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 <xxxxxx@ISUGW .INDSTATE.EDU> To Sent by: Research xxxxxx@hrinet.org Administration cc List <xxxxxx@hrinet. Subject org> [RESADM-L] Question about where a 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 ====================================================================== 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") ====================================================================== Dawn Underwood Director Sponsored Programs College of Education, Room 120 Indiana State University Terre Haute, Indiana Phone: 812-237-3088 Fax: 812-237-3092 ====================================================================== 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") ======================================================================