National Survey of APLU Vice Presidents and Vice Chancellors for Research

1. National Survey of APLU Vice Presidents and Vice Chancellors for Research Kelvin K. Droegemeier, Lori A. Snyder, and Alicia J. Knoedler University of Oklahoma Caroline Whitacre The Ohio State University Howard Gobstein, Christine Keller, Teri Lyn Hinds, and Nathalie Argueta APLU CRPGE Summer New VPR Workshop Berkeley, CA July 13, 2014

2. Context • The Vice President/Vice Chancellor for Research (VPR/VCR)... • Is a key(though perhaps not well understood) position in public and private research universities • Is structured and deployed in a wide variety of ways with a wide variety of responsibilities • Is facing many newchallengesin the face of problematic budgets, compliance requirements, and dramatic changes in the higher education landscape

3. Motivation for the Survey • No comprehensive survey has been conducted of VPRs/VCRs to understand • Administrative structuresutilized and their strengths and weaknesses • Characteristics and experiences of individualsholding the position • Current roles and responsibilities of the position • New and emerging challenges, and skillsneeded to meet them • Strategies for effectively preparing the next generation, including possible roles for CRPGE and other APLU organizations

4. Survey Goal and Audience • Via scholarly analyses of data from a national, web-based survey of APLU VCRs/VPRs, our goal is to provide information that builds greater understanding of these important positions and assists senior university administrators in assuring excellence in the structure, function and leadership of the university research enterprise now and in the future

5. Why Should You Care? • As a new or recent VPR/VCR – to help you … • Better understand the broad national landscape for contextualizing yournew position • Shape yourown way and that of yourinstitution  best practices and arguments for change • Better understand the challengesfacing research nationally • Participate in developing the next generation of research leaders, at your institution and nationally, with attention to key issues such as diversityand VPRs from non-traditional pathways

6. Why Should You Care? • As an Aspiring VPR/VCR or someone curious about the position – to help you … • Better understand the positionand whether and where you might wish to seek it • Identify personal and professional skills and capabilities needing improvement • Gain relevant new experience, especially if you have followed a non-traditional pathway • Begin thinking about changesyou may wish to make, or ideasyou may wish to offer now to meet future challenges

7. Structure of the Survey: 64 Questions to VPRs About... • Their Institution (6) • Themselves (5) • Their Professional Experience (8) • The Structure of their Current Position (19) • Their Training (5) • Current State of their VPR/VCR Position (18) • Succession Planning (3) • Response rate = 50% •  Many more results and analyses than I have time to show today!!

8. Response Demographics • 84% from Research Universities • 51% Very high research activity • 33% High research activity • 97% from public universities • 41% from land grant universities •  Broad cross section (more details available)

9. VPR Gender and Ethnicity White Female Black or African American Asian Male Prefer not to Disclose Prefer not to Disclose

10. Year VPR received PhD Discipline of Degree 25% Engineering 24% Biomedical and Biomedical Sciences 22% Physical Sciences 5% Social Sciences 5% Psychology 5% Agriculture and related sciences 40 yrs ago 30 yrs ago 20 yrs ago Mean: 1983 Std. Dev.: 7 N: 79 10 yrs ago

11. Year Received PhD by Discipline

12. Reporting Structure in VPR Organization by Gender Male(N=63) Female(N=15)

13. Most Common VPR Responsibilities

14. VPR Organization Budget • 63% have budget linked to indirect cost recovery

15. VPR Organization Budget (in millions of dollars)

16. What is your role in deciding whether cost sharing should be provided to a given grant proposal submission?

17. VPR Role in Retention Packages • 57% have role in funding retention packages, relative to other offices Percentage funded by VPR

18. Role of VPR in Funding Startup Packages • 79% have a role in funding startup packages Percentage of start-up funded by VPR

19. I have control over the allotment of space and facilities for research.

20. I am very involved in budget planning at the university level.

21. I am very involved in strategic planning at the university level.

22. Goals of Strategic Plan for Research

23. I received formal or informal TRAINING that allowed me to be a competitive candidate for my current position(s).

24. What else was instrumental in helping you to get your position? (open-ended)

25. Most Important Knowledge

26. Most Important Skills

27. Greatest Current Challenges of Position

28. Greatest Current Rewards of Position

29. New challenges/roles taken on recently

30. Top Emerging Trends/Challenges for VPRs (open-ended)

31. Knowledge/Skills Needed for Position in Next 3-5 Years (open-ended)

32. Ways to Make VPR Position More Effective (open-ended)

33. How long do you plan to remain in your current position?

34. What career path do you plan to pursue after you leave your current position?

35. How many VPRs at your institution later became President/Provost?

36. My responsibilities have changed during my time in the VPR/VCR position

37. APLU Orientation for new VPRs • 39% attended formal APLU orientation • 12% found it very unhelpful • 76% found it helpful • 12% found it very helpful

38. What was helpful about APLU orientation, or would have made it more helpful? (open-ended)

39. In the past, how has your university typically filled the VPR position?

40. Top Ways to Prepare Future VPRs (open-ended)

41. Summary of Preliminary Findings • VPR gender and ethnic diversity are notably low • Institutions with strategic plans for research tend to fare better • VPR duties,workload and future challenges suggest difficulty attracting the next generation of leaders • VPR succession planning appears to not be a priority within institutions

42. Summary of Preliminary Findings • Considerable turnover (~50%) may occur in VPR positions during the next 1-3 years. Coupled with the clear lack of succession planning and mentoring of the next generation -- not to mention all of the changes underway in higher education -- we could be facing a very serious situation with regard to research administration leadership. It is unclear who owns this challenge.

43. Summary of Preliminary Findings • Current VPRs appear to view their successors as having career paths similar to their own. We may be missing an opportunity to draw in other types of leaders, e.g., from the research development professional ranks. • More senior academic leadership positions desired by current VPRs (provost, president) are mostly incongruent with what former VPRs actually obtained

44. So You Want to be a VPR? • Speak with your VPR about your ambitions and her/his view of possible professional development activities • Point your VPR to this survey and the papers to emerge from it • Seek to become a strategic player at your institution beyond research development, but in ways closely linked to it • Read materials that are relevant to VPR activities • Use NORDP, SRA, COGR, NCURA as a means to network