Your Questions Answered | What is the Best Advice You Received as Your RA Career Has Continued to Advance?
Each month, the Catalyst will feature a question posed to our panel of SRAI Distinguished Faculty members to get their take on all sorts of topics encompassing research administration. Do you have a research administration question for our experts? Send your questions to catalyst@srainternational.org!
This month, we asked our experts: What is the best advice you received as your research administration career has continued to advance?
Jose Alcaine, PhD, Director of Research Services, Affiliate Faculty, Virginia Commonwealth University, SRAI Distinguished Faculty
- Oh gosh, so many; there is not just one I can name but several. Not to seem cliche but a really important one is that things tend to work out for the best. I remember one instance where I was a perfect candidate for a job/promotion (so I thought) but was overlooked. This was extremely hurtful at the time but my superior (whom I love, respect, and admire to this day) said, "I think you need to spread your wings, other things and experiences await you." I was super hurt at the time, but it turns out it was 100% right! Yes, you will encounter disappointment but also success. Celebrate the successes and learn and grow stronger from the setbacks. The journey with all its trials, work, tribulations, ups and downs is in itself the beauty of it. My superior’s advice that things may not work out the way we plan, but in the end will work out for the best, rings true to me. I remember that advice especially when things do not seem to be working out in our favor. What is the famous line...the best laid plans...often go awry? Yes, indeed, but we go on.
Tonya Edvalson, Policy and Projects Analyst, University of California, Los Angeles, SRAI Distinguished Faculty
- Because our roles can become very specialized, it is difficult to keep up with all the new regulations and requirements that might impact our day-to-day goals. I was told to always expect change and that I did not need to know it all to be successful. I was encouraged to build a network of people that I can collaborate with and ask questions. I can rely on those specialized in other areas the way that they rely on me in my area of expertise.
Rebecca Claycamp, Independent Consultant in Research Administration, SRAI Distinguished Faculty
- The advice was some 40-plus years ago when I worked in the Sponsored Programs Office at the University of Iowa: to remember the parable of the blind men and the elephant. My director was admonishing me to abandon my us-them mentality with principal investigators (PIs) and sponsors. I learned that to be effective, I needed to consider others’ perspectives and priorities...that my way will initially be based on incomplete information and may only be partially right from my perspective. It can be exasperating at times but with the complexities and nuances involved in research administration, this approach helped me be more effective as a research administrator and to grow throughout my career, both at universities and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)..
Domenica Pappas, Associate Vice Provost of Research, Illinois Institute of Technology, SRAI Distinguished Faculty
- Chill; Stop, Look, Listen: and Mentors.
Chill: I remember early in my career I was overwhelmed with all the rules. We can often become overwhelmed with all that is going on, especially as we are growing within our careers.
Stop, Look, Listen: Stop and see what is going on around you (i.e., a new faculty member is struggling with a grant proposal/award and is not responding). The results may surprise you – life happens.
- Mentors: Have a mentor in various areas that relate to your work. I have been fortunate to have several mentors in my career. I have also had some non-research administrator mentors (i.e., faculty) who provide a different viewpoint
M. Fran Stephens, Director, Pre-Award Services, The University of Oklahoma, SRAI Distinguished Faculty
- I think those who plan a career in this field need to think about what their goals and options might be for advancement. Do they want to move into a supervisory or management position? Those might be limited where they are located – are they willing to relocate? Is there training and mentoring they can acquire to help their advancement chances? If it’s not possible to advance for one reason or another, are there things they can do like volunteering for professional associations or mentoring others, etc., that will bring them career satisfaction or possibly open doors for them in other ways? Find the joy in what you do.
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