Year: 2020

May 2020 Summary Board Memo

Dear NORDP members,

The Board of Directors held their May Board meeting this week.  I want to thank all the committees and volunteers for their dedication to furthering the field of research development and to NORDP. Below are a few highlights of the activities that NORDP is pursuing to serve all of NORDP:

  • NORDP held our Annual Business Meeting/Year in Review on May 20th. If you missed it and would like to see what has been going on over the past 2019-20 year, you can find the recording and/or the slides here. You will need to log in to access the members only section of the website.

  • Between the April and May Board meetings, the Board approved new NORDP Award categories, (also announced during the Annual Business Meeting/Year in Review) which include an Innovation Award, a Leadership Award, a NORDP Fellows Award, and a Champion in Research Development Award. More details on these will be announced in the coming months.

  • The group working on KRA6 recommended – and the Board approved – that in an effort to continue improving NORDP services to our members, a NORDP member Climate Survey (conducted by CIE), a Member Needs & Satisfaction Survey (conducted by Member Services), and the Member Salary Survey, be conducted on a rotating 3-year cycle, only asking members to fill out one survey a year.

  • The Mentoring Committee reported that we had 110 participants in the 2020-21 Mentoring match program! Thank you to all mentors and mentees in the program.

  • Remember to vote for your next Board of Directors by June 11th. To find out more about the candidates, you can find a recording of the Virtual Candidates Forum here. You will need to log in to access the members only section of the website.

Thank you, again, to all of you for your contributions to research development and to NORDP. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me at president@nordp.org

Cheers,

Karen “Fletch” Fletcher
NORDP President
president@nordp.org

NORDP fosters a culture of inclusive excellence by actively promoting and supporting diversity, inclusion and equity in all its forms to expand our worldview, enrich our work, and elevate our profession.

 

2020 Candidates for NORDP’s Board of Directors

Four NORDP members are seeking election to the organization’s Board of Directors in 2020. The candidates pursuing a seat on the Board are:

  • Eva Allen, Assistant Director, Environmental Resilience Institute, Indiana University
  • Anne Maglia, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Anne Pascucci, Director, Office of Sponsored Programs, Christopher Newport University
  • Michael Preuss, Executive Director, West Texas Office of Evaluation and Research, West Texas A&M University

You may learn more about the candidates’ interest in serving NORDP and their leadership capacity and qualifications for Board service by reviewing their candidate’s statements and CV’s at https://www.nordp.org/2020-board-candidate-profiles.

Be sure to register and plan to attend the first virtual NORDP Candidate Forum, Thursday, May 21 at 2:30pm EDT/ 11:30am PDT. The candidates will share their ideas and answer your questions. Can’t attend the Forum live? We’ll record it and post it on the Member Updates page online.ballot

The election will be held online from May 21 to June 11, 2020. Ballots will be released following the Candidates’ Forum on May 21, 2020. The ballot is an electronic ballot using rotating ballot positions and will be sent to all NORDP members in good standing.

Four Board positions are available to be filled in 2020, one of which is designated for a representative of a minority-serving and/or a regional institution, one of which is designated for a representative of a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI), and two at-large positions.

Contact the Nominating Committee (nomcom@nordp.org) if you have questions regarding the candidates or the NORDP Board election process.

2020 NORDP Salary Survey Results

Salary Calculator Allows Comparisons, Informs RD Staffing

A snapshot of salaries across the research development profession is now available, with the release of the 2020 NORDP salary survey available to NORDP members here here. This survey updates the information gathered in the most recent survey completed in 2015.

“Research development and human resource offices across the country have used this salary information to inform hiring decisions and RD staffing at universities,” says Kimberly Eck, president-elect of NORDP and assistant vice chancellor of research development at the University of Tennessee.

For example, Karen Eck, assistant vice president for research at Old Dominion University and past president of NORDP, says she used the 2015 survey data to advocate for more senior positions in her office.

“With 3,000 employees at our university, our HR office welcomed this critical data,” she says.  “The 2015 NORDP salary survey helped us craft our strategic case and get two senior grant development specialist positions approved. Data always wins, especially in the academic environment.”

NORDP members can access the results, which includes a salary report and salary calculator, which enables users to enter parameters such as degree, job title, type of organization, and region to obtain mean salaries, based on the 2020 survey.

A webinar is scheduled for May 29, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m EST, to highlight key findings and demonstrate the calculator. NORDP members can register for the webinar here.

The confidential online survey was administered to approximately 1,000 NORDP members and received a robust 34% response rate. As in past years, the 2020 survey collected member institution zip codes, enabling paired analyses using both actual reported salaries and normalized salaries using the 2019 county cost-of-living index table from the Council for Community and Economic Research. This allows users of the salary calculator to compare similar positions in different geographic areas.

The report addresses multiple institutional and individual variables including: institution type (public or private), institution geographic location and size (based on research expenditures); job category (professional title); RD office size (as measured by FTEs); and respondent demographics (gender, race, ethnicity, and education). Added this year, the survey also collected information about job functions.

NORDP members serving as salary survey investigators included:

  • Kimberly Eck, assistant vice chancellor, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
  • Karen Eck, assistant vice president for research, Old Dominion University
  • Mary Fechner, proposal development specialist, University of Massachusetts
  • Rebecca Latimer, director of proposal development, University of Virginia
  • Kayla Tindle, assistant vice president, Texas Tech University

Additionally, salary survey subcommittee members included:

  • Gretchen Kiser, executive director, University of California San Francisco
  • Heather McIntosh, manager, School of Community Medicine, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa Schusterman Campus

NORDP fosters a culture of inclusive excellence by actively promoting and supporting diversity, inclusion and equity in all its forms to expand our worldview, enrich our work, and elevate our profession.

April 2020 Summary Board Memo

Dear NORDP members,

Leo Tolstoy said, “Spring is the time of plans and projects.” And it certainly is as we all find ourselves planning for research development in a Spring and Summer like no other. Thank you for continuing to share your helpful thoughts and assistance on the listserv, and continuing the community that is NORDP.

The Board of Directors held their April Board meeting this week and there is a lot of activity throughout the entire organization. I want to thank all the committees for their hard work in moving NORDP forward. Since I know we are all crunched for time, below are a few highlights of the activities that NORDP is pursuing to serve all of NORDP:

  • MEMBERSHIP: We recognize that many of you are at institutions that are freezing discretionary funds which might include renewal of membership dues. If your membership is affected, please contact adminstrator@nordp.org so we can work to keep you connected to your colleagues during this time.

  • RESOURCES: There is a NORDP’s Response to COVID-19 weblink on our homepage for access to COVID-19 resources that we will continue to collect and share.

  • VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING: NORDP’s first ever virtual Annual Meeting/Year in Review (we typically have held this during the in-person conference) is on May 20, from 12:00 – 1:30pm EST. You can register here. This will be recorded if you can’t make it.

  • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: You can now see a current calendar of NORDP events here. Look for information coming soon on a panel discussion: “Why Research Development is Essential Now More Than Ever” on Wednesday, May 13 from 3:00 – 4:00pm EST

I look forward to interacting with a lot of you in the coming month, through committee and meeting programming. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me at president@nordp.org.

Cheers,

Karen “Fletch” Fletcher
NORDP President
president@nordp.org

NORDP fosters a culture of inclusive excellence by actively promoting and supporting diversity, inclusion and equity in all its forms to expand our worldview, enrich our work, and elevate our profession.

NORDP’s 2020 Year in Review

Dear NORDP Colleagues,

The Board of Directors invites all NORDP members to attend our annual Year in Review meeting, which we are hosting virtually for the first time ever! In previous years, this event was known as the “annual business meeting” and was held during the annual conference, as an in-person event. Global circumstances have motivated us to take this event online, and we hope you’ll join us to learn about what our organization has accomplished this year, with record-high membership numbers and the official kickoff of a new organization-wide Strategic Plan.

The Year in Review meeting will feature:

  • Information on the NORDP Strategic Plan and a look ahead for 2020-2021 by President Karen Fletcher and Vice President/President Elect Kimberly Eck
  • A report on the organization’s fiscal health by Treasurer Jerilyn Hansen
  • Announcement of incoming officers and updates regarding the 2021 annual Conference
  • Year-in-Review and 2020-2021 plans presented by NORDP Committees:
      • Inclusive Excellence
      • Member Services
      • Mentoring
      • New Opportunities for Research Development (NORD)
      • Professional Development
      • Strategic Alliances
      • Nominating Committee

Webinar Date: Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Webinar Time: 12:00 pm – 1:30 PM ET

Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vTP4uLvWR_S0M7rY2G5r5w

Presenters:

  • Karen Fletcher, NORDP President
  • Kimberly Eck, NORDP Vice President/President Elect
  • Jerilyn Hansen, NORDP Treasurer
  • Gretchen Kiser, Committee on Inclusive Excellence
  • Kayla Tindle, Member Services Committee
  • Kathy Partlow, Mentoring Committee
  • Kimberly Littlefield, NORD
  • Joshua Roney, Professional Development Committee
  • Peggy Sundermeyer, Strategic Alliances Committee
  • Kim Patten, Nominating Committee

P.S. One regular item of business for this meeting is voting as a membership to approve the minutes from the previous year’s business meeting. The 2019 business meeting minutes can be found at nordp.org on the Meeting Minutes page (member login required; once you’ve logged in, scroll to the bottom of the Meeting Minutes page to find the draft minutes). Please read through ahead of the 2020 Year in Review meeting (so that you know what you’re voting on). Thanks!

Jennifer Lyon Gardner, Ph.D., ELS, CRA
Board of Directors | 2017 – 2021
Secretary | 2018 – 2021
National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP)
http://www.nordp.org

NORDP fosters a culture of inclusive excellence by actively promoting and supporting diversity, inclusion and equity in all its forms to expand our worldview, enrich our work, and elevate our profession.

Board of Directors application deadline extended to May 8

Dear NORDP members:

The deadline for eligible NORDP members to apply as a candidate in the 2020 Board of Directors election is now extended to Friday, May 8, 2020. Individuals elected to serve as directors this year will serve on the Board from 2020 to 2024. For more information about the Board application process, click here.

We acknowledge that our current election cycle started at a time when we are living and working in new, unanticipated ways. Professionally, many of us have been asked to provide support to our institutions in a manner that frequently extends far beyond our original job descriptions. During such times, we also recognize that considering taking on the additional duty of NORDP Board leadership may seem a bridge too far.

However, we value democracy in our organization, and we see the contributions, commitment, and courage so many of you give to NORDP. We believe there are many of you who can and will rise to the challenge to help lead our organization – and the research development profession – through these times. It is during times of adversity like these that leadership is needed most.

We hope to deliver a diverse and inclusive slate of candidates for consideration as your future Board of Directors. If you are interested in Board leadership, or if you would like to encourage any of your colleagues to pursue candidacy, please do so. If you have any questions, please contact either of us or any NORDP Board member.

Eligible applicants will be asked to participate in the annual Candidates’ Forum, to be hosted via Zoom, on Thursday, May 21 at 2:30pm EDT/11:30am PDT. Candidate profiles will be posted to the NORDP website by Thursday, May 14.

Thank you all for your membership and your dedication to research development.

Karen “Fletch” Fletcher
Appalachian State University
NORDP President
president@nordp.org

Kim Patten
University of Arizona
Nominating Committee Chair
nomcom@nordp.org

NROAD is on the NORDP website!

Submitted by Samarpita Sengupta 

Thank you NORDP community for your interest in the NROAD to RD resource. This resource can be used to create training programs to train people interested in a career in RD or it can be used to onboard new team members. Accessing NROAD to RD is now easier than ever because the resource is now on the NORDP website behind the membership firewall. Step by step instructions on accessing the resource are below:

Step1: Login to NORDP using your username and password.

Step 2: Click on the Resources tab.

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Step 3: Click on the NORDP Professional Development and Webinars tab on the next page.

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Step 4: Under NORDP professional development, the first option is NROAD.

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Step 5: Once you fill out a brief survey, so we can track usage and follow up for feedback, you will be emailed a PDF copy of NROAD to RD.

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NORDP fosters a culture of inclusive excellence by actively promoting and supporting diversity, inclusion and equity in all its forms to expand our worldview, enrich our work, and elevate our profession.

Mentoring in a Time of Crisis and Uncertainty

Reposted with permission from Lisa Fain and the Center for Mentoring Excellence Team

Here we are in April, faced with a whole new reality from what any of us could have imagined even 3 weeks ago. There is great uncertainty, and many people are hurting now. Top this with the imperative for physical distancing, and we have a situation where the ramifications of isolation will be felt in the business and personal lives of countless people.

And yet, what the COVID-19 crisis reminds us is how connected we all are, and how vital these connections are to our well-being and growth. Since we can’t have the connection of being together physically, it is critical that we consciously create our connections. We can still be socially connected even though we are apart. This is why I’ve used the term “physical” distancing instead of social distancing, and why I encourage you to do the same.

This is a time for Connection. Mentoring is a great way to connect. Whether you are a mentor or a mentee, reach out with intention and compassion to make your mentoring relationship stronger.

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Mentoring in a time of Crisis and Uncertainty

We have received numerous requests for more information about how to navigate mentoring in our current crisis. Throughout the month of April, Lisa will be hosting a series of short (15-30 minute) Facebook Live broadcasts on the Center for Mentoring Excellence Facebook Page called Monday Mentoring Minutes every Monday in April at 10 a.m. pacific/1 p.m. eastern to address some important issues and provide practical guidance. We’re very excited to be joined by several distinguished guests.

Mentoring is a great way to maintain connections and get clarity in this difficult time. Please join us throughout the Month of April on Mondays at 10 a.m. pac/1 pm eastern for Monday Mentoring Minutes over Facebook Live. This series of 15-30 minute conversations focuses on how to leverage mentoring for the issues you may be facing right now.CMEpost_7[1]
Tune in at 10 a.m. every Monday in April, here’s the lineup:
Monday, April 6: Mentoring in a Time of Physical Distancing, with Center for Mentoring Excellence founder, Dr. Lois J. Zachary.
Monday, April 13: Introverts and Extroverts in Mentoring: with Jennifer Kahnweiler.
Monday, April 20: In Extremist Mentoring – Mentoring in a Crisis, with Chaveso (Chevy) Cook, CEO of Military Mentors.
Monday, April 27: Forming your Personal Board of Advisors with Kate Sommer.

Wishing you good health, meaningful connections,
and continued mentoring success.
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Lisa Fain and the Center for Mentoring Excellence Team

Calling All Mentors!

“Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” ~John Crosby

Sometimes, being a mentor just means offering a listening ear, or tapping into your professional network to find someone who has necessary expertise. Now more than ever, we are reminded of how important it is to connect (whether in person or virtually), share ideas, grow professionally, and encourage colleagues on to success.

NORDP members have access to a wealth of community, connectedness, and resources through the NORDP Mentoring Program. (NOTE: The application deadline for 2020-2021 has been extended through April 10, 2020).

Would you consider #payingitforward by becoming a mentor? Here is what a few NORDP mentors are saying:

“What has struck me this year as a first-time mentor in the program is how impactful it can be to just be there for someone who’s dealing with transitions at work and contemplating how their current actions will impact their future career growth. …It has reinforced to me the power of connecting with others and the value of a strong support network.” ~Hilda McMackin, NORDP member, mentor

“Being a mentor is so rewarding! Don’t make the mistake that I did and wait to become a mentor until you have “enough” experience. You have more to offer than you realize. The resources provided make navigating the mentee-mentor relationship easy, especially if you are a first-time mentor. In my experience, both mentee and mentor have something to learn and gain from each other.” ~Kathy Partlow, NORDP member, mentor

“I was inspired to serve as a mentor by the people who took me under their wings early in my research development career, and generously gave of their time in ways that helped me learn and grow as a professional. I wouldn’t be where I am today without their mentorship, and I wanted to give back to the community.” ~Angela Jordan, NORDP member, mentor

Being a mentor offers collaboration. Friendship. Community. Learning. Staying connected. Nudging others forward to realize their potential. Paying it forward. And, perhaps even more importantly, offering hope: “A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” ~Oprah Winfrey

NORDP members can sign up to be a mentor and/or a mentee in the NORDP Mentoring Program. Peer mentoring groups are also available. The deadline for applications has been extended through Friday, April 10, 2020. Individual Mentor/Mentee matches and Peer Mentor Groups will be notified in late spring. Contact mentorprogram@nordp.org with any questions.

Contributed by the Mentoring Committee

NORDP Board Memo

Dear NORDP members,

The Board of Directors and I are thinking about you during this time of change. We are excited about the conversations on the listserv as we continue to be the community we are, leaning on each other through conversation and creating new and agile solutions.

The Board of Directors met this week and I want to highlight a few of the activities that NORDP committees are pursuing to serve all of NORDP – there are so many great things moving forward to complement what you do every day.

  • The conference co-chairs are working with many of you to continue to offer as much of the planned conference content as possible. You will be hearing more about this in the coming month.

  • Volunteers are reviewing the Salary Survey results and updating the salary calculator.

  • The Member Services Committee is supporting our regions: NORDP Northeast region held a highly successful regional meeting in February at MIT; the Upstate NY Region held a quarterly RD meeting; the Great Lakes region is forming a  leadership team; and the Midwest/Mountain Region is planning for their first regional meeting. Reach out to the committee if you are interested in getting involved in Regional activity.

  • The Mentoring Committee is working on offering the next matched pairs of the Mentoring program. Approximately 90 members have already applied to the program and mentors are needed. We all have something to give back – consider applying to the program as a mentor, or a mentee.

  • The New Opportunities for Research Development (NORD) Committee is reviewing the applications they received for the 2020 InfoReady/NORD grant cycle to support research on research development.

  • The Professional Development Committee has put together the following webinars: “Science in Service to National Security,” April 2 at 1:30 pm ET.; “Chat About Research Development Support Going Virtual,” April 3 at 2:00pm ET; “Supporting Senior Faculty: How can RD Professionals Help Faculty with Established Careers ‘Jump Start’ their Research Funding,” April 20th, 2 pm ET. You can register here for any of them.

  • The Board is looking for dedicated members to help move NORDP forward. The Nominating Committee has opened Board Applications; Nominations are due March 31st. Read more about it here.

  • The Annual Business Meeting will be an online event this year on May 20th at 12:00 ET. Look for more information soon.

  • We are also working on the seven Key Result Areas (KRAs) of the strategic plan and will have updates for you in future correspondence.

We don’t know what exactly everyone’s future holds, but know that NORDP will be here for you as we experience it together.

Sincerely,

Karen “Fletch” Fletcher
NORDP President
president@nordp.org