MSU Office of Research and Economic Development

Spring Seminar SeriesProfessional Development for Research Administrators

February 6, 2015

Who are Research Administrators?

We are higher education professionals who provide the infrastructure for and facilitate the research,

outreach, and service programs and activities of our university.

We are:

Accounting, legal, compliance, technical, department-level, and pre- and post-award administrative personnel – bridging relationships

between and among educational institutions, public and private foundations, industry, and federal government agencies

Why Research Administration?

• Research Administration is a growing profession. More people with a wide variety of skills are needed to manage the complexities of the myriad opportunities and awards.

• We genuinely care and are interested in the work we facilitate. Research Administration gives us the chance to contribute to meaningful work, foster relationships, and learn.

• We are accountable to and take pride in representing our institution. There is no “I” in Sponsored Research!

Today’s Panel…• Carly Cummings

Assistant to the Dean – Research, Arts & Sciences

• LaDonna Bullman Contracts & Grants Specialist, MAFES Administration

• Michele AndersonProgram Coordinator, Energy Institute

• Stephanie HycheAssistant Director, Sponsored Programs

Administration

Research Administrators need ongoing training and development to:

• stay informed of regulatory and legislative policies affecting the institution’s compliance with sponsor/agency rules. • enhance their own career paths through leadership opportunities

and outlets for their individual skills, interests, and creative energy. • engage in professional and personal networking. • help keep their institutions competitive.

The Big Picture…

• Finding funding – databases and search engines• Pre-award administration (including proposal development)• Post award administration• Research compliance• Assessment and Evaluation• Management and leadership in Research Administration

Training Content Available

• Policies, procedures, and best practices• Sponsor/agency-specific issues (regulations, programs, audits, etc.)• IP, Tech issues, export control, responsible research• Contracts and negotiation• Subawards and subrecipient monitoring• Systems training

Training Content Available (cont.)

Cross Training: A different type of exercise

Research Administrators at all levels deal with a very wide range of tasks or challenges daily and must wear many hats. Receivingtraining in many facets of Research Administration can help Improve communication and efficiency.

Where are the opportunities?

4 Primary Professional Development Sources:

Professional OrganizationsCooperatives/ Collaboratives

Sponsors/AgenciesInstitutional Resources

Professional organizations

• offer workshops, conferences, and trainings for individuals at various locations (regional, national) and virtually. often have additional resources available including mentoring, publications, and professional networking.• are leaders in the field, drive policy, and are advocates for the industry. • Some offer industry-recognized credentials including certifications and

CEUs.• may offer travel awards for new professionals.• provide opportunities for volunteerism and leadership.

Professional Orgs for individuals:

National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA)http://www.ncura.edu/

Society of Research Administrators (SRA)http://www.srainternational.org/

Grants Resource Center (GRC)http://www.aascu.org/grcinfo/

Professional networking

• Peer to peer• Institution to institution• PI to PI• Research Administrators to sponsors• Tools (example: NCURA Collaborate)• Social sites (Linked In/Facebook) *PD on a budget!

Certifications

Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC)http://www.cra-cert.org/• Certified Research Administrator• Certified Pre-Award Research Administrator• Certified Financial Research Administrator

Professional Orgs for Institutions:

Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP)http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/fdp/

University Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP)http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/uidp/

Council on Government Relations (COGR)http://www.cogr.edu/Membership.cfm

American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)http://www.aascu.org/

Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU)http://www.aplu.org/

Professional Development available through Sponsors

National Science Foundation (NSF)www.nsf.gov

U.S. Department of Educationwww.ed.gov

U.S. Department of Agriculturewww.usda.gov

The National Institutes of Health (NIH)www.nih.gov

*Grants.gov and The Foundation Center

Our own back yard!MSU Resources for Professional Development in RA

• MSU Library (example: tools for citation management) http://msstate.evanced.info/signup/EventCalendar.aspx

• ORED Seminar Series/blog http://www.research.msstate.edu/rresources/seminar_14.php • SPA workshops/trainings/ online toolkits, list serve, D.A.W.G.

http://www.spa.msstate.edu/rt/ • SPA Accounting• http://www.controller.msstate.edu/sponsoredprograms/training/ • Research Compliance MyCourses• http://orc.msstate.edu/ • Departmental (in-house by staff)

Other Institutions

Peer institutions can be a great source for comparing best practices, training modules, web-series (if you have a PI who regularly collaborates with a specific institution (sub) you may want to learn as much as you can about their policies and procedures…and make friends with your counterparts there.

Charting a Career Path through Professional Development

• Many trainings have work-life balance resources (time management/conflict resolution, working with PIs/Program Officers, etc.)• Serving as a volunteer, chairperson, facilitator, publication contributor

may help you specialize for future career moves or increase your presence among peers.

Suggested Professional Development Trajectory:

1. MSU offerings (ORED/SPA)2. SRA’s Fundamentals of Research Administration or an NCURA Department Administrator workshop3. A sponsor/agency-specific training4. Regional or national program (NCURA/SRA)5. Pursue certification (RACC)

Panel Discussion/ Audience Questions

Dr. Carly Cummings LaDonna Bullman Michele Anderson Stephanie Hyche ccummings@deanas.msstate.edu lbullman@cfr.msstate.edu manderson@abe.msstate.edu shyche@spa.msstate.edu

325-2679 325-0785 325-2107 325-7395 Allen 208 Bost 211H 205 Research Blvd. 129 Etheredge Hall

Let us hear from you!Questions? Comments?