Welcome to the University-Good
Luck!
Ensuring New Hires Hit the Ground Running
Candice Ferguson, Office of Sponsored Programs at Georgia Institute of
Technology
Vicky Ratcliffe, Office of the Vice President for Research at Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University
Objectives
• Learn the importance of providing proper
training to new employees
• Learn how to identify and engage new
employees
• Learn about tools available to develop a
program for new faculty and staff
Engaging New Hires
• Being Available
• Building a Sense of
Community
• Expressing the Value of
Training
• Maintaining Contact and
Support
Professional Development
• Career Planning and Career Management
• Individual Coaching/Counseling
– Mentoring
– Internal Coaching
– External Coaching (seminars)
• Job Enlargement
• Job Enrichment
• Internal Mobility
Employee Potential + Increased Engagement + Opportunity + Reward = Retention²
Professional development
• Research Administrator Training Matrix
• National Seminars Group
• Star12
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Certified Research Administrator (CRA)
Certified Federal Contracts Manager (CFCM)
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Virginia Tech Research Administrator Certificate (Level I &
II)
• Tuition Reimbursement & Tuition Waiver
• Proposal Development Institute (PDI)
Professional Development at Georgia Tech
• Departmental Certification in Sponsored
Programs
• Central Administration Professional Education
(CAPE)
• New Faculty Orientation and Early Career Series
• Think like a Research Administrator
• CRA Study Group
• Research Administration Buzz
• External Resources (NCURA TV, UIDP webinars)
Departmental Certification in Sponsored Programs
• Required Courses
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Proposal Preparation & Submission
Grants & Contract Accounting
Public Responsibility & Research Commitments
Budgeting, Budget Justification & Templates
Post Award Activities
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Cayuse 424 Parts I & II
Finding Funding
Subrecipient Monitoring
NSF Fast Lane Proposal Preparation & Project Reporting
Federal Circulars and the FAR
Working with the NIH/ Working with the NSF
Allowable & Unallowable
• Elective Classes
• Comprehensive Exam
Think Like A Research Administrator
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Outreach and Education Program
Problem- Based Learning Experience
Scavenger Hunts
Communication and Team-Building
Exercises
• “Safe” Practice Environment
What is Scholar?
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Collaboration and learning management system
Open Source Software-Sakai
Designed by educators, for educators
2004, The Mellon Foundation provided initial
funding (Stanford, Michigan, Indiana, MIT, and
Berkeley)
• 160 institutions using Sakai
• VT plans to replace Blackboard w/ Scholar
• OSP has used Scholar since 11/07
Why we moved to the matrix?
• Current checklist is not being utilized
• Checklist is not performance based (Telling
Ain’t Training)
• Checklist is not employee driven
• Piecemeal Approach to providing instruction
What did it do for OSP?
• Performance based
– Task-based
– Quizzes
• Provides a learning record
• Allows mentor to systematically review and evaluate
performance
• Provides a visual representation of the employee’s
progress over time
How does the matrix work?
• Introduction to the matrix with instructions
• Status (Active, Pending, Completed,
Locked)
• Simple, easy to use interface (word)
• Upload documents
• Evaluations by employee on lessons
• Mentor evaluations of employee
Challenges
• Time
• Commitment
• Multiple Systems
• Change Management
• Process Management
Keys to Success
• Take advantage of subject matter experts
• Use existing resources
• Organizational commitment
• Management and overall “Buy-in” is essential
• Lead mentor is critical to success
• Feedback and evaluation/Continuous Improvement
Matrix
CRA Study Team
 Guided self-study
program
 CRA exam (May &
December)
 Fall 2010 open to
departments
 Limited to 20
participants
 Website
 Grown CRA’s from 3
to 20 in 3 years
Office of Research
Research Education Update
Research Tours
• Research Tours
Research Education Update
Research Tours
Proposal Development Institute
• The goal of PDI is to provide a multi-faceted
program that helps VT faculty members
procure external funding to support their
research and scholarly endeavors
• The focus of PDI for 2012 is on faculty
members who are “early” in their efforts to
procure external funding
PDI Class of 2012
• 40 participants from across seven colleges (all
represented but the Pamplin College of Business)
• Participants from National Capital Region and
Eastern Shore as well as Blacksburg
• Majority of participants have begun their
academic career at VT within the past year (most
in August 2011)
• Very limited experience in general with
procurement of external research funding
PDI Research Mixers
• Each PDI participant will have five minutes to
speak
• Attendees will also include 2011 PDI participants
and personnel from University Institutes
• Presentation should address:
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Educational background
Specific areas of research focus and ongoing projects
Types of collaborators being sought
Maximum of 3-5 PowerPoint slides
June 2012 Workshop
• Held in June/July– mandatory participation event!
• Leaders previously had responsibility for faculty
development activities related to research funding
procurement for Texas A&M
• Range of topics covered; substantial involvement of VT
faculty who have served as program officers at
agencies
• Opportunities for one-on-one interaction with
workshop leaders (“Consulting Period”)
• Rave reviews from 2011 participants, especially those
new to research funding
Washington, D.C. Trip
• Primarily to foster knowledge of multiple federal
programs and opportunity for interaction with one or
more program managers “on their turf”
• Depart early on morning one; first afternoon is series
of group interactions with program managers
• Second day – PDI participants visit potential funding
agency for onsite interaction and return to
Blacksburg late on the second afternoon
Central Administration Professional Education
(CAPE)
• Contracting Officers, Grants & Contracts
Accounting, Research Integrity, Internal Controls
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Federal Acquisition Regulations
Intellectual Property
Export Control
Subagreements
Non-Disclosure Agreements
Legal Affairs
Research Integrity Issues
Early Career Series
• New Faculty Orientation
• Awards Covered:
– DARPA, NIH, NSF, DOE
• Panelists Include:
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Previous Award Recipients
Review Committee Members
OSP Representatives
Other Campus Support Staff
• Follow-up is crucial.
Low-Tech Tools
High- Tech Tools
Tips for Tools
• DOs
– Get creative!
– Shop Around. No-cost
resources are available.
• DONTs
– Don’t forget the
fundamentals.
– Don’t be intimidated.
• Course Management
Systems (Blackboard,
Sakai)
• Case Study
• Instructional Videos
• Digital Publications
(Flipping Book Publisher)
• Hands-on Training
(electronic systems)
Professional Development- next steps
• On-boarding Checklist
– Roles and Responsibilities
• Engagement through Mentorship Program
– Responsibilities of a Coach and Participant
• Exit Survey
– Job satisfaction, work environment, management
• Salary Analysis
– CUPA and EduComp Compensation Surveys
Conclusion
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Growth continues
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Leverage technology
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Explore internal professional development
initiatives
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Strive for continuous improvement
Contact Information
• Candice Ferguson
• Research Education &
Communications
Manager
• Office of Sponsored
Programs
• Georgia Institute of
Technology
• 404.894.0410
• candice.ferguson@osp.ga
tech.edu
• Vicky Ratcliffe
• Manager of Research
Education and
Development
• Office of the Vice
President for Research
• Virginia Tech
• 540-231-7964
• vratcliffe@vt.edu