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NORDP 2016 Conference Notes: Demystifyng the U.S. Dept. of Education

This post is part of our NORDP 2016 Conference Reports. These reports capture the take-home points from a variety of sessions presented at the NORDP Annual Meeting in Orlando.

Session Scribe: Kristin Wetherbee

Demystifying the U.S. Department of Education

Presenter: Marjorie Piechowski

Key points from the session:

  • The U.S. Dept. of Education isn’t very consistent with funding opportunities. Programs may not be offered every year and there are few established due dates. Formatting and page limit requirements can vary. Also, some submissions must go through grants.gov while other must go through the U.S. Department of Education’s e-grants system.
  • Notices are announced via the Federal Register and the U.S. Dept. of Education website with a minimum 30 day notice (often, only 30 days’ notice is given).
  • Proposals should cite literature from the National Clearinghouse which holds documents about the current state of research.
  • Proposal components:
    • Personnel – must adequately describe role and credentials relative to the proposal
    • Project design and need – often weighed most heavily by reviewers
    • Adequacy of resources – need to address the specifics of what you’re asking for (cost per student, cost share, institutional resources)
    • Evaluation – often weighted heavily, up to 20% of total points. The Department seems to prefer external evaluators so you must provide excellent justification if using your own evaluation tool.
    • Special and competitive priorities – these may or may not be required. Bonus points may be given for addressing them so don’t make reviewers hunt for this language; state clearly and boldly in the proposal.
  • Program officers don’t have to be experts in the field and some PI’s have found that program officer comments are in direct conflict with what the review committee wants.

What did you hear at this presentation that surprised you?

The consistency of the Department’s lack of consistency.

What resources did you discover at this presentation?
What else from this session should NORDP members know?
You must routinely visit the U.S. Dept. of Education website to stay current on offerings and deadlines and must thoroughly review calls for proposals for changes from year to year. Also, if you’re interested in being a reviewer for the U.S. Dept. of Education, a Ph.D. is not required (master’s preferred). Register at http://www.g5.gov/.

NORDP 2016 Conference Report: Beyond the RFP

This post is part of our NORDP 2016 Conference Reports. These reports capture the take-home points from a variety of sessions presented at the NORDP Annual Meeting in Orlando.

Session Scribe: Suzanne Lodato

Beyond the RFP: Ann Introduction to Diverse Methods and Resources for Identifying Funding

Presenters: Katie Keough, Christina Leigh Deitz, and Susan Clarke  

Key points from the session:

  • Both static (e.g., web pages on which information does not often change) and dynamic (e.g., regularly updated databases and lists) can be valuable tools for searching for funding opportunities.
  • For cash-strapped institutions, an impressive number of free online databases, lists, and digests are available from federal agencies, foundations, scholarly societies, professional organizations, and others.
  • Novel searching methods can be highly effective. Examples are:
    cited reference searching using award announcements and lists to identify opportunities, investigating peer institutions and organizations, checking the membership lists of funder affinity groups, read annual reports, strategic plans, foundation 990 forms, etc.

What did you hear at this presentation that surprised you?

Although the presenters all subscribe to multiple lists and digests that sometimes overlap, they do not find overlapping listings to be a problem because they scan them quickly. The extra time it takes to scan duplicate listings is well worth the discovery of a good funding opportunity for their faculty.

What resources did you discover at this presentation? 

The slides list numerous sources – both free and subscription-based. We did discuss Guidestar, a free online database containing information on non-profit organizations, including foundation 990 forms that often contain the names of grantees and grant amounts.

What else from this session should NORDP members know?

Move beyond your daily opportunity list and do some detective work. It will pay off in the end!

 

Peggy Sundermeyer is the 2016 Holly J. Falk-Krzesinski Service Award Winner

NORDP_BOD.2015
Peggy Sundermeyer, Trinity University,  is seen here wearing a red blazer along with current and past members of the Board of Directors. Photo taken during the annual leadership meeting (August 2015) in Boulder, CO.

NORDP’s Service Award was established in 2011 and named for our organization’s founding President, Holly J. Falk-Krzesinski, Ph.D., who was the first recipient.  The award, voted on by the Board of Directors, is given annually to a NORDP Member in recognition of outstanding service to the organization and to the Research Development profession.  The honor is recognized with a commemorative plaque and waived registration fee for a future NORDP Research Development Conference.

Peggy Sundermeyer is a Founding Member of the Board of Directors (2010-2016) and has served as NORDP’s Treasurer (2011-2016). Her careful stewardship and management of our organization’s funds is one of the reasons NORDP was able to hire its first Executive Director in 2016. She routinely makes innovative suggestions to manage our finances more effectively and efficiently. Her colleagues acknowledge her helpfulness, kindness, and eagerness to “step up” when something needs doing and an unrivaled source of information about NORDP’s history, traditions, policies, and procedures. Above all, she is a superb connector and an extraordinary advocate for the best practices of research development. There are scores of new NORDP members who have joined our organization and are actively volunteering based on her inspiring leadership. In addition to serving as a member of the Executive Committee, Peggy has served on the following committees: Revenue & Finance, Executive Conference, Conference Planning, and Scholarships & Awards.

Previously Peggy previously served the University of Minnesota in the Office of the Vice President for Research (1999-2014) as the Executive Director of Research Advancement (2006-2014) and as Coordinator of Professional Development (1996-2006) . She is regarded as the type of colleague everyone wishes for. She is highly skilled in a variety of areas, committed to the development of collaboration and consensus, and dedicated to equity in all endeavors.

 

NORDP NE 2015 Summer Conference at Brown University

by Caitlin McDermott-Murphy, Harvard University and Kathy Cataneo, University of New Hampshire

The NORDP Northeast Regional group (NORDP NE) held a full-day conference at Brown University in Providence, RI on July 27, 2015. The group welcomed 59 attendees, representing 18 institutions and all New England states. Special thanks go to Amy Carroll, Brown University’s Director of Research Development, her staff, and David Savitz, Brown’s Vice President for Research, for their hospitality.

Because NORDP NE values the wide range of perspectives, experiences, institutions, and RD offices represented at our conferences and meetings, we emphasize interactive, discussion-based sessions that provide room for debate and problem solving. An important aspect of this and previous NORDP NE conferences is the opportunity to connect, which can lead to: sponsor programming made available across our New England institutions, shared resources (e.g., funding newsletters), shared best practices (e.g., metrics-gathering methods), and a level of comfort when reaching out to point-people for specific RD questions, such as how and when to hire external consultants.

As with NORDP NE’s past conferences, the July 2015 gathering featured keynote guest speakers, six different topic-specific sessions with expert panelists and group discussion, themed lunch roundtable discussions, and a business meeting. Following the conference, many attendees stayed to enjoy networking over appetizers and drinks.

Keynote speakers Savitz and Lawrence Larson (Brown University’s Dean of Engineering) offered valuable high-level perspectives on the importance of Research Development to not just individual faculty members but also to the larger institution. The RD role is especially important when it comes to large-scale future planning needed to grow modern universities. Dr. Savitz called Research Development a “connecting field,” and described it as the art of adapting strategies to pursue and win funding. With an increasing emphasis on the “research + education” model, Research Development professionals offer important support to assimilate faculty needs with institutional needs.

 

Following the key-note address, the July conference offered the following topic-specific sessions:

Career Strategies for Developing the Next Generation of Research Leaders

Karen Drew, Northeastern University; Carol Inman, Independent Consultant; Anne Windham, Brown University

Evaluating Research Development: Metrics and Satisfaction Surveys

Jennifer Corby, Harvard University; Sarah Marina, Tufts University; Loren Walker, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Strategic Support for Faculty to Determine the Best Funding Opportunities

Erin Cromack and Caitlin McDermott-Murphy, Harvard University

It Takes a Campus…To Submit a Proposal

Brown University’s Tristan Barako (Research Development), Patrice Carroll (Sponsored Projects), Brian Demers (Technology Ventures), Catherine Nellis (Foundation Relations), and Douglas Wilkie (School of Engineering)

Government Relations as a Research Development Partner

Amy Carroll, Brown University; Rele Ritter, Office of U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island

Creating a Research Development Office or Function at Your Institution

Kathy Cataneo, University of New Hampshire

 

And, the conference’s roundtable lunch topics covered the following:

  • Broader Impacts Summit Debrief, Facilitator: Barbara Pearson, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
  • Exploring Regional Collaborations, Facilitator: Tristan Barako, Brown University
  • Incentivizing Research, Facilitator: David Savitz, Brown University
  • General Networking, All others

At the general business meeting, the NORDP NE Chair Kathy Cataneo and the Advisory Committee introduced an organization chart and position descriptions (modeled on NCURA regional positions) for the Past Chair, Chair, Chair Elect, Communications Coordinator, Membership Coordinator, and Secretary. Attendees agreed to transition NORDP NE into a more formal organization with defined roles and responsibilities, a succession plan, and opportunities for professional development through service to the regional group. The Advisory Committee intends to hold elections in 2015-16 in order to fill these positions prior to the next NORDP national conference.

For the first time since NORDP NE’s inception, we evaluated the impact of each individual July 2015 conference session and asked attendees to complete a brief survey before departing the conference venue. The sessions deemed most helpful were those on government relations and strategic support to faculty. And, the most salient topics proposed for future conferences and meetings include:

  • Funding trends and policies, presented by agency representatives
  • Project management: strategic planning and project management tools
  • RD office development: tangible tools for RD professionals
  • Collaboration: working with other university units or functions

NORDP Northeast extends a big “thank you” to NORDP National for their continued support and leadership. We also welcome questions from burgeoning RD groups in other regions, and look forward to (re)connecting with all of our colleagues in Orlando in May 2016.

Applications now being accepted for the NORDP Mentor Program

Are you looking for an opportunity for professional development? Do you have wisdom to share with new research development professionals? Consider becoming a NORDP mentor.

The Mentor Program is a great opportunity for NORDP members to connect with colleagues over their specific professional interests, share their professional experiences and stories, and develop lasting individual relationships with fellow members within our broad national network.

We particularly encourage anyone who has had a mentor in the past to apply to be a mentor to our newer members, or to participate both as mentors and mentees. New this year is also the opportunity to join small Community of Practice groups that bring together people with a similar set of specific discussion interests. Mentoring pairs and CoP groups will be matched using the same on-line application.

The deadline for applications will close on April 4, so don’t delay! Find all the details on the Mentor Program web page.

Call for Nominations: NORDP’s Rising Star of Excellence Awards – due March 1

The NORDP Board of Directors is excited to announce a new way to recognize the contributions of newer members of NORDP who have made outstanding contributions to the organization: the Rising Star of Excellence Award.  We are now accepting nominations for this award.

Eligibility
Active NORDP members with at least three years of experience in the profession; two years of NORDP membership; and significant volunteer contributions to NORDP, i.e., committee work, conference volunteer, presenter, etc. Current and past members of the NORDP Board of Directors are ineligible for nomination.

Nomination and Selection Process
Any NORDP member may nominate eligible members for this award. We are asking for a letter of nomination that details why this NORDP member is a good candidate for this recognition. In particular, the nomination should speak to past and current contributions to NORDP; the potential for future contributions to research development, to NORDP, or to both; and examples of excellence in research development that deserve to be recognized. The nomination should also include a short (approximately 50 words) statement to be used as an award citation if the nominee is selected.

Please submit nominations to rdconf@nordp.org by March 1, 2016. Nominations will be judged based upon the extent to which the candidate has achieved success in the criteria specified above.

The Conference Scholarship, Award, and Recognition subcommittee reviews the nomination materials and recommends nominees for approval by the Board of Directors. Awardees will receive an engraved plaque and waived conference registration for a future NORDP conference.

Contact Jeff Agnoli, agnoli.1@osu.edu, with any questions.

NORDP New Year: an update from NORDP Secretary Michael Spires

Colleagues:

It’s a new year, and there’s so much that’s new and exciting going on with NORDP. I want to focus on a couple of those things in this post:

  • The 2016 NORDP Annual Meeting
  • 2016 Nominating Committee and upcoming NORDP elections

2016 NORDP Annual Meeting

In just four short months, we’ll be gathering at the Hyatt Grand Cypress in Orlando for the 2016 annual meeting. Registration is now open, and the Program Committee is hard at work putting together an awesome lineup of presentations, panels, roundtables, and posters. We received a total of 84 submissions for presentations, and we hope to have notifications out shortly to the presenters who have been given the green light. As we get closer to the meeting, we’ll start sharing some nuggets of information about speakers and presentations to whet your appetite, along with information about networking opportunities and other activities at the meeting. I hope to see you there!

2016 Nominating Committee and Upcoming NORDP Elections

The new year also means that it’s time to start thinking about electing new members to the Board of Directors. To that end, the 2016 Nominating Committee recently had its first meeting, at which we went over materials from last year’s election and started making some changes for this year. Keep an eye out for an email from us in the next couple of weeks inviting nominations and applications for this year’s ballot.

The Nominating Committee is established by the NORDP Bylaws. Its members serve for one year (and can serve more than one term, if they want to). Each fall, the outgoing chair invites NORDP members to volunteer to serve on the committee. After selecting six members from the membership at large, two members from the Board of Directors are added, and the new committee then selects a chair for the year. This year we’re proud to report that we have at least one member from every NORDP region:

  • Region I: Peg AtKisson, Grant Writers’ Seminars & Workshops
  • Region II: Karen Eck (Board member), Old Dominion University
  • Region III: Beth Hodges, Florida State University
  • Region IV: Kathryn Partlow, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Region V: Michael Spires (Board member), University of Colorado Boulder; Jerilyn Hansen (committee chair), Utah State University
  • Region VI: Sandra Garcia, University of Houston, Downtown
  • Region VII: Susan Carter, University of California, Merced

The committee is charged by the Bylaws, and other NORDP policies, with reviewing and updating elections information, soliciting nominations and applications for election to the Board, verifying the willingness to serve for individuals nominated by another NORDP member, presenting a slate of candidates for the Board, and working with the candidates to generate information about their backgrounds and qualifications for service that will be included in the information sent out with the election ballots. A member of the committee (the chair, if she or he is in attendance) moderates the candidate forum breakfast at the annual meeting. After the election is complete, the committee reviews the feedback received from those who participated, and may recommend changes in policies and procedures to the Board for the next cycle if these are warranted.

All NORDP members in good standing as of April 8, 2016 will be eligible to vote in the 2016 elections, so if your membership is set to expire before that date, make sure to renew soon! We have to send voter names and email addresses to our election services provider at least 20 business days before voting opens, so they can generate the emails containing each eligible member’s personalized link to the secure voting website. Our cutoff date is slightly before that deadline, to make sure we have the chance to process all outstanding renewals before we generate the list to send to the service provider. Voting will be open from May 16 until June 8.

Michael Spires, M.A., M.S., CRA
University of Colorado Boulder

New NORDP Webinar: Evaluating Your Research Development Office

Evaluating Your Research Development Office
Presented by Sarah Marina, Tufts University

Date:                      Thursday, February 11, 2016
Time:                     1:00 – 2:00 p.m. EST  /  12 noon – 1:00 pm CST Registration:        You must be a member to register. Join NORDP today to access this resource!

The question of how to evaluate the success of a research development practitioner is being asked with increasing frequency, as this is a new and growing field. Commonly used quantitative metrics (such as “success” rates) fail to provide meaningful information about the true impact of our work, given its complexity and the realities of dropping funding rates. Many of us have the opportunity to chart the course of how we will be evaluated at our institutions, but the question remains: What measures of success should we use, and how should we evaluate them?

In this webinar, we will describe several evidence-based tools for use in internal evaluation and illustrate selected approaches with examples from actual evaluations of the Offices of Research Administration and Research Development at Tufts University. In particular, this session will highlight the utility of using satisfaction as the key metric in assessing the success of a research development office. We will offer practical tips for developing an evaluation of your own Research Development efforts, and detail the process of developing, designing, implementing, and assessing the results of a satisfaction survey.

Sarah Marina is an Assistant Director in the Tufts University Office of Research Development. She has eight years of professional experience in the research development field, centering on proposal development and strategy, and program design and implementation. Her current research focus is on the development methods for the evaluation of offices of research development and/or administration. She completed a certificate in Program Evaluation at Tufts University in 2012, where she is currently a masters candidate in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning.

Welcome to the new face of NORDP News

Welcome to NORDP News! The NORDP Blog is a little over a year old now, and we thought it was time for a better way to interact with NORDP. We’re renaming the blog–henceforth it will bear the title of our old newsletter, the NORDP News. (Look for an archive of those soon). Be sure to subscribe for the latest updates on our eighth annual Research Development Conference, our search for an executive director, the thoughts and activities of our members and board members, and more. And participate by commenting!

 

NORDP goes to SRA

By Gretchen Kiser

Last month, Oct.17-21, NORDP members presented a poster at the SRA International conference in Las Vegas. Terri Solberg, Lorraine Mulfinger, Ann McGuigan, and I authored the poster, covering the highlights from our recent analysis of the NORDP 2015 annual salary survey (members-only detailed information can be found here). The poster also presented some basics of research development (RD) and the RD professional, as well as NORDP as an organization. Lorraine and I were both in attendance, and we can tell you that the poster received much interest.  Many of the SRA attendees that visited the poster were RD professionals and just didn’t know it; they appreciated knowing there was an organization of like peers and were interested in learning more. Everyone who visited the poster was very interested in the salary information and found the potential of a salary calculator tool very helpful.  We had 80 take-away poster handouts and every one of them was distributed!

Notably, there was also a poster and associated presentation from Jennifer Sambrook et al. that described a meta-analysis of research administrator (RA) survey data across time (including data from a 1968 SRA survey). They described several interesting trends within the ranks of research administrators: RAs have gone from being primarily male in 1968 to predominantly female in 2015, the average age of an RA is increasing, the number of RAs with a Master’s degree in on the upward trend, and salaries in the last five years have not changed much and sit around 40% with a median salary between $50K and $75K (with another 25% between $75K and $100K). Interestingly, the NORDP salary survey showed that the majority of RD professionals’ salaries are similarly distributed, even though the highest degree earned is significantly higher – 37% of RAs are Bachelor degree holders vs. 9% of RD professionals; 46% of RAs are Masters degree holders vs. ~52% of RD professionals; and 9% of RAs are Doctoral degree holders vs. 37% of RD professionals.  Hmm…