NORDP Immediate Past President Karen Eck, Ph. D., provided keynote remarks for The Research Advancement and Development Professionals Network (RADPN) fall mini-conference at the University of Minnesota on October 14, 2019.
Karen also led an interactive workshop entitled, Research Development in Action, which looked at the definitions of research development (RD) and research administration (RA) and their overlap in enhancing sponsored research. The workshop presented different institutional models and RD office structures that are centralized, decentralized, and a hybrid with traditional RA models. Through interactive large and small group discussions, attendees experienced research development “in action” through a series of research enterprise simulations meant to highlight RD skills and activities in different contexts.
Ellen Freeman, Associate Director in the Office of Research Policy in the College of Education & Human Development at the University of Minnesota, shared these thoughts on Karen’s participation:
“We were delighted to host Karen for our fall conference. As a university, we’ve historically focused on research administration as opposed to research development, and participants were excited to have the opportunity for training in RD. One associate dean for research commented that Karen’s keynote really helped him to grasp the difference between RA and RD and how they work together. I heard many appreciative comments throughout the day, and have already received several emails asking when we’ll do it again.”
In her position as Assistant Vice President for Research at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, Karen leads five RD staff with oversight of intramural funding programs, limited submissions, faculty workshops, and proposal support functions for faculty and administrators across Old Dominion’s six colleges. She also interfaces with internal and external entities in support of Research Development (RD) and policy, research strategic planning and partnerships, and regional and other initiatives on behalf of the Office of Research.
Institutions seeking keynote presenters on topics, such as research development in action and the future federal research funding landscape can reach out to peerd@nordp.org.
Compiled by Daniel Campbell, Member Services Committee
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