Research Administration Retreat

David Bird “Opinions from URC and faculty”

Michael Steer“Research Forward”

Opinions from URC and faculty

David BirdChair, URC

Co-Director, CBNPProfessor of Plant Pathology

Co-DGP, Genomic Sciences Graduate Program

david_bird@ncsu.eduwww.pngg.org

Disclaimer

• My comments do not necessarily reflect:– the views of the URC as a whole– my personal views

• Intent is to:– capture the sentiment of the productive research faculty– be a vehicle for discussion at this retreat

Strengthening research

• Research infrastructure• Leadership development• Cross-college research• Graduate student support• Faculty governance

Theme: “invest in success”

Research underpins all NCSU activities

excellence

NCSUResearch

Undergraduateteaching

Extensionoutreach

Graduateteaching

Research Infrastructure

• Invest in strong programs on campus– Grow what is successful (‘invest in success’)

• Exploit out strengths rather than seeking new ones externally– Identify emerging programs at NCSU

• The “cutting edge” is here– primary goal of all recruitment is to bring new innovation to NCSU

– Need to sunset non-productive programs• Administration support for departmental tenure/comprehensive review

decisions• Provide financial incentives to colleges, departments etc. willing to

make strategic cuts/mergers etc.

Research Infrastructure

• Return a portion of the F&A to each generating investigator as a primary allocation at the University level– By definition, is guaranteed to be an investment in productive

programs (‘invest in success’)– Standardizes allocation of F&A to faculty across campus– How much? 5%?

• How could such a small amount/faculty member be useful or even a wise investment ($2,425/$100,000)?

Research Infrastructure

• Faculty use of F&A dollar investment– Flexible funds needed to meet cost accounting standards

• e.g., purchase office equipment, supplies (paper, toner, etc); send staff for training; recruit new students/postdocs; replace/repair small equipment

• These resources not available from university foundation/development funds• These resources no longer available from departmental budgets

$0

$50,000

$100,000

$150,000

$200,000

$250,000

$300,000

$350,000

1999-2000

2000-2001

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Extension Operating

Research Operating

Academic Operating

Research Infrastructure

• Faculty use of F&A dollar investment– Overhead is the seed-corn for future innovation

• Allow productive faculty to explore research options not yet funded– Obtain preliminary data for new proposals

» Value of this recognized in the FR&PD grants– Allow faculty to go to conferences/workshops outside their current discipline

– Without seeing a tangible benefit of F&A, many faculty view it as a tax• these faculty are not supportive of an increase in the F&A rate

Research Infrastructure

• Generate more F&A– Every decision at NCSU should consider impact on future F&A rate

negotiations– Increased rates for industrial collaborations?– Should NCSU accept money with reduced or no overhead?

• Is this an investment in a program shared by the PI and college?• What is the cost to the colleges and university?

Leadership Development

• Who will be competing for major funding in 5 yr, 10yr?• What type of leadership skills are needed?

– Assist./Assoc. Profs• Multi-PI projects; interdisciplinary research; training grants, etc.

– Assoc./Full Profs• Centers of Excellence

– ERC, STC, DoD, etc

• Learning from current NCSU research leaders– Retreat with selected center directors, consistent interdisciplinary grant

winners, selected “rising stars”• Learning from “Leadership Programs”• URC topic: using FR&PD funds for leadership development

Cross-College Research

• Future lies in identifying new ways to integrate Research with Development– For example:

• COE: strong in ‘D’ (systems building); CALS: strong in ‘R’• integrate Systems Biology with Systems Engineering

– A Center for “Systems of Systems”?

• Cross-College: Take what is best in one college and merge it with what is very good in another?– An NCSU research strategy?

• How can we best identify what we are truly good at?• How can we bring NCSU faculty together across disciplines?

Graduate Student Support

• Realities:– Research and graduate education are complementary but separate

endeavors.– Growing graduate enrollment is an expectation.– Research faculty desire to see an increase in the quality of graduate

education• increasing the number of PhD vs Masters students• student publications in high quality journals• strong employment outcomes of our graduates

• Currently under review (Dean of Grad. School taskforce)

Graduate Student Support

• GSSP (and tuition remission)• Propose priority allocation to:

– Research students (thesis-MS and PhD) in first year of grad school• Recruitment tool

– All thesis-MS and PhD students who are NC residents• Covers all US citizens/residents (no TR slots)• TAs and RAs

– All thesis-MS and PhD students funded from external sources: grants, contracts, internships, etc.

• Encourages faculty to recruit best international students to funded research • Partnership between faculty (stipend, fees, health insurance) and university (TR)

– Leverages GSSP resources– Invests in success

Graduate Student Support

• Priority allocation - who is left out?– Foreign students supported from university sources

• NCSU provides stipend, fees, health insurance; GSSP provides TR– e.g., foreign TAs

• This may be a good “local optimum” for a college, department of faculty member, but it is not a good “global optimum” for the university

• Should research resources (e.g., F&A) be used for this purpose?

Faculty Governance

• Faculty Senate– must be committed to the credo that excellence in the NCSU mission

derives from research excellence– must be a champion for all aspects of research at NCSU

• URC– must be active, productive, engaged and successful research faculty– mechanism for “collective history”

• URC: Chair-elect and immediate-past-Chair

• CRCs need to be composed of existing and developing research leaders– leadership development tool

NCSU Goals

NCSU Draft Regulation 10.10.4 “Centers and Institutes” 10/19/2006 “The primary goals of North Carolina State University are to strengthen its position as a research university of national stature, to provide the best possible education to its students and to all citizens through extension and outreach programs.”

• Research defines who we are as a university, it is the reason for our graduate program, and it is the strength behind our undergraduate program.

• Research is the major factor impacting quality of the University’s mission in economic development in North Carolina.

• Lacking excellence in the research enterprise, NCSU would be a very different institution from what it is and aspires to be.