NCURA Region VI & VII 2009 Spring Meeting Re-launching a Sponsored Research Office John Carfora, Executive Director Joseph McNicholas, Director of Pre- Award Services Loyola Marymount University

A great university in the Jesuit tradition founded in 1911 Predominantly undergraduate, some masters degrees Teaching focused, inwardly directed Less than $4 million a year in sponsored projects John and Joseph were tapped to turn the office around starting in September, 2008

Leadership Goals To expand our research presence and our ability to attract external funds To enhance and strategically orient our graduate programs To rise in regional and national stature as leading Catholic University on the west coast To better manage our research-related risks and liabilities

Limits of the Office for Sponsored Projects Reputation for bureaucratic inefficiency Unclear to faculty and staff how to submit proposal and who to ask Uncertainty with lines of authority, responsibility for budgeting, regulations, submissions, etc.

So we changed our name! The Office for Research and Sponsored Projects

Staff Assignments Top priority for our office: submitting more proposals AND more compliant proposals We clarified roles and duties based on professional identity as research administrators The Executive Director coordinates with upper administration and focuses on strategic development The Director and two staff members have portfolios in addition to service roles to the office One administrative assistant provide support to the Executive Director and Director

Workflow Each applicant files an Intent to Apply Form to start and a Routing Form prior to submitting Each applicant is assigned an ORSP representative to facilitate in all phases of the project

IT choices Our IT needs had been over-estimated We boiled it down to the essentials needed for tracking and reporting our work We assigned the IT component to one person and the administrative implementation to another

Building faculty relations Once we had some success in making our business processes clearer, we had a service to sell We visited and talked constantly with faculty and deans, got on committees We mended fences with operational partners in Corporate and Foundation, in the Controller’s Office and in IT And improved our website...

Strengthening our web presence We assigned responsibility for managing the web site to one person in the office We coordinated the web real estate with the key players in Academic Affairs and IT We provided real resources there We designed for simplicity and update- ability

Advocating for research Our Vice President for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies appointed us both to the Research Council where we enjoy a regular bully pulpit for research issues We worked with Deans to learn more about their visions for research in their schools We worked with the Controllers Office and HR to develop policies relevant to budgeting and faculty effort

Building Strategic Partnerships We invited speakers from outside the university to meet with our faculty Successful scholars and federal representatives can say more with their presence that a year’s worth of haranguing by us We advocate for working with community partners and building coalitions

Compliance Improvements to IRB Improvements to IACUC Improvements to Environmental Health and Safety Clearer statements of policy from the Controller and from Human Resources More coordination between pre and post award

Hope and Humor Much of what we have been able to accomplish has been through spreading the idea that we might actually succeed and that we might have a good time doing it. Those qualities have truly been contagious