Blogs

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! 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 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 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 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 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? 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 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 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… 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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View from the Top | Empowering Research Administrators: Unlocking Professional Growth Through Intensive Training Programs SRAI's Intensive Training Programs allow research administrators to concentrate on a specific area that supports their professional growth. Whether you are new to the field with less than two years of experience or a mid-level research manager, professional development is always needed. Discuss current issues, learn best practices, participate in real-world challenges, and get immediate feedback in a deep-dive training format. Here is what we have to offer: Basics of Research Administration ( Offered again in Spring/Summer 2024 ) ...
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Motivation and Retention Factors in Research Administration | Part 2: Motivation Factors 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 . This month’s focus turns to mutual factors that influence research administrators to remain with or leave their positions and/or institutions. As discussed previously, the 2023 Redcap Survey was designed to gather data from research administrators that built upon common motivation and retention strategies from published literature. The responses gathered from ...
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Sharing Interpretations of Unique Allowable Cost Scenarios There is so much knowledge in our SRAI community and frequently it can be challenging to disseminate that knowledge. In this article, Associate VP Jason Guilbeault will share a unique costing scenario that shows how Uniform Guidance regulations can be interpreted to discern which costs are allowable. The Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200) allows for the costs of publications – “Page charges for professional journal publications” - to be incurred on federal awards, even after the period of performance (i.e., start/end dates of an award), but before closeout when the final drawdown and submission of final ...
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CRA Chronicles | Part 2: What Not to Wear This is the second installment in a three-part series sharing one research administrator’s experiences taking the Certified Research Administrator Exam. Click here to read Part 1: Facing My Fears . You can learn more about becoming a CRA on the Research Administrators Certification Council website . Among the many rules of the test center is the following: “Jewelry other than wedding and engagement rings is prohibited.” I ponder the jewelry I normally wear: two silver bands, stacked on my left middle finger; three silver hoops in my left ear and one in my right; and, on special occasions when I need extra external ...
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Dark Mode | Tips & Tricks I suffer from migraines, like many others I know. And the sensitivity to light initially motivated me to look for ways to reduce brightness and darken my monitors as much as possible. But once I moved most of the applications on my computer and phone into dark mode, I found that even when I wasn’t in the migraine cycle it had a huge benefit on reducing my eye strain. So, what is dark mode, you’re wondering? No, it’s not the dark web. Most often it’s a toggle switch in the settings of an application or website that allows you to flip the color scheme so that the bright white background becomes black or dark gray and the text ...
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Your Questions Answered | How Do You Overcome Imposter Syndrome? 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: How do you overcome imposter syndrome? Dara Little, Associate VP for Research, Executive Director Sponsored Programs, Northern Illinois University, SRAI Distinguished Faculty I read once that most smart, high performing people deal with these feelings, ...
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Future of the Field – Where Are They Now? SRAI Future of the Field highlights the rising stars who are making a significant difference in research administration. As nominations for the 2024 recipients open , we asked previous recipients how receiving this honor benefited their career. Marchon Jackson, Associate Vice President for Research, Office of Research, Howard University, SRAI At-Large Member of the Board of Directors Receiving the Future of the Field recognition has been a transformative milestone in my career, significantly boosting my confidence and opening doors to many new opportunities. This honor has affirmed my contributions to our ...
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VICRAII: Navigating International Waters to Build Research Administration Strength As research and research administration is an increasingly international endeavor, how do research administrators develop the competencies needed to navigate this diverse and complex ecosystem? In early March, a virtual three-day convention organized by SRAI’s International Section will address this need. Early and mid-career research administrators and managers, from four continents who attend the Virtual International Convention for Research Administrators (VICRA II) will satisfy the requirements to gain one of two SRAI certificates – the Introduction to Research Administration ...
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Consider Writing for the Catalyst Today! Do you have a great idea for an article you’d like to write or co-author? Consider submitting to the Catalyst ! The Catalyst is SRAI’s monthly newsletter and features insights on hot topics from knowledgeable research administration professionals, information about SRAI’s educational offerings, recognition of member’s achievements, updates about SRAI membership, and more! The Catalyst is published the second Friday of each month. Article submissions are due the last Monday of the month prior to ensure consideration for publication in the following month’s issue. Read more about how to write for the Catalyst here ...
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Note from the Editor | 2024 Intentions Happy New Year! Whether you make resolutions, actively try to avoid them, or replace the idea of resolutions with intentions, I hope your year is off to a great start! I for one am working on my intention of typing the year correctly as 2023 2024! For those contemplating adding resolutions to their list, we have a few articles that might give a little inspiration. Our new three-month Spotlight series on Motivation and Retention Factors in Research Administration kicks off this month. Also starting is the three-part CRA Chronicles sharing one member’s experience taking the CRA exam. Both topics can be a cause of ...
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