Disclaimer

1. Research Administration RetreatDavid Bird “Opinions from URC and faculty”Michael Steer“Research Forward”

2. Opinions from URC and facultyDavid BirdChair, URCCo-Director, CBNPProfessor of Plant PathologyCo-DGP, Genomic Sciences Graduate Programdavid_bird@ncsu.eduwww.pngg.org

3. Disclaimer • My comments do not necessarily reflect: • the views of the URC as a whole • my personal views • Intent is to: • capture the sentiment of the productive research faculty • be a vehicle for discussion at this retreat

4. Strengthening research • Research infrastructure • Leadership development • Cross-college research • Graduate student support • Faculty governance Theme: “invest in success”

5. Research underpins all NCSU activities NCSU Research excellence Undergraduate teaching Extension outreach Graduate teaching

6. Research Infrastructure • Invest in strong programs on campus • Grow what is successful (‘invest in success’) • Exploit out strengths rather than seeking new ones externally • Identify emerging programs at NCSU • The “cutting edge” is here • primary goal of all recruitment is to bring new innovation to NCSU • Need to sunset non-productive programs • Administration support for departmental tenure/comprehensive review decisions • Provide financial incentives to colleges, departments etc. willing to make strategic cuts/mergers etc.

7. Research Infrastructure • Return a portion of the F&A to each generating investigator as a primary allocation at the University level • By definition, is guaranteed to be an investment in productive programs (‘invest in success’) • Standardizes allocation of F&A to faculty across campus • How much? 5%? • How could such a small amount/faculty member be useful or even a wise investment ($2,425/$100,000)?

8. Research Infrastructure • Faculty use of F&A dollar investment • Flexible funds needed to meet cost accounting standards • e.g., purchase office equipment, supplies (paper, toner, etc); send staff for training; recruit new students/postdocs; replace/repair small equipment • These resources not available from university foundation/development funds • These resources no longer available from departmental budgets

9. Research Infrastructure • Faculty use of F&A dollar investment • Overhead is the seed-corn for future innovation • Allow productive faculty to explore research options not yet funded • Obtain preliminary data for new proposals • Value of this recognized in the FR&PD grants • Allow faculty to go to conferences/workshops outside their current discipline • Without seeing a tangible benefit of F&A, many faculty view it as a tax • these faculty are not supportive of an increase in the F&A rate

10. Research Infrastructure • Generate more F&A • Every decision at NCSU should consider impact on future F&A rate negotiations • Increased rates for industrial collaborations? • Should NCSU accept money with reduced or no overhead? • Is this an investment in a program shared by the PI and college? • What is the cost to the colleges and university?

11. Leadership Development • Who will be competing for major funding in 5 yr, 10yr? • What type of leadership skills are needed? • Assist./Assoc. Profs • Multi-PI projects; interdisciplinary research; training grants, etc. • Assoc./Full Profs • Centers of Excellence • ERC, STC, DoD, etc • Learning from current NCSU research leaders • Retreat with selected center directors, consistent interdisciplinary grant winners, selected “rising stars” • Learning from “Leadership Programs” • URC topic: using FR&PD funds for leadership development

12. Cross-College Research • Future lies in identifying new ways to integrate Research with Development • For example: • COE: strong in ‘D’ (systems building); CALS: strong in ‘R’ • integrate Systems Biology with Systems Engineering • A Center for “Systems of Systems”? • Cross-College: Take what is best in one college and merge it with what is very good in another? • An NCSU research strategy? • How can we best identify what we are truly good at? • How can we bring NCSU faculty together across disciplines?

13. Graduate Student Support • Realities: • Research and graduate education are complementary but separate endeavors. • Growing graduate enrollment is an expectation. • Research faculty desire to see an increase in the quality of graduate education • increasing the number of PhD vs Masters students • student publications in high quality journals • strong employment outcomes of our graduates • Currently under review (Dean of Grad. School taskforce)

14. Graduate Student Support • GSSP (and tuition remission) • Propose priority allocation to: • Research students (thesis-MS and PhD) in first year of grad school • Recruitment tool • All thesis-MS and PhD students who are NC residents • Covers all US citizens/residents (no TR slots) • TAs and RAs • All thesis-MS and PhD students funded from external sources: grants, contracts, internships, etc. • Encourages faculty to recruit best international students to funded research • Partnership between faculty (stipend, fees, health insurance) and university (TR) • Leverages GSSP resources • Invests in success

15. Graduate Student Support • Priority allocation - who is left out? • Foreign students supported from university sources • NCSU provides stipend, fees, health insurance; GSSP provides TR • e.g., foreign TAs • This may be a good “local optimum” for a college, department of faculty member, but it is not a good “global optimum” for the university • Should research resources (e.g., F&A) be used for this purpose?

16. Faculty Governance • Faculty Senate • must be committed to the credo that excellence in the NCSU mission derives from research excellence • must be a champion for all aspects of research at NCSU • URC • must be active, productive, engaged and successful research faculty • mechanism for “collective history” • URC: Chair-elect and immediate-past-Chair • CRCs need to be composed of existing and developing research leaders • leadership development tool

17. NCSU Goals NCSU Draft Regulation 10.10.4 “Centers and Institutes” 10/19/2006 “The primary goals of North Carolina State University are to strengthen its position as a research university of national stature, to provide the best possible education to its students and to all citizens through extension and outreach programs.” • Research defines who we are as a university, it is the reason for our graduate program, and it is the strength behind our undergraduate program. • Research is the major factor impacting quality of the University’s mission in economic development in North Carolina. • Lacking excellence in the research enterprise, NCSU would be a very different institution from what it is and aspires to be.