At Boise State University, the spirit of collaboration is a cornerstone of our academic environment. This was recently highlighted by President Dr. Marlene Tromp at the Blue Water Initiative Mixer, where she celebrated the unique teamwork that defines our institution. One outstanding model of this collaboration is the Grants Management Best Practices group, spearheaded by dedicated individuals like Shay Dumas Gillette.
Origins and Objectives
The Grants Management Best Practices group was born from the need to identify and share best practices in extramural fund management. “Our goal is to create a supportive community where questions can be asked freely, and best practices can be identified and implemented,” says Dumas Gillette. This initiative is crucial for ensuring efficient and effective fund management, which is vital to the success of research projects.
Inclusive and Open
The group’s meetings are open to anyone involved in research and creative activity administration on campus. This inclusive approach fosters a rich exchange of ideas and experiences, enhancing the group’s collective knowledge and capabilities.
Creating a Supportive Community
A key objective of the group is to build a supportive community for research administrators. By providing a space where administrators can share resources and seek help, the group helps create efficiencies for staff that ultimately reduce the administrative burden on faculty. This allows faculty to focus more on their research and creative activities, creating a positive feedback loop of support and growth.
Support from the Division of Research and Economic Development (DRED)
The Division of Research has played a supportive role in the group’s activities. Dumas Gillette notes that the division’s Matt Smith has been actively involved in discussing new platforms and fielding questions. “Next month, Matt will lead a listening session to discuss opportunities and concerns with the new RCM budget model,” she said. This support helps to address concerns and identify opportunities to improve research administration processes.
Long-term Goals and Vision
The group aims to ensure that research administrators feel confident in their training and available resources. By doing so, the group supports the sustainable growth of research and creative activities at Boise State. Dumas Gillette said:
We strive to foster open dialogue internally and externally to create efficiencies in service.
Dumas Gillette
A Story of Collaboration and Support
The formation of the Grants Management Best Practices group is a testament to the power of collaboration and support. Listening tours conducted by the COAS Research and Creative Activity Hub revealed the need for additional research administration support. A centralized team of Research and Creative Activity Administrators was created in COAS as a response to these needs, and the group emerged as a way to share knowledge and support each other. Dumas Gillette expanded on the origins of the group:
We were so grateful to have input and shared resources from seasoned administrators not only from within COAS, but in COEN and DRED as well. These discussions have allowed us to share some much-appreciated tips that provided efficiencies to the folks in our group. In making these connections, we realized that creating a space for folks to discuss practices, seek help, and share resources would be a big benefit —plus, it’s nice to put a face to the names of folks we email with regularly!
Dumas Gillette
Looking Ahead
As the group continues to meet and grow, there is an opportunity to further strengthen the research administration community at Boise State. If you are involved in research administration, consider joining this inspiring group and becoming part of a collaborative effort to enhance research and creative activities at Boise State. For more information, please contact Shay Dumas Gillette.