Please note: This policy is currently under review and subject to change. Please contact the Eric_Asetta [at] emerson.edu (Executive Director for the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship) with any questions.
Authorized Organizational Representatives
For the purposes of external grants for sponsored projects and research, the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) of Emerson College is the Vice President of Academic Affairs of the College, who has the authority to bind the institution in formal agreements. The Vice President of Academic Affairs signs all formal award documents, indicating acceptance of the award.
The Vice President for Administration and Finance will serve as an approved alternate signatory if the Vice President of Academic Affairs is unavailable. Individual faculty, staff, or students are not authorized to bind the College in formal agreements.
Proposal Stage
At the proposal submission stage, many sponsors require the sign-off of the AOR indicating the institution’s willingness to put forward the application on behalf of the Principal Investigator of the proposed project, and in some instances, to provide institutional Certifications and Assurances required by the program. This may involve an actual signature on a form, or a “digital” signature through an electronic submission system.
For efficiency in operations, the Executive Director for the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship serves as the College’s delegate during the proposal submission process, signing on her/his behalf and providing the required Certifications & Assurances for the grant proposal. The Executive Director for the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship invokes this authority only after the proposal has undergone the Routing/Approval process adopted by the College, including the signature of the appropriate Department Chair, Dean, Vice President of Academic Affairs and the Vice President of Administration and Finance and the Vice President of Advancement on the internal Proposal Routing Form. In the event of the absence from campus of a key individual whose signature is required, his/her designee shall sign.
The Executive Director for the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship will provide to the Vice President of Academic Affairs a regular flow of information regarding proposal activity, including an annual report at the close of each fiscal year. Additionally, the Vice President of Academic Affairs will be alerted in advance as to individual proposals in development that may require a higher level of institutional scrutiny (e.g., unusually high dollar amounts or institutional commitments).
All academic grant proposals for sponsored projects and research are to be submitted via the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship, who will submit the proposal to the sponsor on your behalf after all internal approvals have been secured. The College reserves the right to withdraw any application that has not been institutionally approved at the proposal stage, or to decline awards emanating from unapproved submissions.