Note from the Editor | Gratitude and Joy
In August, as summer vacation winds down, we head back to school with the memories of a glorious summer well spent – filled with the joy of interactions with family and friends, special trips, backyard barbeques and ice cream cones.
If we could only bottle these feelings of joy so we could call upon them throughout the year. Better yet, we can create a constant supply by choosing to fill our lives with gratitude.
Gratitude and joy are the themes of this month’s Catalyst. First of all, we are grateful for the contributors who made this issue possible – the authors, copywriters, SRAI staff and others. We also appreciate and highly suspect that some proofreading was done on sandy beaches!
Now on to the content: in the View from the Top, Gloria Greene shares her gratitude for SRAI’s many behind-the-scenes heroes. Angela Behrend and Stacy Schwenke’s Spotlight article focuses on project delays and no cost extensions. We introduce a new column, Your Questions Answered, where this month’s panel of Distinguished Faculty members provide tips and tricks on PI transfers.
In Phil Cola’s thoughtful article on the future of research administration, he reminds us that the implementation of evidence-based management practices is critical to the development of the profession, and Sabrina Heisey provides tips on how research administrators can support senior faculty members. In SRAI Off the Clock, Meaghan Ventura identifies volunteer opportunities that can help research administrators to refill their emotional cups. On the lighter side, check out Mark Lucas’s Acronym Soup.
And looking forward to the2023 Annual Meeting in Seattle this October, Andrew Wray and David Phipps describe research impact as providing benefits to society, and they provide glimpses into the impact and communications sessions Annual Meeting participants can expect. More is sure to come about that.
Finally, on behalf of my co-editor, Karen Bone, and the Catalyst Committee, we invite you to fill your lives with gratitude and to choose joy daily in your lives. And let us know about it!
Authored by Terry Campbell, Assistant Vice-President, Research Services
University of Ottawa
SRAI Catalyst Co-editor
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