whose expertise is "the primary factor associated with successful research applications." Ortiz said the university’s growing reputation for quality and the work of the staff of the University Grants and Research Office are additional factors in securing grant funding.
Grants and contracts come in all shapes and sizes, from modest awards to individual faculty members to multimillion-dollar grants that involve collegewide, universitywide and communitywide cooperation. Dr. Isabel Kaprielian, for example, received a $1,500 grant from the Garabedian Foundation to research the history and impact of Armenians in the local raisin industry. Biologist Brian Tsukimura was awarded $1,800 from the California Rice Board to study the reproductive cycles of tadpole shrimp.
At the other extreme, the Center for Irrigation Technology is under contract with the California Energy Commission to conduct a multiyear, multimillion-dollar project designed to improved energy efficiency across the state.
The College of Health and Human Services has also expanded its outreach tremendously through grants and contracts. The college was awarded a $5 million grant to manage the One-Stop-Center, a communitywide service designed to provide opportunities for the integration of employment and training services, with the ultimate purpose to increase the quality and availability of a viable workforce in Fresno County.
The majority of Fresno State’s grant funded projects are sponsored by the various departments and offices of federal, state and local government, ranging from the National Science Foundation to local counties. But 41 current grants are from a full array of private foundations and industry groups. Chief examples from this group would include the California Endowment, the Garabedian Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, the American Vineyard Foundation, the Coleman Foundation and the California Wellness Foundation.
Fresno State has the distinction of being the only university in the nation that has two Upward Bound grants, two Gear-Up grants and two Hispanic-Serving Institution grants all at the same time, from the U.S. Department of Education. These six grants total more than $14 million over five years.