This last year has been one filled with challenges and uncertainty but also wonderful achievements and new opportunities. It’s been a privilege for me to serve as the NORDP president during this time.
We started last July working with our then newly hired executive director to lay out a work plan for the new role that included expanding our list of potential sponsors. In late August, the whole Board spent an intense (and fun!) couple of days of planning and team-building in Boise, ID (check out the photo of the Board during our Boise meeting). We developed primary goals and stretch goals for all of our committees, restructured some aspects of our committees, and defined working groups for activities that didn’t fit within the scope of our existing committees. Below, I’ve listed some highlights of this past year’s NORDP organizational activity.
- Member Services Committee rolled out a membership drive and realized a net increase of more than 100 new members, bringing NORDP membership to its highest point yet at well over 700 members.
- Member Services Committee also developed and rolled out new membership orientation materials.
- Developed and implemented a policy to guide the structure of affinity groups of NORDP, such as those defined as regional groups.
- Finance/Revenue Committee identified and adopted several administrative cost-saving and infrastructure improvement measures, including upgrading our MemberClicks membership administration tool.
- Implemented a modest increase in membership dues.
- Researched and generated a broader list of potential sponsors.
- Maintained current level of professional development webinars while working to define future, broader webinar content. Professional Development Committee supported the participation of over 360 members in live webinar events this year.
- Investigated past efforts, reactivated, and successfully re-implemented the Program for External Evaluation of Research Development (PEERD) NORDP Consulting Program. At the 2017 conference, launched an effort to recruit expert reviewers for the program as well as advertise for potential clients.
- Developed and implemented of the first training forum focused on emerging research enterprise leaders: Wise decisions in times of change and uncertainty: Research Enterprise Leadership Forum, held at the 2017 conference in Broomfield, CO.
- Planned and executed the best-attended NORDP annual conference to-date, with nearly 500 people in attendance at the Broomfield, CO conference.
- Established the Mentoring Program Committee as a ‘stand-alone’ NORDP committee, recognizing its expanding programmatic depth and breadth, with development of mentoring resources, e.g.
- Established an expanded volunteer administrative services resource to assist with MemberClicks and other member-related administrative questions.
- Reinvigorated the former External Engagement Committee under the new name of Strategic Alliances Committee, building capacity in the Liaison Program and in peer-group alliances.
- Matured the New Opportunities in Research Development (NORD) Working Group to a NORDP committee.
- Formed a revived Communication Working Group manned by several NORDP members, focused at several communication levels – website, blog, social media, listserv, conference communication.
- Formed a new working group focused on increasing diversity and inclusion within NORDP.
I know that these accomplishments were the collective effort of many volunteers and thank you all for your contributions to these and other recent accomplishments. So, while this year has brought challenges, it is not hard to also see evidence of continued positive growth in NORDP, and to be excited about the potential for the future.
Thank you for the honor of serving as president this past year. Onward and upward…
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