Consortium for Scientific Computing

The CSC is a nonprofit corporation formed by the 12 universities of the consortium for the sole purpose of running the JVNC. Initially, each university was to be represented within the consortium by the technical representative who had been the primary developer of the proposal submitted to NSF. Early in the incorporation process, representation on the consortium was expanded to include two individuals from each university—one technical faculty and one university administrator. The consortium Board of Directors elected an Executive Committee from its own membership. This committee of seven members, as in normal corporate situations, wielded the actual power of the consortium. The most important function of the CSC included two activities: (1) the appointment of a Chief Operating Officer (the President) and (2) the establishment of policies guiding the activities of the center. As we analyze what went wrong with the JVNC, we will see that the consortium, in particular the Executive Committee, did not restrict itself to these functions but ranged broadly over many activities, to the detriment of the JVNC.