Mobile Edition
Print
Get the Mag
Weekly UpdatesVoice of Experience advances the Journal's tradition of academic and professional excellence by considering contemporary issues and horizons in research administration. VOE is a celebrated feature column in each edition of the Journal. It is under the corporate authorship of some of the most distinguished and seasoned members of SRA International who lead research administration efforts around the globe. In this issue, VOE offers an interview with Mr. Philip V. Spina, MA, CRA, who in October completed his leadership as the first President of the Society elected for a two-year term.
Introduction
Changes in leadership always create moments of reflection. This is as true for organizations or local small local communities as it is for nations and governments. This year, the American people experienced a significant moment of leadership-change that has created a time of critical reflection upon the foundations of American life. More than any political platform, this past election year has been a moment to re-discover the core values and the core meaning of what it means to be a unique people with a unique way of life who are part of a global community. The Society of Research Administrators International has undergone its own change of leadership this year. It is a unique time of reflection and re-discovery. This reflection and re-discovery are not centered upon what it means to be a member of SRA. Rather it is a moment when the women and men of the Society are moved to reflect critically upon the meaning of the profession of research administration itself, and its mission for the act of research within our respective institutions and communities. In this edition of VOE, Philip Spina offers his reflections upon these very issues as he completes his two-year term as SRA International President.
An Interview with Philip V. Spina, MA, CRA: Reflections on The Way Forward
VOE:
This October, you came to the end of your term as SRA President. This Fall you also begin your thirtieth year in the profession of research administration. What do you believe are the most significant changes you have seen in research administration over the past 30 years?
PS:
There are three major changes in the past thirty years that strike me as particularly important.
The first is the definition, or perhaps I should say the emergence of a definition of research administration as a profession. Historically, a profession emerges from an occupation as the members define their profession in terms of education and professional training. The establishment of linkages between our professional organization and various accreditation organizations, certification programs and traditional educational organizations are first steps in a process of establishing and maintaining standards of excellence and expectations that govern our professional affairs. As a profession, we have defined the theoretical knowledge necessary to be a professional research administrator as outlined in the Body of Knowledge. The development and expansion of our professional expertise now requires us to work towards establishing and obtaining degrees and professional certifications as well as regular updating of skills through certified continuing education.
The second is the expansion of the profession. We are all aware of the continuing growth of the number of members in the Society of Research Administrators and other professional organizations dedicated to professionals serving the research community. We have added approximately five hundred new members to SRA in just the last two years alone. The expansion and diversification of our profession is actually far more complex than the growth in the numbers of individuals who recognize their participation in our field. In the time that I have been a member of SRA, we have seen expansion of the interest of the membership from proposal submission and award management to include the spectrum of integrity and ethical issues in research, intellectual property and technology transfer issues, safety issues, faculty and institutional development and even facilities operations and management. Our profession's development of the Body of Knowledge and the creation and continued growth of a professional certification program have enhanced the professional recognition of the research administrator not only in North America but globally as well.
The third significant change has been the pace and diversity of technological changes. In some ways, the technological changes have had impacts that counter-balance our efforts to professionalize research administration.
We do not serve our researchers or our sponsors well by constantly responding to every inquiry with an immediate answer. Some issues require thoughtful consideration rather than an immediate answer. Additionally, we are increasingly seen as the providers of cookie cutter answers, While many professions have seen the emergence of electronic one size fits all solutions, reality is far different. This is particularly true in the research setting. After all, our primary products are answers to questions that have been never been asked before and more questions about the answers we just gave.
VOE:
Your answer suggests that research administration is still evolving into a profession. What do you think are the factors that make this continuing evolution possible?
PS:
When I became President at the SRA International Meeting in Quebec City, I told the members who were attending that we had three priorities. These were "education, education, and education." What the profession needs are qualitative and quantitative increases in the educational opportunities for our members. I believe that there are four major components that will facilitate the continued development and emergence of research administration as a profession.
1. Training--We need to continue to develop, offer, and refine our entry level basic curriculum for the new research administrator. Course work and instructional materials covering the critical elements of the Body of Knowledge have to be available in a variety of formats and forums so that new research administrators can be initiated in the field and have the knowledge necessary to serve their researchers and institutions.
2. Certification and Continuing Education--Beyond the basics, we need to offer opportunities for mid-career research administrators to explore the theoretical basis of research administration. These offerings need to focus on issues such as the social and cultural impact of research, the philosophical underpinnings of the ethical issues related to research, and moral and legal issues involved in conducting research across national and cultural boundaries. These offerings must be held to defined standards and must withstand careful review and scrutiny. This can be done in collaboration with organizations that offer continuing education certification and professional certifications.
3. Academic and professional development--I am absolutely convinced that our profession needs to help universities provide graduate degree programs or areas of concentration within graduate degree programs in research administration and management. This will enhance the recognition by our researchers that we are true partners in the research enterprise and provide added value to the members of the profession in the form of increasing compensation levels.
4. Scholarship--To make the three items above possible, we will need to conduct research about the field of research administration and its philosophical roots, cultural impact, and historical origins. This new knowledge will need to be critically reviewed by peers in the field, validated, and shared.
VOE:
Internationalization and collaboration are spoken of today in research very frequently. How are these areas expanding the traditional service and leadership of research administration?
PS:
Perhaps by other names, internationalization and collaboration have always been part of the research process. "Collaboration" is another way to speak of "inter-departmental," "interdisciplinary," or "multi-institutional" when describing the relationships between researchers. "Internationalization" is probably best understood as our awareness of the global nature of the marketplace for research results. Globalization always provides an important opportunity for research administrators to serve their researchers in ever new and unique ways. Let me to expand on these ideas.
1. Collaboration and Competition--Scientific collaboration, or for that matter any type of collaboration, is wholly dependent upon the individuals involved. What do the various members of the team bring to the table to advance the project? Can the project be done just as efficiently and effectively without the collaborators? What do we gain from collaboration? The reality is that research is a business and individual researchers gain both economic and reputational advantage from being the "first" to produce the results of their research. This is particularly true in the areas of research which result in protected intellectual property. The scientist who discovered the new pain medication, cancer drug, or medical device stands to receive significant financial rewards. The same is true of their institutions. Therefore, we balance the potential scientific gain which may result from collaboration against the potential financial impact of sharing the discovery with others.
2. Globalization--The market for research and research results has become global. This has increased the competition for research resources, increased the expenses of conducting research, and combined with the computerization and telecommunications revolution truly made research administration a 24/7 profession requiring new skills and different approaches to serve the research community.
FEED