Pam,

I agree the CRA has not come as far as the CPA, but
the CRA (Certified Research Administrator) exam is on
its way.  In addition to the CRA not being as far
along as the CPA, neither is the RA (Research
Administration) profession.  We don’t even qualify for
a specific hiring designation within human resources.

The CRA is an accreditation granted by the Research
Administration Certification Council, a nonprofit
board which works to ensure the quality of the
certification.  The board members are listed on the
website (http://www.cra-cert.org/board.htm).  Board
membership rotates and has long been composed of
individuals committed to the professionalism of
research administration.

I consider the CRA a valuable assessment in the hiring
and promotion of staff.  I also consider that there
are pro-CRA and alternately non-CRA groups that have
taken positions on the value of the exam.  I long ago,
had someone at a prestigious organization; tell they
did not feel they need to pass an exam to be
considered a professional in this field.  I agree I do
believe a person can be a professional in this field
without a CRA, unlike accounting, but the CRA is
currently the only standard measure of
quality/knowledge that our profession possesses.  So
with that background I would not so lightly disk the
certification, particularly when there is a 70%
requirement for passage, that is consistently enforced
by the exam management firm (Professional Testing
Service) and there are people who have taken the exam
three times and have yet to pass.

Is the CRA the end-all answer to our profession - no,
but it is currently the only quantitative measure that
we have.

As someone with CRA, I have seen people with a CRA who
I did not believe qualified as professionals in this
field, but those instances have been rare.

Regards,
Kris Rhodes, CRA

--- Pamela Miller <xxxxxx@USFCA.EDU> wrote:

> Hi All,
>
>
>
> Thanks to everyone for their comments on and off
> line.  With all due respect
> to Bill, Andrew, and others, the fact is that the
> CRA is not yet on par with
> other certifications we count on to ensure we are
> working with qualified
> professionals.  To suggest otherwise-good intentions
> or not-leads us all to
> a very slippery slope.    I have been told that the
> CRA exam is an excellent
> teaching tool, and the CRA designation gives
> research administrators more
> self esteem and self confidence.  These are good
> things for the profession.
> Using the CRA designation as a standard of quality
> before ascertaining its
> validity and reliability is not.
>
>
>
> 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
>
>   _____
>
> From: Research Administration List
> [mailto:xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG] On Behalf Of
> Bill Schulze
> Sent: Monday, December 05, 2005 10:55 AM
> To: xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG
> Subject: Re: [RESADM-L] CRA as a screening
> instrument
>
>
>
> 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  <mailto:xxxxxx@usfca.edu> xxxxxx@usfca.edu
>
>
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