The SRA Symposium - College of Medicine

• Education and Training
A guiding coalition from central and unit level administration was formed in 1997 to develop the
Research Administrators Instructional Network (RAIN). It spent two years refining the curriculum,
a process which involved over 100 colleagues. RAIN training is offered three times a year
and participants are required to make a four week commitment – a full day of training each week.
While nearly 75 applications are received for each session, only 24 research administrators are
selected for attendance. Since its inception in 1999, more than 400 research administrators have
completed the RAIN program. It is increasingly common for research administration job postings
at the University of Michigan to list RAIN training as a desired qualification. The current RAIN
program agenda follows.
Introduction: The Research Administration Environment
Ethics and Compliance
Electronic Research Information Resources
Proposal Development, Budgets and Submission
Initiation and Financial Administration of Projects
Human Resources Management
Working with Industry Sponsors
Media Relations and Research
Papers
During the four day program, up to thirty central and unit administrators present topics. In addition
to the benefits of the comprehensive agenda, a sense of community and collaboration is
encouraged by scheduled group lunches with the presenters and others in central administration.
In 2001 DRDA allocated funds to create a dedicated staff position to manage education and training
programs and advance DRDA’s educational goals. This individual identifies training needs,
oversees the development of new programs, and coordinates program delivery for the research administration
community. In addition to the advancements in education and training, the existence
of this position has been instrumental in creating an open environment for ideas and implementing
programs in direct response to both central and unit administrator’s concerns.
DRDA and Financial Operations have also collaborated to create additional training programs for
new and experienced research administrators. Currently, fifteen programs, ranging in topic from
proposal development to budgets and financial administration, are offered regularly. As of 2004,
enrollment in these programs totaled over 1,900.
• Creating a Sense of Community
Michigan established the Research Administrators Network (RAN) in 2001. The Network is meant
to provide continuing education in the area of research administration and enable unit administrators
to interact with each other and leaders in central administration. A planning committee,
made up of mostly unit administrators, sets the agendas for the quarterly meetings. The meetings
include an educational topic, as well as updates critical to the Michigan research community. Thus
far, fourteen RAN meetings have been held with an average attendance of 250. The meetings have
become an effective and enjoyable tool for sustaining the sense of community in research administration
at Michigan.
A website has been created, RAN Online, to provide a place where research administrators can
share documents, templates and ideas that may be of use to their colleagues. A web-based research
administrators’ “Toolkit” was developed to assist research administrators to quickly locate information
related to their jobs (www.research.umich.edu/ralinks/index.html).
2005 Symposium Proceedings Book 63