Southern Coordinating Committees

SOUTHERN COORDINATING COMMITTEES

Southern Coordinating Committee (SCCs) provide a mechanism for administrative recognition and approval of groups of scientists to meet periodically to discuss and coordinate research involving related but not interdependent activities in individual states or cooperating agencies.
PURPOSES OF IEGS

• Provide a means of exchanging information and ideas on areas of common research interest in the Southern Region.
• Identify and avoid areas of unnecessary duplication.
• Facilitate communication outside the region and with non-research agencies using the products of research.
• Identify opportunities for joint proposals for extramural funding.
• Identify areas for new collaborative research among states and collaborating agencies, leading to new activities (MRF or non-MRF).

Procedures for initiating and continuing SCCs are discussed under Method to Request New or Renewed Southern Coordinating Committees. SCCs may be proposed by interested groups of scientists through an initiating Director, as a result of planning processes, from Advisory Committees or by Technical Committees of multistate projects that are terminating. SCCs are approved for five years.
Initial membership for the Technical Committee of the SCC is obtained by the administrative advisor soliciting appointments from individual SAES directors (or Southern Extension Directors in the case of SERAs). The Technical Committee is responsible for determining future participation and may issue broader invitations for appropriate activities of the SCC.
With more critical review of multistate research projects and regional programs, SCCs will replace these as a vehicle for regional communication, where there is a lack of true interdependence and interaction of research among SAESs and collaborating agencies. There is also a mandate from the Association for each Administrative Advisor and SCC to critically review the need for continuation of the activity.
The format for meetings of SCCs is flexible. There is often a symposium approach with each participating member reporting on results of his/her research or extension activity. It is the responsibility of the Administrative Advisor to assure that the SCC meetings include adequate consideration of actions and options that should emerge from the group (see above). A brief (two pages or less) annual report (SAES-422) should be submitted by the AA using the National Information Mangement Support System (NIMSS).
The members of the SCC elect a chair, chair-elect, and secretary who serve terms of at least two-years. The secretary is often elected as the chair-elect for continuity. Meetings of the SCC are often held in conjunction with other related scientific or professional meetings. If not, they are held at locations which minimize travel costs. On occasion, the group may meet on the campus of participants if there is benefit in visiting facilities or operations.