Blogs

Note from the Editor | April Showers

By SRAI News
Note from the Editor | April Showers Every spring we take the weather in stride knowing that the payoff will be glorious. The old adage April showers bring May flowers runs through my head during every spring rainstorm. We also apply it to other more proverbial storms, where we put in the work and hope to see the fruits of our labor. This month, whether your skies are rainy or blue, here is a preview of articles that might interest you. Spring into the season with Gloria Green’s View from the Top talking about committing to professional development . Warm up with this the start of quarter’s Spotlight series: Hot Topics in Research Law. The opening article ...
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Spotlight: Hot Topics in Research Law | Safeguarding Science: The False Claims Act and Research Integrity

By SRAI News
Spotlight: Hot Topics in Research Law | Safeguarding Science: The False Claims Act and Research Integrity Over the next three months the Spotlight will delve into prevailing topics in research law. Legal matters associated with sponsored research encompass a broad array of issues including compliance, misconduct, integrity, confidentiality, ethics, and conflict of interest practiced in multiple settings. This month, the False Claims Act is discussed as a tool to identify and litigate charges of potentially fraudulent activity and misrepresentation when using federal funds in scientific research. The upcoming months will examine the legal implications of using ...
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View from the Top | Spring into Renewal: Commit to Professional Development

By SRAI News
View from the Top | Spring into Renewal: Commit to Professional Development Embrace the season of growth and renewal by revitalizing your commitment to professional development. It's time to bloom with fresh skills, knowledge, and opportunities. Start your journey toward career growth and success today! Spring is not just a season of blooming flowers and warmer weather; it symbolizes renewal and rejuvenation. Similarly, spring is a powerful metaphor for refreshing one's commitment to growth and advancement in professional development. Just as nature sheds its winter coat and embarks on a growth journey, professionals are encouraged to shed complacency and ...
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Managing Portfolios from Different Ends of the Spectrum | Part 1: Steps to Determine the Root Causes of Underfunding/Overfunding

By SRAI News
Managing Portfolios from Different Ends of the Spectrum | Part 1: Steps to Determine the Root Causes of Underfunding/Overfunding This three-part series delves into best practices for managing principal investigators (PIs) with either too little or too much contract and grant funding. The first part of the series introduces you to the steps to address both types of issues. Both scenarios are challenging for different reasons, but in both cases, it is important to first understand the why of the situation. A good solution requires a good understanding of the problem. To do this, I recommend Root Cause Analysis. This 5-step process asks you to: 1. Realize ...
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From Idea to Reality: Introducing an Internal Conference for Research Administrators

By SRAI News
From Idea to Reality: Introducing an Internal Conference for Research Administrators Introducing internal professional development at your institution can be an exciting and overwhelming task. In 2023, Oklahoma State University (OSU) focused on building up professional development for research administrators internally. One way to accomplish this goal was to introduce an internal free-of-charge one-day conference hosted by OSU’s central administration. The conference included speakers from the Stillwater campus talking about various topics such as data management plans, faculty perceptions of grants, customer service, information security, artificial intelligence, ...
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Post COVID, Surviving With and Without Department Administrators

By SRAI News
Post COVID, Surviving With and Without Department Administrators If you are a central office administrator your challenge is to create a shared environment that promotes cooperation. Every interaction with college or department or external institution may vary. Where would our researchers be without a support team? In today’s world, leaders within large institutions advocate for the resources and implement processes needed to support the growth of the research enterprise. On the other hand, small institutions and non-profit organizations often operate on limited resources and lack the funding to hire research administration professionals. When collaborating ...
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Navigating the 2024 SRAI VICRA Conference: Insights from a First-Time Attendee

By SRAI News
Navigating the 2024 SRAI VICRA Conference: Insights from a First-Time Attendee As the field of research administration and management continues to evolve, staying abreast of the latest practices, policies, and processes is essential for professionals in the field. Against this backdrop, SRAI’s Virtual International Convention for Research Administrators (VICRA) stands as a premier platform for networking, learning, and collaboration. The Practice of Research Administration and Management (PRAM) certificate, offered at the convention, has become a hallmark for those with four or more years of experience in research administration, indicating a commitment to ...
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Your Questions Answered | Part II: What Are Some of the Funniest Things That Were Allowable That Normally Wouldn’t Be?

By SRAI News
Your Questions Answered | Part II: What Are Some of the Funniest Things That Were Allowable That Normally Wouldn’t Be? 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 continue with our experts responses to this question: What are some of the funniest things that were allowable that normally wouldn’t be? Susan Wyatt Sedwick, Senior Consulting Specialist, Attain Partners, SRAI Distinguished ...
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My Journey in the Research Administration “Game of Life” | Part 1

By SRAI News
My Journey in the Research Administration “Game of Life” | Part 1 At a crossroads in my career, I rolled the dice and entered into a new game of life – the research administration version! Join me as I recount my journey, thus far! As another trip around the sun occurred in my research administration career, more than 20 trips now, I sat down to reflect on my career. Looking at my resume, my eyes now covered in glasses, widened as I reviewed the variety of titles, departments, and universities that I have worked with. Whenever I think about the twists and turns of my career in Research Administration (RA), I can’t help but compare it to playing the Game ...
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Get Up and Go!

By SRAI News
Get Up and Go! We all know sitting at a desk and staring at a screen for hours on end isn't good for us, but knowing and doing are two different things. Catalyst Committee members and other Research Administrators (RAs) share tips that help them Get Up and Go! Kids Go! by They Might Be Giants Hey kid, now's the time to stand up Move your legs and raise up Both of your arms And wave them in the air It's time to go! (Go!) Get up off the couch and go! (Go!) Jump up from the floor and go! (Go!) Get up off your chair and go go go! (Go go go!) I know that when I’m in the work zone, it can be tricky to remember to get up from my desk ...
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Note from the Editor | Time Changes

By SRAI News
Note from the Editor | Time Changes March is many different things for me – a mix of more warm weather than cool, the start of spring cleaning (both inside and out), losing an hour of sleep as a tradeoff for an hour more of daylight, and reflecting on where this year has taken me so far. With that said, many of our articles this month highlight where we’ve been and where we’re going while learning a few things along the way. For instance, our Spotlight wraps up our series on Motivation and Retention Factors in Research Administration with a focus on retention strategies and Carol Volker winds down the CRA Chronicles series . Our Distinguished Faculty Experts ...
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View from the Top | Happy Black History Month – in Retrospect

By SRAI News
View from the Top | Happy Black History Month – in Retrospect! My university is located in Huntsville, AL. Also located in Huntsville, AL, is the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), the heart of the U.S. space program since its beginnings in the 1960s. The 1960s were NASA's boom years, and Marshall (MSFC) was designated as the agency's propulsion center, developing the rockets that would launch NASA's missions into space. MSFC helped make history in 1961 when its Mercury-Redstone rocket powered Alan B. Shepard into suborbital flight, making him the first American in space. Marshall's primary task during the 1960s was developing the Saturn rockets ...
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Motivation and Retention Factors in Research Administration | Part 3: Retention Strategies

By SRAI News
Motivation and Retention Factors in Research Administration | Part 3: Retention Strategies The Spotlight is exploring prevailing employee motivation and retention factors in research administration. In January, historical trends in literature, as well as the methods for obtaining data, were highlighted . February’s focus turned to mutual factors that influence research administrators to remain with or leave their positions and/or institutions . This month the series concludes with a final analysis and recommendations for practical strategies organizations can offer to retain talent. Colleges and universities are among the many organizations currently facing ...
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Trawling Net vs. Fishing Line: Recruitment Approaches

By SRAI News
Trawling Net vs. Fishing Line: Recruitment Approaches As a hiring manager or supervisor who is seeking new team members, there are numerous recruitment approaches to attract candidates to a role. This article discusses two effective, but very different strategies. Fishing Line – The fishing line approach is one where you have a strong grasp on the scope, level, type of previous experience and skills needed for a job, and a tight hiring salary range that is clearly highlighted in the job advertisement and calibrated to the market norms. It allows you to target and focus your advertising to specific locations where those searching for a role are looking. ...
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CRA Chronicles | Part 3: Waiting

By SRAI News
CRA Chronicles | Part 3: Waiting This is the final installment in a three-part series sharing my experiences with the Certified Research Administrator (CRA) Exam. Click here to read Part 1: Facing My Fears , and click here to read Part 2: What Not to Wear . You can learn more about becoming a CRA on the Research Administrators Certification Council website . I tried not to tell many people I was planning to take the CRA exam because I can’t keep my fingers crossed 24/7 for weeks and weeks while I wait for my results. No one likes to fail (at least no one I know), and it’s even worse when there are witnesses. It’s hard to keep a secret, though. People ...
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Literature Review | The Emerald Handbook of Research Management and Administration Around the World

By SRAI News
Literature Review | The Emerald Handbook of Research Management and Administration Around the World If you are interested in learning more about the world of research management and administration, how it got started and is organized, or how you might actively engage in the profession’s development, then “ The Emerald Handbook of Research Management and Administration Around the World ” is the book for you. Published by Emerald and hot off the press in November 2023, the Handbook, edited by Kerridge, Poli and Yang-Yoshihara, is the first comprehensive compendium (over 800 pages!) which describes research management and administration (RMA) around the world. ...
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Your Questions Answered | What Are Some of the Funniest Things That Were Allowable That Normally Wouldn’t Be?

By SRAI News
Your Questions Answered | What Are Some of the Funniest Things That Were Allowable That Normally Wouldn’t Be? 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 are some of the funniest things that were allowable that normally wouldn’t be? Domenica G. Pappas, CRA, Associate Vice Provost for Research, Office of Research, Illinois Tech, SRAI Distinguished Faculty ...
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Microaggression and Workplace Bullying: A Summary of Experiences by the DEI Committee

By SRAI News
Microaggression and Workplace Bullying: A Summary of Experiences by the DEI Committee SRAI’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee examined the topics of microaggression and workplace bullying during a session presented at the 2023 SRAI Annual Meeting in Seattle and a virtual SRAI Coffee Talk. The committee’s findings and recommendations are highlighted here. SRAI’s DEI Committee researched microaggression and workplace bullying, both forms of harassment, which remain prevalent in the workplace. The research on workplace harassment uncovered some astounding data. 23% of workers across the globe experience harassment (23% is ~750 million people; ...
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SRAI Section Bylaws Revised

By SRAI News
SRAI Section Bylaws Revised The six SRAI Member Sections recently held Special Business Meetings to review proposed revisions to their Section Bylaws. The proposed changes included removing Article VI, Chapters. The Board of Directors approve the decision to sunset Chapters as of September 30, 2023, in accordance with the SRAI Bylaws. The changes were sent to the membership of each Section to review in advance of their Special Business Meetings, which were held between January 16 – 18, 2024. All Sections voted to approve the proposed changes. The approved changes were then put on the agenda to be voted on by the SRAI Board of Directors at their Winter Board ...
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Note from the Editor | Spring Into…

By SRAI News
Note from the Editor | Spring Into… With the prediction of an early spring coming from one completely reliable little hermit-like mammal (the groundhog), the word spring is rolling around in my head. As you read this issue of the Catalyst, what will you ‘spring’ into? To kick off, we hope you’ll ‘spring’ into the new season of the SRAI podcast, Shop Talk. This season’s theme centers Around the World of Research Administration. Click here for more information on the first episode! We also hope you’ll you hop, or ‘spring’ right over to the View from the Top and read Gloria Greene’s article this month about professional growth and the training programs offered ...
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