The Administrative Core coordinates the fiscal, scientific, and administrative aspects of the Program Project Grant. Although Drs. Goldstein and Brown share the overall administrative responsibility for this grant, their administrative duties are divided. Dr. Goldstein is in charge of budgetary and personnel matters. Dr. Brown is in charge of purchasing equipment and supervision of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Drs. Goldstein and Brown are assisted by their Financial Affairs Manager, Ms. Kay Pokladnik. Ms. Pokladnik is assisted in her duties by a Laboratory Manager, Scott Clark. In addition to their administrative responsibilities, Ms. Pokladnik and her staff are also responsible for the typing and preparation of all our manuscripts, grant applications, and research progress reports. Ms. Jeri Rogers and Ms. Mary Hestand, Administrative Manager and Senior Administrative Associate, respectively, for the Department of Molecular Genetics, draw their salaries from the Department, and not from the Program Project Grant. Nevertheless, they are available to provide back-up support to Ms. Pokladnik and her staff during vacation periods, sick leave, and busy work days. On the basis of experience gained during the past 29 years of operation of this Program Project, we have found that the most efficient and inexpensive way to administer the financial aspects of this Project is to maintain one formal account that is divided into the categories used by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. These categories consist of salaries, maintenance and operation, equipment, and travel. In the past we have had extreme difficulty in trying to maintain nine separate accounts (one for each of the six Research Projects and one for each of the three Core Units). The advantages of one account versus nine accounts are several-fold: First, with one account all financial records can be kept by one person, Ms. Pokladnik. If we were to administer nine accounts for Years 31 to 35, this would require that a new Administrative Assistant be hired. Second, with one account we can purchase in bulk various items that are used in all six Research Projects and in the three Cores (such as 32P-nucleotides, 3H-sterols, chromatography supplies, transfection reagents (Fugene 6), gloves, micropipettes, etc.), and thus reduce costs considerably. Third, with one account Ms. Pokladnik can prepare a weekly summary of expenditures for review by Dr. Goldstein. This weekly review has proved extremely helpful in preventing duplications in expenditures for frequently purchased items. Although only one formal account will be kept, the overall allocation of funds to the individual Research Projects and Core Units will be made along the budgetary lines suggested by the NHLBI Council. Should a reallocation of funds between Research Projects or Core Laboratories become necessary, this matter will be handled by the Executive Committee as discussed in the PROGRAM INTRODUCTION. The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas maintains an accounting office that keeps a monthly record of all expenditures by budget category and makes certain that only allowable items are purchased and that monies are spent appropriately. The University conducts periodic internal audits that examine expenditures of grant funds as well as other matters. Our last Departmental audit was conducted in April, 2005, and no financial irregularities were found.
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