Managing grants once faculty members receive them is the focus of a new track of classes offered as part of WSU’s Office of Research Faculty Development Series (FDS).
“We want our staff and faculty who manage grants trained well,” said Nancy Shrope, assistant director in the Office of Grant and Research Development (OGRD). In order to keep getting government money, she said, the university must closely follow rules for managing grants and must offer education on how to manage them.
“Competition for grant money is becoming tighter,” Shrope said. “We hope to give grant managers at WSU the information and tools they need to succeed.”
Although OGRD for years has offered a variety of training, those courses were assembled into the FDS three years ago.
“Vice Provost for Research Jim Petersen wanted to make it a first-class development series,” Shrope said.
Pam Kelley was hired to coordinate the series. Both the series and number of participants have grown steadily, she said.
Last year, courses were added to educate faculty on peripheral topics like collaboration, working with human and animal research subjects, and responsible publication practices. This year, the Grants Management Track has been added.
Courses in the new track address such things as managing data, finances, labs and personnel. The first session in the track is scheduled for Sept. 18.
For more information and to register for any classes in the FDS, go ONLINE @ www.ogrd.wsu.edu/fds.
Taking it on the road
Several “road shows” are planned statewide this year to train WSU faculty and staff in grant proposal writing and related topics.
Nancy Shrope and Pam Kelley, from the Office of Grant and Research Development, coordinate these day-long intensive presentations of material from the Faculty Development Series. They tailor the programs to the needs of the WSU participants at the site, whether a regional campus, learning center or extension office.
“Sometimes people feel like they have more time to devote a day to training rather than devoting one or two hours at a time to the series online,” Shrope said.
For more information on planning and scheduling a road show, contact Shrope at nshrope@wsu.edu or Kelley at pjkelley@wsu.edu.
