ML20117H254

Provides Responses to 960731 RAI Re Organizational Structure at Univ of Mo at Columbia Research Reactor Facility

ML20117H254
Person / Time
Site:	University of Missouri-Columbia
Issue date:	08/30/1996
From:	Mccormick J MISSOURI, UNIV. OF, COLUMBIA, MO
To:	Weiss S NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned)
References
NUDOCS 9609090176
Download: ML20117H254 (8)

Text

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! Office of Research University of Missouri-Columbia 205 Jesse Hall + Columbia, MO 65211 + Telephone (573) 882-9500 + FAX (573) 884-8371 l August 30,1996 l

Seymour H. Weiss, Director

.Non-Power Reactors and Decommissioning Project Directorate Didsion of Reactor Program Management

, Ofhce of Nuclear Reactor Regulation l Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20555-0001

SUBJECT:

Docket Nc,. 50-186, Request for Additional Information Regarding the l Organizational Structure at the MURR Facility

Dear Dr. Weiss:

1 In your letter dated July 31,1996, received in this office on August 6, you requested i responses to three questions. I list below those questions and the corresponding answers:

l (1) Please identify who isfilling theposition ofDirector as required by the University of Afissouri at Columbia Research Reactor (AfURR) Technical Specifications.

l Mr. J. Charles McKibben is Acting Reactor Facility Director, appointed in writing (copy enclosed), in accordance with the Technical Specifications. Since assuming the position of Associate Director in 1989, by standing dP"ctive Mr. McKibben has served as Acting Director whenever the Director was not pr; ut. As Reactor Manager from 1978 to 1989, Mr. McKibben was assigned this responsibuty in the combined absence of the Director and Associate Director.

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(2) Provide a description ofthe duties ofpersonnel whose emplo>rnent terminated during the l last three months. Have thesepersons been replaced? Ifnot, what areyourplansfor the unfilledpositions?

Full-time personnel whose employment terminated since May 31,1996, are listed below:

Mr. Robert E. Walker was a Senior Reactor Operator and ended employment on July 11, j 1996. This position has not been refilled. We have interviewed and made an offer to a j l new reactor operator candidate but he did not accept the offer. Open Senior Reactor Operator positions are refilled as Reactor Operators or Reactor Operator Trainees depending on previous experience.

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. Dr. Weiss, August 30,1996 l

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-Ms. Br6nda S. Montague was an Administrative Assistant working in the Director's Office and f

' ended employment on July 8,1996. We are now interviewing to hire a new administrative 1 assistant.  !

Dr. Ting-Pang Cheng was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Nuclear Analysis Program and ended employment on July 3,1996. The Program has decided not to refill this position. l Ms. Adele Y. Nickolaus was a Chief Clerk in the Director's Office and was transferred back to  !

her previous University of Missouri department on June 28,1996. A new Chief Clerk will l start September 3,1996. l Ms. Andrea J. Shipp was a Health Physics Technician and ended employment on June 6,1996. l She returned to this position July 24,1996. ,

Dr. Zhongbo Hu was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Nuclear Material Science Program and  !

ended employment on May 31,1996. The Program has decided not to refill this position. ,

Ms. Heather M. Bosse was a Laboratory Assistant in the Reactor Service Applications Group i and ended employment on May 26,1996. This position is being filled by temporary  ;

employees.

Ms. Patricia A. McQuitty was a Research Laboratory Technician in the Reactor Service i Application Group and ended employment on May 10,1996. This position has been refilled. ,

t Students are also hired as part time employees. If you need information concerning turnover in l these positions, please contact Mr. McKibben at (573) 882-5204. l

. (3) In a letter to NRC dated April 15,1996, Dr. Edward P. Sheridan described administrative l changes being made to the MURR organi:ation. The letter stated that Dr. Rhyne would i focus on the research mission ofthe MURR. When did these administrative changes  ;

become efective? Was Dr. Rhyneformally informed ofhis temporary duties? Ifso, please l provide a copy ofthat correspondence. When is Dr. Rhyne scheduled to end his temporary \

l du:les?

As discussed in his April 15 letter to the NRC, Provost Sheridan temporarily appointed  !

Dr. Henry White Chief Operating Officer to enable Dr. Rhyne to focus his efforts ou  ;

research planning. Dr. White has extensive experience with the Research Reactor Center,  ;

having chaired the Reactor Advisory Committee, and with University administration, having chaired the Department of Physics for several years. With Dr. Rhyne assigned to focus on research programs and increasing grant funding, Mr. McKibben reports to  :

Dr. White. Mr. Walter Meyer, Reactor Manager, and Mr. John Ernst, Health P'aysics l

. Manager, report directly to Mr. McKibben. The Operations and Health Physics staffs l report to Mr. McKibben through the Reactor Manager and Health Physics Manager. With l Dr. Rhyne not involved in the license-related reporting chain, Mr. McKibben serves as l Acting Reactor Facility Director. Dr. Sheridan described Dr. Rhynes's assignment to him l

'in a confidential letter (copy enclosed) dated April 30 and described Dr. White's  !

assignment to him in a confidential letter (copy enclosed) dated April 30. Written clarification of these responsibilities was given in a June 4 memo (copy enclosed) l addressed to the Research Reactor Center Staff and Personnel.

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. Dr. Weiss, August 30,1996

. page 3 l Pro'vost Sheridan held a well-attended, open meeting to which he invited the entire i

! Research Reactor Center staff, with the exception of those whose presence at the reactor  !

j was required for its operation, on April 12. Dr. White and Dr. Rhyne attended that  !

meeting, at which Dr. Sheridan described the new administrative arrangement described to l l you in his April 15 letter. , i

} Dr. Richard Wallace was appointed Interim Chancellor in late July. To allow for his l l involvement in deciding the best plan for long-term leadership at the Research Reactor  !

i Center, the current, temporary structure has been extended. I anticipate that a decision  !

regarding leadership and administrative structure at the Research Reactor Center will be l'.

! made in the coming weeks. This was related to the Center staffin a memo (copy enclosed) l' dated ' August 15 from Provost Sheridan to Center research and operations leaders. ,

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{ We have a st ong commitment to a Research Reactor Center that is a thriving research facility

, under effective leadership, operated in a manner that is fully compliant with federal regulations,

j. policy, and our licenses. I would welcome a telephone call (573-882-9500 reaches my office) if you need additionalinformation.

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j Sincerely, 1

l John P. McCormick

! Interim Vice Provost for Research and

!' Dean of the Graduate School jw c: Edward P. Sheridan, Provost J. Charles McKibben Reactor Advisory Committee Regional Administrator U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 801 Warrenville Road Lisle, IL 60532-4351 A-95 Coordinator Division of Planning Office of Administration PO Box 809, State Capitol Building Jefferson City, MO 65101 1

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Office of the Provost '< < c

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University of Missouri-Columbia

~. j 114 Jewe Hall

• Columbia. Nio 65211

• Telephcne (373) SA2-e542

• Fa s [573) %009 '

April 15,1996 i

l Seymour H. Weiss, Director l Non-Power Reactors and Decommissioning Project Directorate l U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission i Mail Stop 0-11-B-20 j Washington, D.C. 20555 l

Dear Dr. Weiss:

l I want to thank you and Dr. Adams for your kindness and quick response to my questions regarding, temporary changes I am making at the University of hIissouri  !

Nuclear Reactor. Essentially, as I describe to you, I am eager to let our Director, Dr.

James Rhyne, devote more energy and attention to our research mission. Recent internal and external reviews have strongly encouraged me to take advantage of the wonderful research opportunities that having our nuclear reactor provide.

To enable Dr. Rhyne to focus his full attention on research for at least four months, I am asking Dr. Henry White, Chair of our Research Reactor Advisory Committee, to become the chief operating officer at h1URR. Dr. White's role is temporary but it will serve two important purposes for us. First, it will enable Dr. Rhyne to devote ,

the energy to our research mission that he and the faculty desire. Second,it will I permit Dr. White to become more familiar with the day-to-day activities in a complex nuclear reactor center and to be better able to inform our advisory committee about nuances that can only be learned through direct experience.

I will send you another letter when I end this brief experiment.

Sincerely, 0 \

Edward P. Sheridan Provost l l

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Office of the Provost University of Missouri-Columbia 114 Jene Hall e Columbia, MO o3:11

• Telephone (373) 882-63%

• Fax [373l $52-00$0 April 30,1996 CONFIDENTIAL James Rhyne Director MURR Research Park

Dear Jim:

In order to assist you in the task of carefully examining the research mission of the reactor, I would like to request that you focus in the following areas.

The recent RAC report indicated the committee believed there is a lack of focus in the research at the reactor. Personally,I see no reason why the reactor cannot have a broad approach to research.

However, I do think there needs to be a rationale for our initiatives and a long-term plan for the direction each research enterprise should take.

There seem to be misconceptions about the productivity of the full-time scientists at MURR. I would appreciate receiving a list of the grants generated by each full-time scientist over the past five years plus your candid observations of what grants they are likely to generate in the next two years. In particular, I think it important for you to show the salary of each scientist, a year by year indication of how much of that salary they were able to buy out, on what grants they are P.I., and  ;

what publications they have generated. In addition I think it important to indicate how many j graduate students each scientist was able to support and at what funding level. I would like the '

same information for any faculty member receiving MURR support.

You also may wish to again review the r: port we received from the external review committee.

They made mention of the potential we have in material sciences and it would be helpful if you commented on the progress we are making in research in this area.

Since you are more familiar with the logical structure areas at MURR, I do not wish to propose a structure for your report. However, I would like you to identify the areas of research at MURR and the type of productivity we are experiencing.

It would be helpful to me if I could receive such a report by the middle of July.

Sincerely, Edward P. Sheridan Provost kl c Chancellor Charles A. Kiesler Chief Operating Officer Henry White an equal opportunity / ADA insutution

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I Office of the Provost University of Missouri-Columbia 114 Jesse Hall

• Columba. MO 63.:11

• Telephone (373) $52-33%

• Fax [573] 8E= JOB 0 April 30,1996 CONFIDENTIAL Henry White Chief Operating Officer MURR Research Park l

Dear Henry:

I am pleased you have accepted the position of Chief Operating Officer at MURR. From our conversations, I know that you are aware I believe you will do an excellent job and that there are a i number of challenges for you. To assist you in the complex task you have, I would like to outline a few questions that I hope you will address in a report after about three months.

First, I would like a candid evaluation of the current administrative structure within MURR. Do we have the right administrative structure for this center? Are the job descriptions of key members appropriate? Are the people filling these positions appropriate for their role?  ;

Keeping track of the budget at MURR has proved problematic. With the help of John McCormick's staff, I would ask you to carefully examine overall expenses for MURR. Is the budget picture we have accurate? What would be a reasonable amount of commercialincome to anticipate in 12 months? In 24 months? Are all commercial involvements gefitable?

Your recent RAC report highlights the need for a focus on research. While Jim Rhyne has been assigned the task ofimproving our research efforts, I would ask you to work with him to determine the productivity of the scientists that are currently full-time at MURR. I will ask Jim to issue a report indicating the productivity of each scientist over the last five years and his predictions for future years. This information will be imponant to you in determining the viability of the overall budget.

The RAC report also indicated a lack of focus for the research at MURR. I believe it important that you examine the various initiatives currently underway and whether they can be enhanced, continued, or even eliminated. In addition I think it important to discuss with Jim the ideas generated by RAC concerning new initiatives for MURR.

I will remain available to you anytime you need to discuss any of these issues.

Sincerely, Edward P. Sheridan Provost kl c Chancellor Charles A. Kiesler df) equal Opportunity / ADA institution

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. . yq Office of the Provost University of Missouri-Columbia 0 ,-

h 114 Jesse Hall

• Columbia, Mo 63211

• Telephone (573) 882-6596

• Fax [573] 882-0080 June 4,1996 To: J. Charles McKibben MURR From: Edward P. Sheridan Provost With the special assignment given to Dr. James Rhyne, which temporarily removes him from license related activities, I am hereby appointing you as Acting Reactor Facility Director at MURR, effective immediately.

kl c Chancellor Charles A. Kiesler Chief of Staff Brady J. Deaton Interim Vice Provost John McCormick Henry W. White John Ernst  ;

Walter Meyer James Rhyne Truman Storvick l bc Interim Director and News Manager Jill Scoggins an equal opportunity / ADA institution

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Office of the Provost University of Missouri-Columbia O

114 Jesse Hall + Columbia Mo 63211 + Telephone (573) 882-6596 + Fax [573) 85:=0080 June 4,1996 To: MURR Staff and Personnel From: Edward P. Sheridan Provost With the special assignment given to Dr. James Rhyne, which temporarily removes him from license related activities, I wish to clarify for you the titles and temporary assignments for Henry W. White, James R. Rhyne, and James Charles McKibben at  :

MURR.

James Charles McKibben is Acting Reactor Facility Director at MURR with full l responsibility for all safety related matters, effective immediately, and reports to l Henry W. White. Henry W. White is Chief Operating Officer at MURR and reports to the Provost's Office. James R. Rhyne is on special assignment to improve research programs at MURR.

kl c Chancellor Charles A. Kiesler l Chief of Staff Brady J. Deaton Interim Vice Provost John McCormick  !

Henry W. White James C. McKibben John Ernst Walter Meyer James Rhyne Truman Storvick bc Interim Director and News Manager Jill Scoggins an equal opportunity / ADA mstitution

1 Office of the Provost l University of Niissouri-Columbia i14 le->e Hall

• Calamba. %IO n3:11

• re:erhone (3rt M2-n3wn

• F.n P 3] w:mW August 15.1996 i

To: Ronald Berliner Helmut Kaiser Guy Schupp Chester Edwards Alan Ketring Truman Storvick John Ernst Walter N! eyer Samuel Werner l John Farmer William Sliller William i elon I Michael Glascock J. Steven NIorris Stephen Gunn Gene Stoum l

From:

Edward P. Sheridan g Provost <

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Last April. I met with you to discuss a new arrangement for leadership at the Research Reactor Center. For the subsequent months. Jim Rhyne's responsibilities have focused on research evaluation and planning, Charlie SIcKibben has been Acting Director, and Henry White has been Chief Operating Officer. When we met in April, it was my thought that this arrangement should be fairly brief. This experimert in sharing of responsibilities was designed j to allow sufficient attention to strategic planning but avoid neglecting the more routine matters relating to fiscal and personnel matters.

I think that much of what this arrangement was designed to accomplished has been done, and that the time for reconsidering what may be the best leadership structure for the longer term is at hand. At the same time, owing to recent changes in the top University leadership appointments, it is important to allow time for adequate involvement of our new Chancellor in this matter. The Research Reactor is such an important resource -- and comparative advantage for MU -- that key decision-making about its leadership must be done in a manner that is not rushed. Therefore, I am writing to let you know that I anticipate making the decision about leadership in the coming weeks. In the meantime. I'm asking that the present arrangement be l continued.

Let me take this opportunity to compliment all of you, as well as the three individuals l holding leadership roles, for keeping the Center on track in times of change, which can be a l significant challenge. Finally, as I have mentioned previously, your comments -- sent by letter or l by e-mail -- are always welcome. l l

jw I c: Interim Chancellor Richard Wallace I l Interim Vice Provost John McCormick )

Director James Rhyne

Acting Director Charles McKibben  ;

! Chief Operating Officer Henry White l Reactor Advisory Committee Chairman Brian DeFacio  !

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