Re: CRA as a screening instrument Folk, Lee 05 Dec 2005 15:07 EST
Pam, After reading what Andrew & Bill wrote in response to your concerns, I have to agree. HR can make if difficult to promote without professional development achievements, no matter how capable or experienced a person is. My employer is certainly no exception to that. The CRA requirement was a surprise to me, but I've been told that this is becoming more common everyday. As one who has taken the CRA exam, I can assure you that it does cover a very diverse range of topics related to present day research administration! Studying for this exam has really broadened my knowledge of various regs, guidelines, procedures, etc. There are many topics on the exam that do not pertain to my present employment in research admin, so I was not familiar with them. This experience has opened up a whole different side of research admin to me. (It is impossible to study for the CRA & not grow.) In my opinion, the CRA certification is bringing more professionalism to research admin in the same way that the CPA has brought distinction to the accounting profession. It helps the research admin office obtain more credibility with faculty, as well as other departments. Thanks, Lee Lee Folk, CRA, MS-UHCL Class of '93 and '00 Research Accountant Office of Sponsored Programs University of Houston - Clear Lake 2700 Bay Area Blvd, MS 44 Ph 281-283-2138 Houston TX 77058-1098 Fax 281-283-2143 e-mail: xxxxxx@uhcl.edu "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." Martin Luther King, Jr -----Original Message----- From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG] On Behalf Of Andrew M. Parkerson-Gray Sent: Monday, December 05, 2005 1:18 PM To: xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG Subject: Re: [RESADM-L] CRA as a screening instrument Hi Pam, the same goes for our announcement I recently posted. The reasons we put it as a requirement are for the same reasons Bill listed, and I think they are very good ones. Thanks, Andrew Bill Schulze wrote: > Hi, Pam: > > I have a feeling you are referring to our announcement, although I > believe others do that as well... > > You make some good philosophical points, however our motive is more > practical than philosophical. Including a certification requirement in > the job description for Senior Research Administrator has allowed us > to obtain HR approval of a professional position at a competitive > salary level. > > We do not use the CRA as a screening instrument, or we would require > it up front. I feel many will agree that the CRA is an important > credential for various reasons, but by no means do I feel it should be > considered the quintessential measure of knowledge or competency > within the profession. > > We expect our Senior Research Administrators to be experienced and > highly skilled research administrators. Our evaluations of candidates > during the interview process are based on their knowledge of the field > and demonstrated skills, and since the 4 professionals currently in > our office have over 60 years of combined experience in Research > Administration, we have little trouble with these assessments. > > Bill > > PS: If anyone is interested in a good job with great people, please > apply... We're looking for really good research administrators, and if > you don't already have the CRA, don't worry about it - we'll give you > 3 years and also pay for it... > > **************************************** > William E. Schulze, EdD > Director of Sponsored Programs > University of Nevada, Las Vegas > Phone (702) 895-1357 > Fax (702) 895-0986 > xxxxxx@ccmail.nevada.edu > **************************************** > > Inactive hide details for Pamela Miller <xxxxxx@USFCA.EDU>Pamela > Miller <xxxxxx@USFCA.EDU> > > > > > > *Pamela Miller <xxxxxx@USFCA.EDU>* > Sent by: Research Administration List > <xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG> > > 12/05/2005 09:35 AM > Please respond to Research Administration > Discussion List > > > > To: xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG > cc: > Subject: [RESADM-L] CRA as a screening instrument > > > > > This is something that has been bothering me, and I have decided to > share my concerns via this forum: I recently noticed a research > administration position announcement that required that persons > applying for the job have CRA status or be willing to obtain this > designation within a few years of employment. In my opinion, requiring > research administrators obtain a Certified Research Administrator > (CRA) designation to obtain and maintain employment is very premature. > > The exam for the CRA tests an examinee's knowledge of particular body > of knowledge and indicates that a high enough score on the test along > with a certain number of years on the job and a bachelor's degree is > sufficient for the individual to be "certified" as a research or > grants administrator. The unasked questions in this transaction are: > Who decides what the fundamental body of knowledge is in research > administration? The exam may indeed have captured the incredible > diversity of this ever changing field, but how do we know? Is there an > objective credentialing body behind the CRA exam, such as the > Committee on Accreditation (CoA) which oversees the accreditation of > programs and exams in professional psychology for the American > Psychological Association (APA)? Is there anything more rigorous than > anecdotal evidence to support the validity of the exam? > > Assuming the CRA exam does capture all the fundamentals of research > administration, are the questions good questions, i.e., do the > questions really tap the individual's true understanding of this body > of knowledge? No test is perfect, and there are numerous factors that > affect the reliability of a test, e.g., the length of the test, the > way the items are constructed, and even the directions for taking the > test. Reliability is an essential characteristic of a good test, > because if a test doesn't measure consistently (reliably), then one > can not know if the scores resulting from a particular administration > are due to the examinee's achievement or random error. The CRA web > site does not report test validity or reliability information, and > these are important things to know before making someone's job > dependent upon having or getting a CRA! > > Research administrators work hard, often without anyone noticing or > appreciating the work being done. It therefore is very tempting to try > and place research administration at the same table with other valued > professions. However, if one looks at what other professions have done > and are doing to achieve this respected status, it is clear that we in > research administration have a long way to go. The CRA may be an > important first step, but in my opinion it is unwise to think that we > have reached the end of the journey. > > Pamela F. Miller, Ph.D. > Director, Office of Sponsored Projects > The University of San Francisco > 2130 Fulton Street > San Francisco, CA 94117-1080 > TEL 415-422-5368 > FAX 415-422-6222 > EMAIL xxxxxx@usfca.edu_ <mailto:xxxxxx@usfca.edu> > > ====================================================================== > Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including > subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available > via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") > ====================================================================== > ====================================================================== Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") ====================================================================== ====================================================================== Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") ======================================================================