SRA International - eConnections

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SRA International eConnections
June 2010 Issue

This issue available in a PDF

Educational Meetings & Events

SRA News and Announcements

The Career Center

Open Positions Listed in SRA's Career Center

News in the Field of Research Administration

http://www.effortadministrator.com

Educational Meetings & Events

Annual Meeting Program Available Online

The 2010 SRA International Annual Meeting in Chicago O'Hare will offer 32 full and half day workshops, and over a 100 concurrent sessions covering topics spanning from professional development to financial management to research ethics.

WORKSHOPS - Full and Half Day Workshops will be offered on Saturday, October 16 and Sunday, October 17. They are designed for maximum participation and exchange of information among a usually small number of participants. There is a separate fee to attend, which typically includes extra materials.
Workshop Descriptions
Workshops by Track

CONCURRENT SESSIONS are 90-minutes or 60-minute sessions held on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning at the Conference. You do not register for sessions in advance; they are included in the Full Registration Rate.
Concurrent Session Descriptions
Concurrent Sessions by Track

Chicago Area Residents - Local Committee being Developed for Annual Meeting

Do you live in the Chicago O'Hare Area and would like to get involved in the planning committee for the Annual Meeting? We are looking for local volunteers interested in helping to compile information, organize tours and contribute ideas on how to showcase the region. The first local planning committee call will be scheduled for the end of the month. If you are interested in getting involved, please email Ellen Lupinski, SRA Meetings and Education Director, at elupinski@srainternational.org.

Reserve your Sleeping Room in Chicago O'Hare

Join us at the SRA International Annual Meeting in Chicago O'Hare, October 16-20, at the Hyatt Regency. Located just minutes from the O'Hare International Airport, come visit the Chicago area at an affordable price and take advantage of the free shuttle service between the hotel and the airport.

Hotel Reservations are now available at:

Hyatt Regency O'Hare
9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue
Rosemont, Illinois 60018
Phone: (847) 696-1234

SRA International has a block of rooms reserved at the rate of $219 (single/double) + tax a night. The hotel offers complimentary shuttle service from O'Hare International Airport.

Reservations by Phone
Please call (888) 421-1442 to make a sleeping room reservation by phone. The group rate will be honored by identify yourself as a participant of "SRA International."

Reservations Online
Visit https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=1740910
Select the General Block or Government Rated Rooms and proceed to enter your check-in and check-out dates.

If you would plan to arrive before October 16 or extend your departure day past October 20, the group rate shall be available five days pre- and post-meeting based on availability.

Share Best Practices and Research Studies Through the SRA Symposium

The SRA Symposium is where professionals can share their papers, posters and abstracts related to any aspect of the body of knowledge of research administration. The SRA Symposium will be held during the 2010 Annual Meeting in Chicago, it is for all of us involved in research administration. The more we share with each other, the more we add to our body of knowledge and advance our profession as a whole.

Whether in paper, poster or abstract format, symposium presentations typically report on one of the following:

Research studies on issues or theories
Case studies or summaries
Successes/milestones or innovative programs
Best practices
Quality improvement/program evaluation projects
Practice management

The Notice of Intent (NOI) deadline for Contributed Posters and Abstracts is Thursday, July 15. (Note that the Notice of Intent for Contributed Papers has passed for this year's symposium.) Visit the 2010 Symposium Homepage for details.

Summer Webinar Schedule Available

SRA has organized a number of Webinars in an effort to offer an affordable and easy way to keep up with your continuing education demands throughout the summer. Visit the Summer Webinar Schedule to see what we have in store. Much thanks to the SRA Webinar Advisory Chair, Rene Hearns, for her expertise, time and dedication.

The 2010 Summer Webinar Schedule Includes:

Tuesday, July 13, 1:00 - 2:30 pm EDT
Intellectual Property Issues in International Research Collaborations

Tuesday, July 20, 1:00 - 2:30 pm EDT
Marketing & Business Development for Clinical Research Sites

Thursday, July 22, 1:00 - 2:30 pm EDT
Developing Effective Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Trainings

Tuesday, July 27, 1:00 - 2:30 pm EDT
Senior Research Administration and Management Series
(Program 1, Webinar 1 of 4)
The Chief Research Officer's First 90 Days on the Job: Office Organization

Wednesday, August 4, 1:00 - 2:30 pm EDT
National Science Foundation/National Institutes of Health Discussion and Clarification Webinar on Requirements for Responsible Conduct of Research

Tuesday, August 10, 1:00 - 2:30 pm EDT
Protecting Sensitive Research Data

Wednesday, September 8, 1:00 - 2:30 pm EDT
Senior Research Administration and Management Series
(Program 1, Webinar 2 of 4)
The Chief Research Officer's First 90 Days on the Job: Internal Relations

Tuesday, September 14, 11:00 am - 3:30 pm Eastern
(Lunch break from 12:30 - 2:00 pm Eastern)
National Science Foundation Proposal Preparation Basics, Part 1 and 2

Thursday, September 23, 1:00 - 2:30 pm EDT
Compliance and Ethics Programs and Liability under the False Claims Act

SRA News and Announcements

Staff Office Moving

Effective Tuesday, June 22, the SRA International staff office will be located at the following address:
500 N. Washington Street, Suite 300
Falls Church, VA 22046

All phone numbers, fax numbers and email addresses for the office will remain the same.

The move will enable the office to move into a larger space while significantly reducing rent. The new location is accessible via Metro at the East Falls Church Station and it is convenient to I-66. The physical move will occur Monday, June 21st in the afternoon through Tuesday morning, and there may be periods during this time when staff will not be accessible. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience. All online systems, such as membership renewals and meeting registrations, will be fully operational and accessible during this time period.

2010 SRA Award Nominations Open until June 25!

The Oscars, The Grammys, The Emmys, The Tonys! For as long as we can remember, people have bestowed awards and accolades on shining stars. So why should everybody else get to have all the fun? SRA has its stars, too! Nominate that special leader for an SRA award and join us for their recognition at the 2010 SRA Annual Meeting Honors and Awards Ceremony.

Awards Deadline is Friday, June 25.

Nominations are currently being accepted for the following awards:

The Herbert B. Chermside Award for Distinguished Contribution to Research Administration
Nominee has provided distinguished contributions in the field of research administration as a profession.

Hartford-Nicholsen
Established to recognize SRA members who services demonstrate leadership in the Society and who have made a major, distinguishable contribution which has been of benefit to the entire Society.

SRA Excellence Award - UPDATED TO INCLUDE LEVELS IN THE PROFESSION!
The Excellence Award recognizes up to three SRA members who have excelled in meeting SRA's purpose of expanding the knowledge and tools of research administration as a newcomer (< 5 years), mid-career (5-10 yrs) or advanced professional (> 10 yrs).

Technology - NEW AWARD!
To showcase and recognize innovations and applications in using technology tools in promoting, processing or advancing research administration work.

International - NEW AWARD!
To honor and recognize a partnership across institutions or national borders that demonstrates leadership and cooperation in overcoming barriers to work together as equal partners and in ways that serve as a model for collaborating with others toward shared, and commonly held goals.

Meet the SRA Education and Professional Development Committee

By Sandra M. Nordahl, CRA ,Chair, Education and Professional Development Committee, San Diego State University Research Foundation

It's been stated before...it's all about the program! SRA strives to provide the membership of the Society with the best educational programming available within the field of research administration. Goals of the committee are to ensure that programming considerations offer all aspects of our diverse profession. SRA's Body of Knowledge (BoK) is incorporated throughout development of programming, bringing the experiences and expertise of ALL research administrators to the educational offerings of the Society.

During the past two years, the Education and Professional Development Committee ("EPDC") has strived to meet the ever-changing needs of the membership by being proactive and creative in producing new educational programming and opportunities. Enhanced programming includes:

CEUs - SRA has been certified to offer members Continuing Educational Units (CEUs) for qualified programs through the International Association of Education and Training, ("IACET"). The EPDC continues to review and increase the variety of courses that meet these strict certification standards.
Webinars - An extremely popular, easy and affordable ways to keep up with your continuing education . SRA Webinars are accepted by the Research Administrators Certification Council ("RACC") towards the 80 hour requirement for recertification. Each individual Webinar participation provides CRA members with 1.5 hours of credit towards recertification. Visit the Webinar Homepage for a schedule.
Themed Meetings - Piloted in January 2010, themed meetings provide a specific topical content geared towards a targeted audience. The "Basics of Research Administration" meeting has been successfully offered. In addition, we are currently organizing two new themed meetings on Pre and Post Award. Themed meetings are designed to provide the research administrator with an on-site, face-to-face experience with colleagues worldwide.
Certificate Programs - SRA's 11 Certificate Programs are reviewed continuously to ensure that content is up to date and relevant. The Financial Management Program will be undergoing a significant change related to coursework for non-profit institutions and hospitals. Visit the Certificate Program Homepage for a full list.
On-line training will be offered in the very near future!

So, how are all of these important aspects of your member benefits accomplished? By the very hard work of the EPDC! In order to maintain a full overview of the many facets of research administration, the EPDC is comprised of SRA members who work in the various divisions and sections of the Society: Commercial, Education, Governmental and Non Profit, Canadian, International, Midwest, Northeast, Southern and Western.

Members of SRA's EPDC are:

Commercial Division and Southern Section Representative
David Mineo, Director, Public Sector, Grants Management Consulting Services
McGladrey

Non-Profit Division and Western Section Representative
Jean Remmer, Vice President, Research Administration
Proteogenomics Research Institute for Systems Medicine

Government Division and Northeast Section Representative
Mary Greenwood, Chief Grants Management Officer, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
National Institutes of Health

Education Division and Northeast Section Representative
Kate McCormick, Assistant Director of Finance and Administration, Pathology Department
Harvard Medical School

Subcommittees are vital to SRA developing new programming. The invaluable expertise and guidance from these members is critical to the continued success of the Society. The following subcommittees are accomplished in assisting SRA to develop successful new programming and to continually review and update content for traditional programming.

IACET CEU Subcommittee
Chair: Michael "Spanky" McCallister, Assistant Director- Research Ethics, Education and Policy
Indiana University
Co-Chair and Board Representative: Bruce Steinert, Administrative Director, Clinical Trials Center Research Institute
NorthShore University HealthSystem

This committee was responsible for overseeing the IACET application process. The IACET subcommittee met every week for a year via conference call to ensure SRA met IACET standards, and passed the application process. The review process is rigorous and SRA's dedication was a direct factor in the Society's ability to gain accreditation ability in the very first review process. The IACET subcommittee is responsible for continued review and evaluation of IACET courses.

Webinar Advisory Subcommittee
Chair: Rene Hearns, Consultant

Rene has worked diligently with SRA staff to establish programming through this new medium of delivering programming. Webinars have added a new venue for educational offerings - member's personal desktops! This low cost medium for education has allowed members to gain crucial information quickly and with relative ease. We are pleased to provide a greatly enhanced Webinar schedule for 2010. Plan on participating in the NSF/NIH RCR webinar scheduled for August 4th. Visit the Webinar Homepage for a full list of upcoming programs.

On-Line Learning
Chair: Leslie Wimsatt, Educational Planning and Development Administrator, Fellowship Curriculum Director, Department of Family Medicine, University of Michigan

A new member to the EPDC, Leslie helped to develop on-line courses at the University of Michigan. The EPDC is very excited about Leslie's willingness to give her time and expertise to help us develop on-line programming. Look for the pilot program information and offering details in the near future!

Body of Knowledge
Chair: Angela Willis, Special Assistant, Vice Provost for Research/Dean of the Graduate School, University of Arkansas at Little RockAngela has enthusiastically taken charge of the continuing populating of the Body of Knowledge. SRA International's Body of Knowledge (BoK) is a topical index to information, articles, resources and links essential to successful research management on all levels. Produced and maintained by expert research administrators from around the world, this comprehensive "living library" of essential resources contains in-depth information on the six main categories of research administration: Infrastructure, The Profession, Pre-Award, Post-Award, Public Responsibility and Clinical Trials. Posting to the BoK is easy...contact Angela (aewillis@ualr.edu) to see how you can become involved!

The programmatic enhancements could not have been made without the dedication of the members above. The hard work of all of these talented individuals is greatly appreciated! Please be sure to congratulate each of them for the accomplishments and enhancements to the Society.

Distinguished Faculty: Nominations Due July 16; Renewals Due September 15

Nominations for The Society of Research Administrators International Distinguished Faculty Designation are being accepted through Friday, July 16, 2010. Distinguished Faculty Designation recognizes individual SRA International members who are outstanding teachers, researchers or exemplary professionals in the field of research administration and have published theoretical and practical contributions in professional and scholarly peer-reviewed journals.

Distinguished Faculty may be called upon as expert consultants or speakers by SRA or universities, hospitals, not-for-profit research organizations, and industry and government research laboratories, and administrative authorities to present professional workshops, educational courses and professional development programs; be called on as expert "faculty" to instruct for-credit educational courses or programs (e.g., MPA, MBA, Ph.D.); and be called on as expert researchers to conduct external, periodic and professional reviews of research administration capacity and processes within organizations, at the request of the organization. Distinguished Faculty serve for a period of three years and will be announced during the 2010 SRA Annual Meeting.

Nominations should be made in the form of three (3) letters of nomination and the submission of a curriculum vitae or resume delineating the above activities. Please submit nominations and renewal forms to Rebecca Vandall.

Northeast Section Updates

New York City Networking Opportunity
Do you work in the New York City Tri-State area? Are you interested in networking with your research administration colleagues? The Northeast Section is currently seeking volunteers to help plan a networking event in New York City. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Debra Schaller-Demers at schalled@mskcc.orgor Stephanie Endy at Stephanie.endy@lehman.cuny.edu.

Northeast Section in Chicago
Are you from the Northeast and planning to attend the SRA Annual Meeting in Chicago O'Hare this October? Stephanie (President-elect), Kate (Past President) and I (President) will all be there and we hope to get to meet you as well. Look for us at NE section meetings, gatherings and dinner groups. We also plan to have a NE table where you can meet your fellow N'easters and find out what we have planned for NOLA (see below). Registration is already open for this great meeting - don't miss it!

2011 Meeting in New Orleans
Plans are already underway for the NE's 2011 Joint Section Meeting which will pair us with the Southern Section. This will take place March 26-30, 2011 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. We are very dedicated to offering certificates, workshops and sessions that are of interest to our members. If you would like to be part of the planning committee or if you have any suggestions for workshop and/or session topics and speakers please email me at schalled@mskcc.org.

Looking forward to continuing the conversation…

Debra Schaller-Demers, MSOM
President, Northeast Section

Midwest Section Past President Reflects

By John Michnowicz, Past President, Midwest Section

I am now writing this article as your Past President. I cannot help, but to look back and reflect on the past year. I must admit the past year has gone by fast and furious. Heck, anymore every year goes by fast and furiously. Maybe it has something to do with age. Oh well, that's a discussion for maybe another article.

Over the past year, my time and efforts were focused primarily on my job, the job that pays the bills; my family, my well being and SRA and not necessarily in this order. I am sure many of you have a similar list of priorities; regardless, we all experience and deal with multiple priorities or multiple tasks each day, day-in-day-out throughout the year.

Since this is an article for SRA eConnections, let me focus on the SRA aspect of my priorities. Granted, SRA has provided me with numerous professional and personal (yes personal) benefits. In starting my research administration career, SRA International, Section and Chapter meetings provided me with the essential elements for establishing a solid research administration foundation. With this solid foundation provided by SRA under my belt, so to speak, I grew and matured professionally. The old adage, knowledge is powerful is oh so true! Armed with research administration related knowledge, I eventually became the "go-to-guy" around campus in regards to research administration related issues, gaining the respect of my colleagues and faculty members. For this reason alone, I feel ever so indebted to SRA.

Getting back to my priorities and my day-to-day choices over the past year, it's no secret I did not achieve what I set out to achieve as President of SRA's Midwest Section. Beyond Co-Chairing a successful Section Meeting, I wanted to open up avenues of communication amongst the membership, spreading the research administration "Body of Knowledge" throughout the Midwest in hopes of providing the essential elements for other wannabe research administrators seeking to grow professionally and personally. I wanted to find out the needs and wants of our members; their priorities and where SRA ranked within their list of priorities. Well, a year later and hopefully a year smarter, I've come to realize that one person juggling multiple priorities, does not stand much of a chance in achieving goals or a goal.

Therefore, I am asking that as a member of SRA and specifically of the Midwest Section, please reach out to your Midwest Section President, Dara Little. Dara is a smart, articulate, knowledgeable, energetic, etc, etc individual. With Dara's leadership and with a little support offered from each one of our 600 plus members, we can make SRA your change agent in respect to being a more productive, creative and knowledgeable research administrator without infringing upon your existing priorities. There is definitely power in numbers! So join me in flexing some POWER and give Dara a call or an email offering your support at John.michnowicz@wustl.edu.

Midwest Section Update

Greetings!

I can't believe I'm writing my first article for eConnections as the Midwest Section President. What an honor and privilege to represent such an amazing group of people and great part of the country (forgive my bias, I am a native Midwesterner).

Hopefully you have had a chance to recover from the Philadelphia meeting. The meeting received positive feedback from attendees for the strong workshops and sessions that were offered. The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia also received high marks for its wonderful location, great meeting space and overall beauty. As you know, the meeting was a joint effort between the Midwest and Northeast Sections and our Past Presidents, John Michnowicz and Kate McCormick did an outstanding job! Way to go John and Kate! Please take a moment to check out the pictures of the meeting on the SRA Midwest website.

The Midwest section was honored to present two awards during our business meeting in Philadelphia. The Dick Canaday Travel Award was given to Amber Connelly from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and Katie Watkins-Wendell of the University of Akron received the Newcomers Award. Congratulations Amber and Katie! The Section also elected two wonderful individuals to the Midwest leadership. Vonnetta Byington of Creighton University is our President-elect and Richard Brandt, previously of the Michigan State University and now the Vaccine Research Institution of Sand Diego is our new Treasurer. I'm looking forward to working with these individuals and the entire Midwest leadership. We also say good-bye to Elsa Nadler who has been our Communications Chair for a number of years. Elsa's shoes will be hard to fill. And of course, we also bid farewell to our past President Rene Hearns, who has served the Midwest Section in so many ways, a commitment that began well before her tenure as Section President. Thank you to Elsa and Rene for all of your hard work and time that you have given to the Section.

As a mother of two young children who has a full time job and is a part time student, I know how precious our personal time is. I appreciate the time that all of our members give to the Section; not only those of you in leadership positions but all of the individuals who help behind the scenes with meeting planning and with whatever needs arise throughout the year. Thank you and stay tuned for additional volunteer opportunities for both the SRA International meeting in Chicago, October 16th - 20th, 2010 and our 2011 joint meeting with the Western Section at the Westin Long Beach in Long Beach, CA May 14th -18th, 2011.

Regards,

Dara C. Little, CRA
President, SRA Midwest Section
Assistant Director
Office of Sponsored Projects
Northern Illinois University

Michigan Chapter Update

By Bonnie Kwit, President, Michigan Chapter

The Michigan Chapter held its annual meeting at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center in East Lansing, home of the Michigan State University Spartans! As a chapter that historically held its meetings in the Southeastern Michigan area, only capturing members from Wayne State University, University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Oakland University, Henry Ford Health System and Beaumont Hospital, we have held our annual meeting in the western and central areas of lower Michigan in recent years. This past meeting which was held May 13 and 14, 2010 had representation from 21 institutions throughout Michigan, which nicely supported our theme: "Research Collaborations - Michigan's Future!". There were two half-day workshops and 24 concurrent sessions that were well attended. The meeting was kicked off by a Keynote Speaker, Dr. Nigel Paneth, a pediatrician and perinatal and child health epidemiologist who spoke to the group about an NIH-funded multi-institutional study he is currently serving as PI on. The auditorium was packed. Dr. Paneth's presentation was captivating and I have never seen so many people present for the Keynote address. The meeting also included a pleasant dinner reception, during which we had fantastic entertainment provided by a local student men's glee club, The Accafella's. All in all, this meeting provided a variety of networking and education activities for attendees to engage in. We look forward to next year and another successful outing! An article from this year's Planning Committee Chair on her volunteer experience follows.

My Experience as a Michigan Chapter Volunteer
By Sara ONeal, Planning Committee Chair, Michigan Chapter Annual Meeting 2010

The best part of my whole volunteer experience is getting to know my colleagues better, especially the executive committee members who I now consider friends. For the past 3 years, I served as a volunteer for the Michigan Chapter annual meetings. The last 2 of these 3 years I served first as a Planning Committee Co-Chair (assisting Carole Bach, then Wayne State University, now University of Michigan) for the Holland meeting and most recently as Planning Committee Chair for our East Lansing meeting. The plan was for me to learn the responsibilities of the planning committee by taking on the Co-Chair role first and then assuming more responsibility the following year in the Chair role. It was a great way to build the experience and knowledge for planning a successful annual meeting. All along the way I had the executive committee's support who helped guide and champion the numerous decisions that had to be made. These wonderful ladies who supported me are: Bonnie Kwit (President), Caryn Charter (Past President), Carole Bach (President Elect), Carolyn Witt (Treasurer), Susan Campbell (Secretary) and Kathryn DeWitt (Membership Chair Historian). I also had the support of my organization, Van Andel Institute, and my department, Office of Grants and Contracts (Carolyn Witt, David Ross, Nicole Doppel, Tanja Barunovic, Anita Boven and Andrew Vereecke). I was able to accomplish much more with their help and with the time I was given to participate on this event - I am sincerely grateful. As Planning Committee Chair this year, I assisted with location selection, contract coordination, meal planning, room layout, program planning, speaker and volunteer coordination, and many other logistical and communication tasks. We had a super turnout with 148 participants from 21 different Michigan organizations. Overall, my goal was to plan a successful meeting while having fun. I believe this was achieved based on some of the initial feedback we have received from attendees. Were there also moments of frustration, surprise and exhaustion during planning? Yes! But when you get to the night before the meeting and you go to dinner with the executive committee and joke and laugh and have a great kick-off to the meeting itself, you quickly forget all the struggles and look forward to all the terrific networking and educational opportunities that will soon be enjoyed by many. I have benefited greatly by becoming involved in these meetings. I have met many fellow research administrators from many different organizations, but even better, I have gotten to know some of them by working with them (on something other than a grant) and visiting with them during breaks and meals. I am very thankful that I became involved when I think back on these meetings and all the good times and great people that were part of it.

Illinois Chapter Startup Update

By Joanne Nicholson, CRA

If the Blackhawks can turn Chicago into a hockey town, then we can move forward to gain support for a SRA Illinois Chapter. It's all about timing and opportunity. With the 2010 SRA Annual Meeting taking place in Chicagoland, we have an awesome opportunity to gain support for an Illinois Chapter. In my experience with starting and attending the Michigan Chapter meetings, there are many benefits of a state chapter.

With the tough times, there is an opportunity to "Shop Local" and use the multitude of resources in our state to provide training and networking for individuals here in Illinois. A Chapter gives SRA members an opportunity to prepare and conduct sessions and round tables while learning how to plan meetings. Chapter meetings also afford both members and non-members without travel budgets a chance to keep updated on current research administration issues. Hopefully, these individuals will be encouraged to become involved in SRA at the Section and National level as well. Please watch the meeting schedule for the Annual meeting for the Illinois Chapter startup session and bring your ideas to the group. If you're not attending the annual meeting or would like to discuss the Illinois chapter now, please let me know. I look forward to hearing your ideas and interests. My email address is jnicholson@aap.org.

Winner of the Western Section Elections

Congratulations to the following SRA member for their success in the recent elections and thank you to all those who participated in the elections!

President-Elect: Joann Waite

As a member of SRA Joann Waite developed a genuine appreciation for the relationships between her colleagues from the non-profit sectors, hospitals, VA and all levels of higher education. Through these relationships, she established mentors, examples, and coaches leading her through various levels of her career. These fine colleagues have helped her seek to "foster excellence in research administration." She believes in the mission statement of SRA as it brings together leaders and change agents "dedicated to the education and professional development of research administrators".

Through the opportunity of Western Section President, she hopes to open additional opportunities for her colleagues in research administration education and develop clear and transparent communication with all members of the Society, specifically in the Western Region.
She brings to the position of Western Section President her experience as a chapter president, workshop and session presenter, organizer of the new member receptions, and involved volunteer of SRA. Over the past year her service to SRA was limited due to complications with ARRA and other demands of our profession. She is now fully able and ready to commit to service to the professional society that cultivated her career growth.

Joann is the Director of Sponsored Research and Programs at Gonzaga University reporting to the Academic Vice President office. She developed the SRP office at Gonzaga and have successfully lead the University into a new era of research and research education at a this primarily undergraduate institution. Prior to her career at Gonzaga I worked in institutional research and sponsored research in the Oregon University system.

Joann is a PhD candidate at Gonzaga University and intends to graduate in December of 2010. She earned a Masters in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University, a Bachelors of Science in Psychology, and a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from Eastern Oregon University.

Board of Directors Nomination Deadline is June 18

This is a reminder that the deadline of Board of Director nominations is this Friday, June 18

SRA is currently seeking nominations for the positions of

Secretary
At-Large Board Member (2)

Please click here for position descriptions and nominations forms:

We need strong, dynamic and creative leadership for SRA. We hope that we can find candidates from all Sections, Divisions, interests and subspecialties in the field to serve in this important leadership role. Being part of SRA leadership provides an opportunity to advance the profession of research administration, make critical decisions about SRA's future, and give back to the Society.

We want to hear from you. If you are interested in serving, or know of potential candidates, please contact Phil Spina at PSPina@childrensmemorial.orgor Nora Potter at SRA Headquarters by phone at 703-741-0140 ext. 221 or e-mail at npotter@srainternational.org

Again, the deadline to submit nominations is Friday, June 18.

2010 SRA Salary and Benefits Survey

How competitive is your organization’s compensation and benefits package?
What benefits are your counterparts receiving?
Are you getting paid what you’re worth?

Please take time to fill out the new 2010 SRA International Salary and Benefits Survey. It will only take about 10 minutes, and upon completion, you will have immediate access to the findings to date for your specific position. Your responses will be anonymous and the findings will only be reported in the aggregate.

Given the turbulent economy of the past couple of years, a lot of changes have occurred in the workplace – particularly in the area of compensation. Your participation will enable you and your peers to gain a better understanding of how salary and benefits have been impacted.

To fill out the survey, simply choose the position title (click on the link) below that most closely matches yours. Once you are finished, you will have instant access to the results of the survey you just completed. Please keep in mind that others will have yet to complete the survey, so save the URL for the results report so that you may check back for updated results at a later date. In addition, final findings for other positions in the field of research administration will be available for purchase at a discounted member rate after the survey closes on Friday, July 23.

We thank you for your participation and truly appreciate your participation in this effort.

Survey Links by Category and Position

Research, Research Manager, Research Administration, Research Development

Or, Grants, Contracts

Or, Sponsored Projects or Programs

Or, Compliance, Research Integrity

Or, Administrative or Administrator

Or, Finance, Budget, Operations

Or, Other

If you do not feel that any of the general categories and/or specific titles provided above are a match for you, please click here

New Officers of the SRA’s Southern Section

Congratulations to the following members for their success in the recent elections for the positions of President-Elect and Treasurer! Thank you to all those who participated in the elections!

President-Elect: Carla Cavender, Texas Tech

Treasurer: John Roark, University of Kentucky

We wish you great success in your new positions.

The Career Center

Open Positions Listed on SRA's Career Center

Professional opportunities abound at SRA International's online Career Center. For additional information on any of the following opportunities, visit the Career Center.

News in the Field of Research Administration

NCRR/NIH Conference Invitation For Software Companies, "The Efficient Management and Utilization of Core Facilities"

On November 15 - 16, 2010, National Center for Research Resources/National Institutes of Health will be hosting a conference entitled, "The Efficient Management and Utilization of Core Facilities" to be held at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. A portion of this conference will be used to inform grantees of available systems and software that aid in managing the use of, fee collection, and maintenance of core facilities.

NCRR/NIH would like to extend an invitation to the conference and offer you the opportunity to have a small computer demonstration or slide show to show attendees how your system works. NCRR/NIH will be providing a registration website in the near future and will notify you when that site goes live.

If you do offer core management software and are interested in participating in the NIH conference, please email Chris Dillon at dilloncj@mail.nih.gov and I will add you to the exhibitor contact list. Please provide a contact name, email and phone number along with a web link describing your offered software.

NCRR is also providing space on its website to list software programs. http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/core_facilities_management_and_utilization/
Please let us know if you would like your program and contact information listed on our website.

Thanks in advance for your interest/participation.

Christopher J. Dillon [C]
Program Assistant
Office of the Director
National Center For Research Resources (NCRR/NIH)
6701 Democracy Blvd Suite 901
Bethesda, MD 20892
301-435-0959

More money, Fewer Postdocs

Proposed salary increases have many postdocs waiting eagerly for a bigger check, but in the current economic environment, others are concerned about the potential consequences.

Currently, postdocs receiving federal awards make between $37,740 to $52,068 a year, depending on a fellow's level of experience.

Now, U.S. President Barack Obama's proposed 2011 budget includes a six percent funding increase for these government-funded stipends, or National Research Service Awards (NRSAs), which support more than 17,000 postdoctoral fellows. And since many private institutions use the NRSA stipend scale to determine their own postdoc compensation, the salary bump is likely to have wide-reaching effects.

Read more: More money, fewer postdocs - The Scientist - Magazine of the Life Sciences http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/57381/#ixzz0qT9CGmR9

Q&A: Why Cutting Science is Good

As stimulus funds run out and other federal programs take priority over science research and development, academic research programs will soon feel the squeeze, says Diane Auer Jones, CEO of the Washington Campus, a non-profit business leadership and education organization, and former assistant secretary for postsecondary education at the US Department of Education. But the culling of academic research programs isn't necessarily a bad thing, she argues in an opinion piece published this week in Nature.

The expansion of research programs at colleges over the last ten years stretched research funding too thin, writes Jones, hurting faculty, productivity, and especially undergraduate students. This week, Jones took the time to chat with The Scientist about how fewer research programs could help the U.S. re-focus on undergraduate teaching, and what institutions facing research cutbacks should do.

Read more: Q&A: Why cutting science is good - The Scientist - Magazine of the Life Sciences http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/57392/#ixzz0qTB6w5UD

New Front in Animal Rights War

Image: Wikimedia Commons
Asociacion Animalista Libera!

A recent legal dispute between the University of South Dakota and an animal rights group represents a new front to the battle between scientists and animal rights groups: state open records laws.

Specifically, activists have turned to state open records laws to obtain information about biomedical research happening at state institutions.

"In addition to the federal [Freedom of Information Act], animal rights groups are also using state open records laws," Frankie Trull, president of the National Association for Biomedical Research, told The Scientist. "[Animal rights activists] have done this all over the country."

Read more: New front in animal rights war - The Scientist - Magazine of the Life Sciences http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/57345/#ixzz0qTCoKme6

Campus Breaks Own Record, Tops $1 Billion in Research Funding

UCLA has long been known for the breadth and quality of its research enterprise, consistently ranking among the nation's top five universities in the value of research grants and contracts received.

Now, for the first time, the campus has passed an important milestone illustrative of its comprehensive research program - $1 billion in competitively awarded research grants and contracts in a single year.

With about a month before the close of the 2009-10 fiscal year, faculty have garnered 639 grants and contracts totaling $1.02 billion, surpassing last year's campus record of $968.3 million.

"We've done terrifically well," said Vice Chancellor for Research Roberto Peccei, who has been watching the numbers steadily increase daily when he checks the online resource portal where updated statistics are posted. "It's a testament to the commitment and ingenuity of faculty across all academic disciplines as well as the dedication of the research administration staff that provides the infrastructure necessary to process the sheer volume of proposals and awards."

The two single largest sources of research funding are the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Read more: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/campus-breaks-own-record-tops-159183.aspx

Science, Side of Pork

It's the other source of science funding.

Is research supported by Congressional earmarks legit?By the look of it, plant geneticist Albert Kausch's lab is like any other academic life science research space. Fume hoods and chemical-filled carboys line some walls, hulking freezers and gene sequencers stand against others. Graduate students and research associates scurry through the halls, pausing to stoop over and pipette at benches piled high with petri dishes.
Kausch, along with a passel of collaborators, research associates, and students, is seeking to make commercial-scale biofuel production a reality, while learning a little about sex determination genes in plants along the way. His team is trying to genetically engineer a variety of switchgrass, a fast-growing plant that is a prime candidate for a raw material that could fuel an economically viable, ethanol-based alternative to petroleum transportation fuels. But in order to meet this goal, the US Department of Agriculture requires that all engineered plants be unable to reproduce, so Kausch is developing a strain that grows normally but cannot spread its seed.

Read more: Science, Side of Pork - The Scientist - Magazine of the Life Sciences http://www.the-scientist.com/2010/6/1/32/1/#ixzz0qTk8K7J8

"From Knowledge to Wisdom: Reflections on 50 Years of the Information Age," FREE Smithsonian Education Conference

Registration is open for the 2nd and final 2010 Smithsonian Education Conference. This conference will have special significance for researchers, research executives, leaders, administrators, and managers. It discusses the importance of knowledge science and information technologies in society, education, and professional life.

The conference will be held on Thursday, September 9, 2010, at the Carmichael Auditorium, National Museum of American History, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW in DC. The conference is entitled:

"From Knowledge to Wisdom: Reflections on 50 Years of the Information Age."

The event celebrates one of the great pioneers of the Information Age, Admiral Grace Murray Hopper. Admiral "Amazing Grace" Hopper's scholarship in computer science was the immediate reason for the implementation of COBOL in 1960, thus inaugurating our Information Age.

The conference will be an open panel discussion on the significance of knowledge science by very distinguished academic experts in the arts and sciences. The panelists will discuss the impact that knowledge technologies are having on human culture --- whether for the good or otherwise. The discussion will be highly informative and provocative especially for the way in which computing affects our leadership in human services and our ability to relate with each other in our professions, in family and in society.

The event, as always, is free and open to the public.

This conference is sponsored by the Smithsonian's Office of Sponsored Projects, in partnership with The Navy Medicine Institute for the Medical Humanities and Research Leadership.

Please register at the following:

http://www.thechiefinformationgroup.com/conference/smithsonian/index.php?c_id=16

The registration site also includes a downloadable PDF with fuller details.

Note: If you are using plain text email formats, you will need to copy and paste the entire URL into your browser and proceed from there. The URL begins with http and ends with c_id=16.

If you have any questions about logistics, please contact: Julie O'Dell at O'DellJ@si.edu

The registration page also includes POC information for technical issues as well as content questions.

Health Care Reform Advisory: Billion-Dollar Tax Credit and Grant Opportunity for Life Sciences Companies

Among the varied provisions in the voluminous Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a/k/a the Health Care Reform Bill, Congress has appropriated up to $1 billion in tax credits and grants to defray the costs of therapeutic research by small and mid-size life sciences companies. Beneficial even for companies without income tax liability, these incentives will soon be awarded in an application process that is sure to be highly competitive.

Credits and Grants for Costs of Therapeutic Research in 2009 and 2010

The new, temporary program offers a choice between an income tax credit and a cash grant for up to 50% of a company's costs paid or incurred in 2009 and 2010 and directly related to a "qualifying therapeutic discovery project." A "QTDP" is a project designed to achieve any of the following objectives:

To treat or prevent diseases or conditions by conducting pre-clinical activities, clinical trials, and clinical studies, or carrying out research protocols, for the purpose of securing approval of a product by the Food & Drug Administration or Public Health Service
To diagnose diseases or conditions or to determine molecular factors related to diseases or conditions by developing molecular diagnostics to guide therapeutic decisions
To develop a product, process, or technology to further the delivery or administration of therapeutics

Read more: http://www.mintz.com/publications/2134/Health_Care_Reform_Advisor...