Re: Question about where a particular function should be located Renita Gray 23 Mar 2007 08:29 EST

I am part of the post award office at my university.  I don't see how
this position should report to either pre or post award.  This position
would fit best in the internal audit area, with collaboration with post
award when necessary.  Placing this position in internal audit also has
the advantage of keeping the pre and post award folks out of conflicts
with PI's and gives both offices a means of seeking outside counsel when
needed.  Conflicts are less likely to arise if it is located out of the
research admin areas altogether.  This placement could give the position
more perceived authority than it would have otherwise.

Renita L. Gray, CRA
Director of Sponsored Programs
Arkansas State University
P.O. Box 1260
State University, AR  72467
Telephone: (870) 972-2400
Facsimile:  (870) 972-3418

"If my life is fruitless, it doesn't matter who praises me, and if my
life is fruitful, it doesn't matter who criticizes me"  - Bunyan

-----Original Message-----
From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@hrinet.org] On
Behalf Of Dawn Underwood
Sent: Friday, March 23, 2007 8:15 AM
To: xxxxxx@hrinet.org
Subject: Re: [RESADM-L] Question about where a particular function
should be located

Donna,
I very much appreciate your comments. Momentum has been created that
this responsibility should come to pre-award, and I need some force of
numbers to make the case that this is not the right area for this
function.

I agree that this is not and should not be a pre-award office function.
Our post-award office focuses on financial management of grant accounts.
I think that if a position is created, that person could report to
internal audit, legal affairs, directly to the CRO, etc. The push for
another level of responsibility has arisen on institutional grant
programs, not academic research in the departments. A program director
on several of these institutional grants was let go, and a new director
has been hired.

Thanks again for your comments.
Dawn

>>> Donna Berger <xxxxxx@MARIST.EDU> 3/23/2007 8:27 AM >>>
Dawn,

Maybe I'm missing something, but I do not see how a pre-award office
could possibly do this unless the office is linked to the postaward and
there is some reason for the PI to work with this person. We are a
pre-award office and once an award is made, we have little knowledge of
program progress and do not see the PI until s/he is working on a new
proposal. After an award is made, the PIs work solely with our post
award office on effort reporting, etc.  Because post award monitors the
budget expenditures, they have the wherewithal to point out issues as
they arise and the PIs have good reason to connect with this office.
Personally, I think placing this responsibility in a pre-award office
would be a set up for failure, unless their is a restructuring that
links the office to post award so that as issues arise they be dealt
with cooperatively between the two offices. In fact, anyone given this
responsibility would need to be connected to one or both of these
offices I would assume and the PIs would need have reason to interact
with that person. At our institution, the deans (on paper) are
responsible for overseeing programmatic outcomes. How well this works
would be another discussion!

Donna Berger, Ph.D.
Coordinator, Academic Grants
Marist College
Phone: 845-575-3670

 Dawn Underwood

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 particular function should be

 located

 03/21/2007 12:16

 PM

 Please respond to

 Research

 Administration

 Discussion List

 <xxxxxx@hrinet.

 org>

Your responses to the following questions are much appreciated, and
needed as soon as possible.

Our university is considering a new role/position that would be
responsible for working with PIs to ensure that they are completing all
the required documentation (other than budgetary) and programmatic goals
required of grant funded projects.  For example, the position would
check files for complete and accurate documentation on program
participants, as well as keeping up on whether the appropriate number of
participants are being served.  If your institution has such a position,
in what office are they located and to whom do they report?  Those of
you without this position, where would you think the position should be
located and to whom they should report (ie: pre-award office, post-award
office, internal auditing office, other)?  Please explain why you feel
that this position should be located in the office you state.  Our
institution does not have a separate compliance office at this time.

To give you a bit of background, it has been suggested that this
responsibility be housed in the pre-award office, and that no new
personnel be hired. This would significantly affect the number of
workshops given and the level of support provided to faculty and staff
grantwriters. I'm hoping to learn perspectives on what is in the best
interest of the institution. Thus, I am keenly interested in learning
what other research administrators think about where this responsibility
should lie.

Thank you for your help.
Dawn

Dawn Underwood
Director
Sponsored Programs
College of Education, Room 120
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, Indiana
Phone: 812-237-3088
Fax: 812-237-3092

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Dawn Underwood
Director
Sponsored Programs
College of Education, Room 120
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, Indiana
Phone: 812-237-3088
Fax: 812-237-3092

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 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")
======================================================================

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 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")
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