Author: fletcherkl

Dear NORDP members,

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

• Our first ever Virtual Idea Showcase – featuring posters and lightning talks – is Thursday, July 30, 2020 from 3-5pm EDT. Keep an eye out for registration information in the coming weeks.
• The Professional Development Committee continues to work on coordinating a schedule of conference presentations in a virtual format.
• A group of NORDP members are working to bring you a series of RD community conversations where we can discuss racism, inclusion, and equity in our society, our institutions, and our organization, and the roadblocks we have on these difficult conversations. Keep an eye out for more information on these sessions in the coming weeks.
• The Board of Directors ratified the 2020 election results and welcomes four new Board members to join the Board in July: Eva Allen, Anne Maglia, Anne Pascucci, and Michael Preuss.

A NORDP Board term is for four years, beginning July 1st and ending June 30th. As we welcome the new Board members, I want to thank the Board members who will be rotating off the Board: Thank you to Kathy Cataneo and Kari Whittenberger-Keith for serving the last four years on the NORDP Board, and to Dave Stone for serving for the last eight years on the NORDP Board. You can see a sampling of their contributions here on slides 21-23. Kathy, Kari, and Dave: we appreciate your dedication and all your work that makes NORDP the organization it is today.

I also want to thank you all for the opportunity to serve as your President this past year. It has been an honor and I thank you for your support. I have enjoyed getting to know many of you through committees and other volunteer work and it has been a privilege to work beside you as we advance the global capacity for and impact of research by strengthening the practice and profession of research development.

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.

Dear NORDP members,

Voting in the 2020 NORDP Board elections ended on June 11. This election saw a participation rate of 34%, which is lower than last year but greater than 2018. Thank you to our members for participating in the election process.

We want to thank the Nominating Committee for all their time spent soliciting and evaluating applications and nominations, and for coordinating the election process.

The NORDP Board of Directors ratified the results of the election this week and we are pleased to announce our four new Board members who will serve a four year term beginning July 1, 2020:

• 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 (designated Primarily Undergraduate University seat)
• Michael Preuss, Executive Director, Office of Evaluation and Research, West Texas A&M University (designated Minority Serving Institution seat: a Hispanic Serving Institution)

Eva Allen

Anne Maglia

Anne Pascucci

Michael Preuss

Please join us in congratulating the new Board members! Eva, Anne M., Anne P., and Michael, we look forward to your enthusiasm and leadership as we advance the global capacity for and impact of research by strengthening the practice and profession of research development.

Sincerely,

Karen “Fletch” Fletcher
NORDP President

Kimberly Eck
NORDP Vice President/President Elect

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.

Dear NORDP Members, 

In this moment in history, we find ourselves faced with unprecedented challenges: confronting both the global health and economic crisis stemming from COVID-19, and the most recent examples of the long-standing racial injustice in the United States arising from the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and innumerable unknown others.

NORDP is a community that is dedicated to inclusive excellence, honest reflection, and genuine advocacy in support of our members. Our greatest strength has always been the relationships we build with one another, and this is why the NORDP Board wants to be loud and clear: NORDP supports those who stand up against racism and bias in today’s society. We support those who are grieving for the loss of family and friends, and the unjust loss of more Black American lives. We stand in solidarity with all our RD colleagues, ready to offer support.

We are a community that exists to serve its members, and in that spirit I, and the rest of NORDP’s leadership, acknowledge that we must find ways to take more direct action in support of inclusive excellence. Though we have made remarkable strides in the short lifetime of our organization, the world shows us every day that there is so much more to be done. We are committed to being an agent of change in the Research Development field and beyond, through mindful integration of inclusive strategies including initiatives spanning leadership development, mentoring, and recruitment. 

In moving forward, I welcome your ideas and input on ways our Research Development community can unite for positive impact. We look forward to dialogue and action that is as strident as it is peaceful. In the coming weeks look for a virtual Community Discussion to provide a space for members of our community to reflect and process their thoughts and feelings about these recent national events. For now, know that I, and the rest of NORDP, stand with our members in the fight against racism and bias wherever and however it may appear. 

And for all our members: all races, colors, and ethnicities, please know that we cherish, value, respect, and support you. Thank you for being a part of our community. Our lives, personal and professional, are all the richer for it.

Sincerely,

Karen “Fletch” Fletcher
NORDP President

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.

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.

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.

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

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

NORDP is soliciting member feedback on simplifying NIH review criteria in an effort to answer Bruce Reed, Deputy Director at NIH’s question: How might review criteria be modified to obtain the best evaluations of scientific merit?

NORDP’s mission is to advance the global capacity for and impact of research by strengthening the practice and profession of research development. In an effort to do just that, NORDP, as an organization representing research development, will be responding to NIH’s call for input on simplifying NIH review criteria. You can read more about it here.

Please submit any feedback you might have to president@nordp.org by Friday, March 13th so that we can compile the responses and submit a group NORDP response to NIH.

Thank you,
Karen “Fletch” Fletcher
NORDP President

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.