Research today would not be successful without the professional support of a competent research administrator. Yet, we all know that, unlike the professions that are served by research administrators, research administration has evolved into a profession only in the last 50 years. Many of us learned how to be an effective research administrator on the job from those who laid the foundation before us. During this journey, we discovered professional organizations like the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI).
I joined SRAI about ten years ago, and since then I have been extremely impressed with this organization’s ability to stay current and relevant year after year. I appreciate SRAI’s comprehensive approach to research administration and compliance issues, both at its educational events through its publications such as the Journal of Research Administration. This approach allows new and senior professionals to step out of their silos and interact to understand the challenges faced by their colleagues locally, regionally and internationally. This allows research administrators to identify ways to collaborate, ensure continuous improvement, and to set and meet a higher standard for all research administrators. SRAI’s vision includes the development of the profession, and the Society has not only made significant strides in this area, but also in building research administration as a discipline through its publications.
SRAI has come a long way, and the opportunities for SRAI to continue to impact the future of research and research administration are countless and incredibly exciting. I see opportunities:
- Extending awareness and opportunities at the collegiate level to make research administration a promising career option for college students.
- Expanding cross-over training opportunities across various overlapping areas of research administration and across various levels of administration, in order to raise awareness and understanding of how the many functions and levels come together to achieve the greater goals. To expand cross-training opportunities, SRAI could host joint programming with other associations to discuss how professionals in different disciplines work together to support the research enterprise.
- Provide more opportunities for newly appointed academic leaders (vice chancellors / presidents for research) to become successful at administration.
As an At-Large Board Member, I would facilitate, support, and aid in further developing the career pipeline for research administrators and in advancing the academic dialogue to further promote the discipline of research administration. For example, the feasibility of expanding the Senior Executive Intensive program could be explored to bring that training on-site to institutions. As part of that, college students from local universities could be invited to a session to meet with research management professionals and learn about the profession.
Authored by Farida Lada, Chief Campus Compliance Officer
University of California, San Francisco
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