Kelvin K. Droegemeier, Lori A. Snyder, and Alicia J. Knoedler
University of Oklahoma
Caroline Whitacre
The Ohio State University
Howard Gobstein, Christine Keller, Teri Lyn Hinds, and Nathalie Argueta
APLU
CRPGE Summer New VPR Workshop
Berkeley, CA
July 13, 2014

The Vice President/Vice Chancellor for
Research (VPR/VCR)...
 Is a key (though perhaps not well understood)
position in public and private research universities
 Is structured and deployed in a wide variety of
ways with a wide variety of responsibilities
 Is facing many new challenges in the face of
problematic budgets, compliance requirements,
and dramatic changes in the higher education
landscape

No comprehensive survey has been conducted
of VPRs/VCRs to understand
 Administrative structures utilized and their strengths




and weaknesses
Characteristics and experiences of individuals holding
the position
Current roles and responsibilities of the position
New and emerging challenges, and skills needed to
meet them
Strategies for effectively preparing the next
generation, including possible roles for CRPGE and
other APLU organizations

Via scholarly analyses of data from a national,
web-based survey of APLU VCRs/VPRs, our
goal is to provide information that builds
greater understanding of these important
positions and assists senior university
administrators in assuring excellence in the
structure, function and leadership of the
university research enterprise now and in the
future

As a new or recent VPR/VCR – to help you …
 Better understand the broad national landscape for
contextualizing your new position
 Shape your own way and that of your institution  best
practices and arguments for change
 Better understand the challenges facing research
nationally
 Participate in developing the next generation of research
leaders, at your institution and nationally, with attention
to key issues such as diversity and VPRs from nontraditional pathways

As an Aspiring VPR/VCR or someone curious
about the position – to help you …
 Better understand the position and whether and
where you might wish to seek it
 Identify personal and professional skills and
capabilities needing improvement
 Gain relevant new experience, especially if you have
followed a non-traditional pathway
 Begin thinking about changes you may wish to make,
or ideas you may wish to offer now to meet future
challenges









Their Institution (6)
Themselves (5)
Their Professional Experience (8)
The Structure of their Current Position (19)
Their Training (5)
Current State of their VPR/VCR Position (18)
Succession Planning (3)
Response rate = 50%
 Many more results and analyses than I have
time to show today!!

84% from Research Universities
 51% Very high research activity
 33% High research activity

97% from public universities

41% from land grant universities

 Broad cross section (more details available)
White
Female
Black or African American
Male
Asian
Prefer not to Disclose
Prefer not to Disclose
40 yrs ago
Discipline of Degree
25% Engineering
30 yrs ago
20 yrs ago
Mean: 1983
Std. Dev.: 7
N: 79
24% Biomedical and
Biomedical Sciences
22% Physical Sciences
5% Social Sciences
10 yrs ago
5% Psychology
5% Agriculture and
related sciences
Male (N=63)
Female (N=15)
Institutional Review Board
Sponsored programs, pre-award
services
Research development
Inst. Animal Care & Use (IACUC)
External Funding
Research Center/Campus
Patenting/licensing
76% 78% 80% 82% 84% 86% 88% 90% 92% 94% 96% 98%

63% have budget linked to indirect cost recovery

57% have role in funding retention packages,
relative to other offices
Percentage funded by VPR

79% have a role in funding startup packages
Percentage of start-up funded by VPR
Multidisciplinary Research
External Funding from Federal Agencies
Research Interactions with Private Sector
Applied Research Development
Undergraduate Participation in Research
Research with Non-Profit Foundations
Diversity of Fields of Research
Diversity Among Faculty and/or Students
Linking Research with Philanthropy
Other
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%
Director/Assistant Director
Department Chair/Head
Research Experience
Service in Gov./Federal Organization
Dean/Assoc. Dean
Involvement with Sponsored Research
Leadership Outside of Academia
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
University Culture
Developing Strategic Research
Areas and/or Teams
National Research Priorities
Personnel Management
How to Develop and/or Sustain
Programs
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Leadership
Ability to Influence Stakeholders
(E.G., President, Fellow Deans,
Trusts, Etc.)
Ability to Gain Credibility in Eyes
of Faculty
Strategic Planning
Critical Thinking
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Decling Federal Budgets
Insufficient Internal Funding
Insufficient External Funding
Too Many Activities for One Person
Faculty Who are Insufficiently Bold
and Unwilling to Take Risks
Burdensome Federal Compliance
Regulations
0%
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Helping Faculty Achieve Their
Goals
Building Infrastructure for
Future Research
Seeing Society Benefit through
the University's Research
Efforts
Seeing Advances Made in the
Scholarly Enterprise
Helping Create Jobs
0%
20%
40%
60%
80% 100%
Economic Development
Commercialization of University
Research
Export Controls
Foundation Relations
Philanthropy
Private Industry Relations
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Funding Issues
Economic Development
Relationships with Industry
Compliance Burden
Research Collaboration
Faculty Development
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
External Relations/Communication
Leadership/Management Skills
Fostering Teamwork/Collaboration
Working with Industry/Private Sector
Strategic Planning
Internal Relations (within University)
0%
5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%
More Staffing
More Funding
Involvement in Strategic Decisions
Report to President
More Institutional Focus on Research
Changes in F&A distribution
Increase Internal Support
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
President
VPR for Remainder of Career at
Same Institution
Provost
Other Position
Research Faculty
Teaching Faculty
0%
5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

39% attended formal APLU orientation
 12% found it very unhelpful
 76% found it helpful
 12% found it very helpful
Interaction with Other VPRs
Training on Responsibilities
Compliance Issues
HR/Budget Training
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Research Administration Experience
Other Admin. Experience
Leadership/Mgmt./Comm. Training
Experience in Office of VPR
Management of Large Entities
General Research Experience
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%




VPR gender and ethnic diversity are notably
low
Institutions with strategic plans for research
tend to fare better
VPR duties, workload and future challenges
suggest difficulty attracting the next
generation of leaders
VPR succession planning appears to not be a
priority within institutions

Considerable turnover (~50%) may occur in
VPR positions during the next 1-3 years.
Coupled with the clear lack of succession
planning and mentoring of the next
generation -- not to mention all of the
changes underway in higher education -- we
could be facing a very serious situation with
regard to research administration leadership.
It is unclear who owns this challenge.


Current VPRs appear to view their successors
as having career paths similar to their own.
We may be missing an opportunity to draw in
other types of leaders, e.g., from the research
development professional ranks.
More senior academic leadership positions
desired by current VPRs (provost, president)
are mostly incongruent with what former
VPRs actually obtained





Speak with your VPR about your ambitions and
her/his view of possible professional development
activities
Point your VPR to this survey and the papers to
emerge from it
Seek to become a strategic player at your institution
beyond research development, but in ways closely
linked to it
Read materials that are relevant to VPR activities
Use NORDP, SRA, COGR, NCURA as a means to
network