Conference: Creation of a National Job Classification System for Research Administrators

强大的研究管理人员队伍加强了研究企业，促进了教师招聘和留住，帮助平衡了研究需求和繁重的教学负担，并增加了在STEM中代表性不足的少数族裔的参与。该项目旨在促进建立一个适用于支持资助研究活动的各种行政角色的国家研究行政人员职务分类制度。需要一个全国性的职务分类系统，以扩大获得跨学科研究行政支助的机会，并解决所有机构的劳动力挑战，特别是新兴机构和为少数群体服务的机构。缺乏正式的、全国性的职务分类系统对员工留任产生了负面影响。这一留存问题导致了重大的财务损失和生产率下降。这个问题在新兴机构和为少数群体服务的机构中往往更为明显，因为这些机构可能很难以具有市场竞争力的薪酬聘用和留住合格的研究支持人才。这削弱了它们提交竞争性的外部资金申请以支持研究的能力。国家研究管理人员职业分类系统将为所有机构招聘和留住研究管理人员创造公平的竞争环境。这个三阶段会议项目将与国际研究管理人员协会(SRAI)合作实施，利用焦点小组、调查和小组讨论当前围绕研究管理人员队伍的问题以及创建国家职业分类系统的必要性。已经成立了一个利益攸关方指导委员会，其中包括SRAI、学院和大学人力资源专业协会(CUPA-HR)和北伊利诺伊大学的成员，以提供战略指导。该项目力求克服在所有学术机构开展资助研究的障碍，重点是研究管理人员在撰写提案、向外部资助机构提交和奖项管理方面提供的支持；查明招聘、留住和补偿合格研究管理人员以提高研究资助机构竞争力的挑战；并强调需要为研究管理角色建立正式的职务分类框架。交付成果包括一份会议每个阶段的总结论文和一份最终报告，总结了关于获得研究资金方面的挑战的讨论，为发展国家职业分类系统提出关键建议，以及创建组织模型以支持研究管理基础设施和融资。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

A robust research administration workforce strengthens the research enterprise, promotes faculty recruitment and retention, assists with balancing research demands and heavy teaching loads, and increases the participation of underrepresented minorities in STEM. This project aims to contribute to the development of a national research administrator job classification system applicable to the wide array of administrative roles that support sponsored research activities. A national job classification system is needed to extend access to research administration support across disciplines and address workforce challenges at all institutions, especially emerging and minority-serving institutions. The lack of a formal, national job classification system negatively affects employee retention. This retention problem results in significant financial loss and diminished productivity. This problem is often more pronounced in emerging and minority-serving institutions because it can be difficult for these institutions to hire and retain qualified research support talent at competitive market salaries. This diminishes their capacity to submit competitive applications for external funding to support research. A national job classification system for research administrators will level the playing field for hiring and retaining research administration staff across all institutions.The three-phase conference project, to be implemented in collaboration with the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI), uses focus groups, surveys, and panels to explore current issues surrounding the research administration workforce and the need to create a national job classification system. A steering committee of stakeholders, including members from the SRAI, the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), and Northern Illinois University, has been formed to provide strategic direction. The project seeks to overcome barriers to conducting funded research at all academic institutions by focusing on the support provided by research administrators for proposal writing, submission to external funding agencies, and award management; identifying the challenges of recruiting, retaining, and compensating qualified research administrators to enhance institutional competitiveness for research funding; and highlighting the need for a formal job classification framework for research administration roles. Deliverables include a summary paper for each phase of the conference and a final report summarizing the discussion about challenges in obtaining funding for research, making key recommendations for developing a national job classification system, and creating organizational models to support research administration infrastructure and financing.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.