March 15, 2014
Dr. Cora Marrett
Acting Director
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22230
Dear Dr. Marrett
We are writing to express our concern regarding the conditions under which rotators
work at the National Science Foundation. In the past, there has been a pool of subject
matter experts ready to serve in temporary assignments at the NSF in support of the
community. Community members agreed to accept an “at will” working arrangement
based on their trust in the institution; the likelihood that funding would be available upon
their return; and the expectation of fair and equitable treatment that recognized exigencies
of the funding environment faced by researchers. The current “at will” contract
arrangement no longer appears to be consonant with the needs of the community.
Rotators provide a crucial service, not only for the NSF but also for the scientific
community. Rotators make recommendations concerning which proposals to fund; define
the directions in which scientific research proceeds; identify opportunities for and in
support of interdisciplinary research; and mentor junior members of the research
community. We believe that it is essential to the functioning of a viable research
community for the NSF to find and retain the best individuals in our community as
rotators.
In the current situation, an overwhelming share of the practical risk in the “at will”
contractual arrangement is borne by the rotator. We ask that you send us materials
describing the policies and procedures governing due process when disputes arise. If
there are no such policy or procedure documents, we request that these be written in order
to establish a working environment where the rights of rotators are respected, including
the right to know the nature and cause of allegations, the right to address accusations, the
right to counsel, the right to disagree with judgments, and the right to appeal. In the
absence of such documents, we will advise our peers against service as rotators.
Sincerely,
David G. Sibeck, AGU SPA Section President-Elect, [email protected]
Paul Cassak, AGU SPA Scarf Award Committee Chair
Larry Kepko, NASA Heliophysics 2013 Roadmap co-chair
James. A. Klimchuk, AGU SPA Section President
Michael W. Liemohn, Editor-in-Chief, AGU J. Geophysical Research- Space Physics
Robyn Millan, AGU SPA Secretary, Magnetospheric Physics
W. K. Peterson, Editor, AGU Geophysical Research Letters
Josh Semeter, Chair-Elect, CEDAR Science Steering Committee
Jeff Thayer, Director, Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research, UC Boulder
Eftyhia Zesta, Chair, AGU SPA Basu Award Committee