As someone with a doctorate in a non-science field, I've found that many
of my colleagues who are SROs at smaller institutions have academic
backgrounds (whether PhD or ABD) and deliberately chose to work in
research administration. While Jim's question is not directed at those
of us in the humanities and social sciences, we, like Pam, opted out of
tenure-track careers for a variety of reasons and are now quite
committed to our work with faculty and able to work closely with them,
given our academic experiences before choosing administrative professions.

Best,
Sally

P.S. Jim - Hi from Bates!

Sally J. Southwick
Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations
Bates College
2 Andrews Road
Lewiston, ME 04240
(207)-786-6240
xxxxxx@bates.edu

Pamela T. Plotkin wrote:
> I feel compelled to jump in and disagree.  While my sample size is
> small, I, and several others like myself, who began tenure
> track/science-track careers, jumped into research administration and
> have remained on the job.
>
> As federal funding tightens,  academic positions continue to become
> extremely competitive, and people look for alternative careers from
> the traditional academic tenure-track, research administration offers
> a wonderful opportunity for trained scientists to lend their expertise
> to the field whether it is in sponsored programs, tech transfer,
> compliance, etc.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Pam
>
> Pamela Plotkin, Ph.D.
> Deputy Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
> Cornell University
> 373 Pine Tree Road
> East Hill Plaza
> Ithaca, NY 14850-2820
> 607-254-8329
> xxxxxx@cornell.edu
>
> Editor, Research Management Review
> http://www.ncura.edu/content/news/rmr/
>
>
>
> Schoen, Alexander wrote:
>> The people you specified will most likely not remain in the job for
>> the long term, they will most likely go back to the scientific side.
>> You're much better off hiring a person with an interest in science,
>> but with more of a managerial or business background.
>>
>>
>> -----------------------------------------
>>
>> Alexander Schoen
>>
>> Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
>>
>> Winthrop-University Hospital
>>
>> 222 Station Plaza North, Suite 510
>>
>> Mineola, NY  11501
>>
>> Phone: (516) 663-4931
>>
>> Fax:     (516) 663-9718
>>
>> xxxxxx@winthrop.org <mailto:xxxxxx@winthrop.org>
>>
>> P Please consider the environment before printing this email*/ /*
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> *From:* Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@hrinet.org] *On
>> Behalf Of *James Austin
>> *Sent:* Wednesday, March 19, 2008 11:32 AM
>> *To:* xxxxxx@hrinet.org
>> *Subject:* [RESADM-L] Query: Entry-Level ResAdm Positions - Who do
>> you hire?
>>
>> Hi folks,
>>
>> I'm wondering who fills entry-level Resarch-Administration positions.
>> Do your offices ever hire science trainees (for example), grad
>> students or postdocs looking for an "alternative" career? I'm just
>> wondering if this is a common (or somewhat common) career path for
>> people with scientific training.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Jim
>>
>> Jim Austin, Ph.D.
>> Editor
>> ScienceCareers
>> http://www.sciencecareers.org
>> Tel: 207.712.5445
>> Fax: 206.203.2523
>> Email: xxxxxx@aaas.org <mailto:xxxxxx@aaas.org>
>> ************************************************************************

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