Submitted by NORDP NE Communications Coordinator, Bethany Drews Javidi, University of Connecticut
On Wednesday, September 16, over 40 RD professionals from New England went on a virtual road trip to UMaine for the second of two summer NORDP-NE regional meetings. Special thanks to host Jason Charland, Director of the Office of Research Development at UMaine, and to UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy, who was the guest speaker. Pres. Ferrini-Mundy spoke on “Opportunities and Considerations for Regional Research Development Collaborations” and fielded questions from the participants about how regional institutions can build effective research partnerships. The discussion was informed by Pres. Ferrini-Mundy’s experience as NSF’s Chief Operating Officer and head of the Directorate for Education and Human Resources.
Many thanks to the other contributors to the meeting: Mark Milutinovich, Director, Large Center Development, University of New Hampshire, shared UNH’s plans to host DoE national lab events in the Northeast–plans that have been reconfigured–but not derailed!–in light of the covid-19 pandemic. Anne Maglia, Member, NORDP Board of Directors and Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Administration and Integrity, UMass Lowell, got the group up to speed on events at NORDP national. Amy Gantt served as facilitator of the Q&A with Pres. Ferrini-Mundy and discussed the region’s work on building a resource listing institutional research strengths and infrastructure to facilitate inter-institutional collaboration.
An informal networking session concluded the meeting, where members throughout the region connected and shared their experiences in RD.
The NORDP-NE group wished friend, RD advocate, and mentor Kathy Cataneo well in her upcoming retirement. We are all indebted to Kathy for her leadership in establishing NORDP-NE and laying the groundwork for the professionalization of RD nationally.
NORDP-NE is also grateful to the dedication of its Chair, Jeralyn Haraldsen of UVT, for her leadership and efforts in bringing the meeting to fruition and for hosting the region’s first summer (vitrual) roadtrip to the University of Vermont in July.
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