From Dave Fulker, updated 29-Oct-2003 14:43
I am planning a sabbatical leave (approximately November 2000 through July 2001) during which I will focus on developing strategies, exploring opportunities, building partnerships, and writing proposals that I believe will serve Unidata's future interests. A significant part of this effort will focus on digital libraries, especially DLESE and NSDL, with special emphasis on how these important new NSF initiatives can benefit from the Unidata experience and contribute to the Unidata mission. Prominent among my motivations for this sabbatical is a sense that Unidata, in conjunction with digital-library advances, can position itself to be an extraordinarily effective contributor to the goals laid out by the Geosciences Directorate in its GEO 2000 planning document.
You may note that this "sabbatical" has a great deal in common with what I do normally in directing Unidata, so I want to clarify how I expect my role to be different during this period. The principal change is that I will delegate the major fraction of my normal decision-making to Ben Domenico, whom I will designate Acting Director. To reinforce this change, I probably will move my office. I am designating a Cabinet of advisors that (initially) will meet weekly with Ben to advise him on issues that emerge across the full range of Unidata interests. The members are Russ Rew, Joanne Graham, Don Murray, Linda Miller, and Mike Schmidt, all of whom have current supervisory or project-leadership responsibilities .
I will retain responsibility for supervising Ben, Russ, and Joanne and for developing the Unidata strategic plan, in consultation with the Policy Committee and the staff. I will retain several committee roles, as described below. My partnerhip-building and proposal-writing efforts will entail signficant staff interactions, so you may expect to see me often. The following tables, which were constructed primarily from recent appraisals of my performance, detail the delegation of responsibilities to Ben. Tasks with my name in parentheses are ones I expect to keep.
| Key Activity 1: Direction and Management | |
|---|---|
| Dave's Usual Role | Ben's Role as Acting Director |
| Direct the Unidata Program Center, setting goals, priorities, and strategies in consultation with the Unidata Policy Committee. With staff, develop program plans and budgets, including successful proposals for Unidata funding. Manage—directly or by delegation—all Center activities, meeting obligations to sponsors and community. | Temporarily direct the Unidata Program Center, setting short-term goals and priorities in consultation with the Cabinet and the Unidata Policy Committee. With the Administrator, develop short term budgets and planning documents as needed for continued or incremented NSF funding. Manage—directly or by coordination and delegation—all Center activities, meeting obligations to sponsors and community. |
| Typical tasks (now Ben's unless otherwise indicated): strategic plans (Dave), proposals (Dave), staffing strategies (Dave), Polcomm agendas & reports, progress/problem/option analyses, high-level budget decisions, travel/purchase/hiring authorizations | |
| Key Activity 2: Community and Staff Leadership | |
|---|---|
| Dave's Usual Role | Ben's Role as Acting Director |
| Lead the Unidata Program—nationally and at UCAR—to be of increasing value among geoscientific data users. Employ advances in computing and networking to keep Unidata systems current and effective. Engage employees so as to maximize the collective strengths and creativities they apply toward Unidata goals. | With the advice of the Cabinet, lead the Unidata Program—nationally and at UCAR—to be of increasing value among geoscientific data users. Engage employees so as to maximize the collective strengths and creativities they apply toward Unidata goals. |
| Typical tasks (now Ben's unless otherwise indicated): vision statements (Dave), leaderhip-team supervision (Dave), lectures, technology tracking, progress tracking, staffing decisions, staff meetings, open-door policy for staff, individual-staff pulse taking, encouragement, guidance, problem solving | |
| Key Activity 3: Community Relations | |
|---|---|
| Dave's Usual Role | Ben's Role as Acting Director |
| Maintain effective relations and communications with the university community. Help universities to be aware of and benefit from Unidata progress and plans. Engage faculty as active "owners" of the Unidata Program. Establish & nourish strategic partnerships and alliances. | Maintain effective relations and communications with the university community. Help universities to be aware of and benefit from Unidata progress and plans. Engage faculty as active "owners" of the Unidata Program. Establish & nourish strategic partnerships for THREDDS. |
| Typical tasks (now Ben's unless otherwise indicated): Usercomm meetings, newsletter & Web themes/articles, workshops, conferences, meetings to establish/plan partnerships | |
| Key Activity 4: UCAR Citizenship | |
|---|---|
| Dave's Usual Role | Ben's Role as Acting Director |
| Represent Unidata to UCAR management, Trustees, and Members. Serve on UOP management team and help UCAR build and maintain its stature. Serve on UCAR committees and working groups as appropriate. Foster effective relations with other UCAR groups. | Represent Unidata to UCAR management, Trustees, and Members. Serve on UOP management team and help UCAR build and maintain its stature. Serve on UCAR committees and working groups as appropriate. Foster effective relations with other UCAR groups. |
| Typical tasks (now Ben's unless otherwise indicated): UCAR Management Committee, UOP Directors, reports for Trustees & Members, COMET Advisory Committee (Dave), DLESE Steering Committee (Dave), Diversity Task Force (Dave), NCAR Strategic Planning Committee (Dave), Information Technology Council (?), MIRAGE (?), WAG (Ben only), ad hoc meetings/workshops with ATD, SCD, & others | |
| Key Activity 5: Community-Building Group Leadership | |
|---|---|
| Dave's Usual Role | Ben's Role as Acting Director |
| Continue to lead the community-building group (minus documentation, news, and Web-site responsibilities). Develop and pursue the THREDDS concept, coordinating it with other strategic plans. | |
| Typical tasks: As before, at a reduced level. | |
To make practical this major shift in responsibilities, Joanne has agreed to take lead responsibility for Unidata activities in documentation, news, and Web-site care that previously were overseen by Ben (with Sally). To maximize Ben's time for developing the THREDDS concept (especially upon my return), I view the shift as permanent. In playing this communications role, I am asking Joanne to exploit interests and needs held in common by DLESE and Unidata, with the hope that this will lead to significant efficiencies and economies. I will help develop a staffing model for this communications effort prior to beginning my sabbatical.