At the beginning of 2024, Portland State University initiated a restructuring of the Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA). See below for information about how the restructuring will work, and check this page for future updates.
SPA Reorganization Feedback Form: We have created a dedicated feedback form to capture your questions, concerns, and suggestions. Your input is invaluable as we fine-tune our processes and address any issues that may arise. Please don't hesitate to use this form anytime during the transition process.
Virtual Open Office Hours: We will host three sessions to provide real-time support and address your questions directly. These sessions will include breakout rooms to allow for more personalized discussions. The scheduled sessions are:
You can join any of these sessions using the following Zoom link: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/81744050780
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The Need For Change
The previous structure of SPA, which was segmented across various colleges and academic units, has served us well historically. However, our research enterprise's escalating size and complexity have stretched this model beyond its capacity, revealing several vulnerabilities that impact our operational efficiency and effectiveness, including:
- Expertise and Staffing Challenges: High staff turnover and recruitment difficulties have resulted in a loss of expertise, leading to variable support levels and impacting the effectiveness and consistency of our services.
- Operational Vulnerabilities: Our current structure of teams organized by college/unit covering all aspects of the research life cycle lacks adequate staffing redundancy, causing multiple potential points of operational failure and significantly increasing the risk of process disruptions.
- Process Inconsistency Challenges: Our team-based operation has made establishing and maintaining uniform procedures and processes difficult, leading to inefficiencies and procedural ambiguity.
- Operational Efficiency Challenges: The broad scope of responsibilities across team members, especially managers, has resulted in operational delays and made it challenging to maintain optimal service levels, contributing to lower overall productivity and a lengthier onboarding process.
- Navigating Workload Complexities: Our segmented structure has limited our ability to distribute and adapt to varying workloads evenly, particularly with the growing size and complexity of our proposal and award portfolios, affecting team efficiency and morale.
The New Structure: A Function-Specific Approach
In response to these identified challenges, SPA is undergoing a strategic reorganization into a functional structure. This new setup will group staff into specialized units, each focusing on different stages of the sponsored project lifecycle, such as proposal development, award acceptance, and financial management. This functional arrangement aims to enhance process specialization, ensuring each unit develops deep expertise in its respective area. The function-based teams will collaborate to facilitate smooth transitions and communication across all stages of each project’s lifecycle, from proposal development to award closeout. The rationale and expected benefits of this approach include:
- Deepening Expertise and Minimizing Turnover: Our new structure consolidates functions into specialized units. This change is designed to deepen staff expertise in focused areas, enhancing job satisfaction and reducing turnover rates while helping to ensure that service and support are more responsive, effective, and consistent.
- Mitigating Operational Risks: The functional model facilitates cross-training and creating redundant capabilities within critical areas. This will significantly reduce the risks associated with over-reliance on individual staff members, thereby addressing operational vulnerabilities.
- Streamlined Process Implementation: The functional unit system will facilitate uniform procedures across all sponsored project activities, enhancing efficiency and operational clarity across the university.
- Improved Operations Tracking: The new unified structure will enable better monitoring of operations and more efficient identification and resolution of inefficiencies and bottlenecks.
- Balanced Workload Distribution: The restructuring aims to allocate tasks better, promoting efficient workload management.
While this reorganization addresses operational challenges, it also benefits our key stakeholders – faculty, staff, and sponsors. We anticipate a notable improvement in our service to investigators. By raising service levels, improving responsiveness, and ensuring that investigators receive the best possible support, we aim to create a more fulfilling, positive, and efficient work environment for everyone.
This reorganization also provides our staff with more focused professional development opportunities by allowing them to specialize in specific areas of the award lifecycle. Finally, it ensures full compliance with sponsor requirements, upholding integrity and building trust in our research operations.
July 2024 Update
As we approach a significant milestone in the reorganization of our Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) unit, I am grateful for your patience, understanding, and valuable feedback throughout this process. Your input has been instrumental in shaping our new operational structure, which is designed to better serve our research community.
I'm pleased to confirm that we are on track to implement the new SPA structure as planned on August 12. This email provides critical updates and details about what you can expect as we near this transition. We understand that changes can be challenging and are committed to working to ensure a smooth transition.
Before we delve into the details, I apologize for the length of this message. It is crucial to provide you with thorough communication that covers all aspects of the upcoming changes. Your understanding of these changes is vital to ensuring a smooth transition, and we appreciate your taking the time to read through this important information.
The following sections provide details about function-based assignments, updated contact information, and key aspects of SPA under the new structure. We've also outlined some initial procedural and process changes that will be implemented to enhance our efficiency and service. Additionally, we've included information on how you can ask questions or provide feedback as we navigate this transition.
SPA Function-based Assignments
Proposals
Starting August 12th, we will implement a new approach to proposal assignments. Proposals will be assigned to Proposal Analysts based on the staff member’s bandwidth, sponsor experience, and specific areas of expertise. This targeted assignment process aims to provide you with the most knowledgeable and efficient support for your proposal needs.
The process for notifying SPA of your intention to submit a proposal remains unchanged. Please continue to complete and submit the Notification of Intent to Submit form as early as possible in your proposal development process. This early notification allows us to allocate resources effectively and provide timely support. Once your notification is received, our team will review it and assign it to an appropriate Proposal Analyst.
Upon receipt of your notification, the assigned SPA Proposal Analyst will promptly email the Principal Investigator (PI) to acknowledge receipt and initiate the proposal development process. This communication will include a detailed proposal development timeline outlining key milestones and deadlines to ensure a smooth submission process. This proactive approach allows for better planning and coordination between your team and SPA.
We have established a central email address for all proposal-related inquiries to streamline communication and ensure prompt responses. Starting August 12th, if you need to contact individual Proposal Team members or have general questions about the proposal process, please email spa_proposals@pdx.edu. This centralized approach will help us manage requests more efficiently and provide you with timely assistance.
Award Acceptance
As part of our reorganization, we're implementing specialized roles within our Award Acceptance team to enhance our service and efficiency. Grant awards will be assigned to our dedicated Grants Specialist, while agreements will be handled by Agreement Specialists. This specialization allows our team members to focus on specific types of awards, developing deeper expertise in their respective areas.
Assignments for agreements will be based on the specialist's current workload, agreement type, and sponsor experience. Subawards will be issued by the Grant Specialist or Agreement Specialist who accepted the original award, maintaining continuity throughout the process. The assigned Award Acceptance team member will contact the PI upon receipt of the award or sub-award request.
Our team will promptly assign an award to the appropriate specialist upon receipt. The assigned specialist will contact the Principal Investigator (PI) as soon as possible to acknowledge receipt of the award. This initial communication will identify the specialist assigned to your award and outline the next steps in the award acceptance process. While the exact timing may vary depending on award volume and complexity, our goal is to initiate this contact quickly to keep you informed and involved from the outset of the award process.
We've also streamlined our communication channels for award-related matters. Starting August 12th, please forward all grants and agreements documents to awards@pdx.edu. For specific inquiries:
These dedicated email addresses will help ensure your queries are directed to the appropriate team members, facilitating faster and more efficient responses.
Central Post-Award and Departmental Research Administration
Our reorganization introduces changes to managing post-award activities and providing departmental research support. These changes are designed to offer more specialized and efficient service. Award management responsibilities in SPA are shared among Central Post-Award Analysts and Departmental Research Administrators (DRAs).
- Central Post-Award Team: Post-award Analysts will be responsible for award and financial obligations to the sponsor such as generating and submitting invoices and financial reports, submitting prior approval requests, and general award monitoring. Starting August 12th, Post-Award Analysts will be assigned by Unit/PI. This approach allows our analysts to better understand specific units and projects to which they are assigned, enabling more tailored support. To contact the Central Post-Award Team with any inquiries or concerns, please email spa_postaward@pdx.edu. A list of assignments starting Aug 12 is available here.
- Departmental Research Administration (DRAs): DRAs will be the primary contact for PSU investigators and are responsible for advising them on award management requirements, reviewing and approving certain expenditures, and providing budget monitoring and forecasting assistance. DRAs will be assigned by unit/PI. This assignment strategy aims to provide consistent, knowledgeable support for your research administration needs. The list of DRA assignments starting Aug. 12 is available here. Where there are DRA assignment changes for a particular unit or PI, we will follow up with a message offering an introductory meeting with the new DRA, DRA Manager, and Assistant Director Nicole Braman to address any questions.
All contact information will be updated on our website before August 12th. This will ensure access to the most current information as we transition to the new structure.
Opportunities for Questions and Feedback
We recognize that these changes may raise questions or concerns, and we want to provide multiple avenues for you to seek clarification and share your thoughts.
SPA Reorganization Feedback Form: We have created a dedicated feedback form to capture your questions, concerns, and suggestions. Your input is invaluable as we fine-tune our processes and address any issues that may arise. Please don't hesitate to use this form anytime during the transition process.
Virtual Open Office Hours: We will host three sessions to provide real-time support and address your questions directly. These sessions will include breakout rooms to allow for more personalized discussions. The scheduled sessions are:
- Tuesday, July 23rd, 9:00-10:00 AM
- Friday, July 26th, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
- Wednesday, July 31st, 12:00 PM- 1:00 PM
You can join any of these sessions using the following Zoom link: https://pdx.zoom.us/j/81744050780
Individual Meeting Requests: If you prefer a one-on-one discussion or have concerns that require more in-depth conversation, we're happy to arrange individual meetings. Please send your meeting requests to research@pdx.edu, and we'll work to schedule a time that suits you.
We encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to engage with us. Your feedback and questions are crucial in helping us ensure that the new SPA structure effectively meets the needs of our research community.
Ongoing Staff Recruitment Efforts
We are still actively recruiting and onboarding staff for a few remaining key positions. We anticipate filling these roles within the next few weeks, strengthening our ability to serve the research community effectively.
- Proposal Manager: As we continue our search for this important role, Megan Zeazas, our pre-award assistant director, will assume the responsibilities of the Proposal Manager until the position is filled.
- Agreements Specialist: Award Acceptance Manager Becca Lockwood and other existing SPA staff with relevant expertise will fulfill the duties of this role until we complete our hiring process.
- Departmental Research Administrators: We're pleased to announce that we have extended offers for our vacant DRA positions and aim to fill them in time for our launch. Until they are onboarded, DRA Managers Siobhan McDonald, Kayla Paul, and Katrina Dahlke will cover these responsibilities.
We assure you that these ongoing recruitment efforts will not impact the launch of our new structure or the quality of service you receive. Our existing team is fully prepared to ensure a smooth transition and maintain excellent support for all your research administration needs.
Next Steps: Beyond August 12!
As we approach the August 12th launch date, we want to express our excitement about the positive changes this will bring to our research community. We understand that transitions can be challenging, but we are confident these changes will ultimately lead to more efficient, responsive, and specialized support for your research activities.
This restructuring is just the first phase in our ongoing commitment to elevating our customer service and enhancing research administration at PSU. Looking ahead, we are actively working on streamlining processes, improving systems through automation, and exploring the potential of AI to enhance our services. We're also focusing on continually developing our staff's expertise. As we launch into the 2024-25 academic year, watch for updates on these initiatives designed to create a more efficient, innovative, and supportive research administration environment.
Finally, we encourage you to review the information in this email carefully and to reach out with any questions or concerns using our outlined channels.
Thank you again for your continued patience and support as we restructure our research administration services. We look forward to serving you under our new structure and to the continued growth and success of research at PSU.
June 2024 Update
Launch Date Set for August 12, 2024
We are excited to announce that SPA's new operational structure will officially go live on August 12, 2024. This date has been carefully selected to allow adequate time for us to finalize all necessary preparations and ensure a seamless transition following the fiscal year close.
Progress and Key Staffing Updates
During this period, we have made additional hires and welcomed a significant number of new staff members to our team. These individuals are currently undergoing training and onboarding as they familiarize themselves with their new roles and with PSU and RGS. Your patience and understanding during this transition period are greatly appreciated. We will continue with our searches to fill our remaining open positions for DRAs and one Agreements Specialist.
In our last update, we shared the decision to add an Assistant Director position dedicated to overseeing our Proposal and Award Acceptance teams. We have selected Megan Zeazas, one of our current Sponsored Projects Officers, to fill this role. Megan brings 10 years of central and departmental research administration experience from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill to the role, as well as four years leading one of our blended SPA teams. Since Megan was originally anticipated to be our Proposal Manager, we will soon be launching a search to fill that role.
We've also completed a review of our new structure in collaboration with the staff members who will be directly impacted. This participatory approach has not only ensured a smoother transition but also helped us tailor our processes and organizational structure to better meet the needs of the research community.
Special thanks to Dawn Boatman, Jennifer Ward, and the SPA leadership team for their tireless efforts over the past six months as we worked to reimagine the SPA structure and focus on developing a more sustainable and scalable model.
What to Expect in the Coming Days and Weeks
Over the next few weeks, we will continue to refine the processes within SPA to clarify and strengthen the lines of communication between our functional teams. This will ensure efficient handoffs and transitions between teams, enhancing our overall workflow and supporting the university's research programs and activities.
By mid-July, we will reach out to PIs to inform them about their designated Departmental Research Administrators (DRA). This communication will also include details about any transitions related to proposal and agreement assignments and what to expect moving forward.
Planning for July and August Proposals
If you are planning to submit a proposal in July or August, especially in the first two weeks of August, please notify SPA as soon as possible. It is vital that we plan well ahead to manage critical proposal deadlines effectively during this transition period.
Your Engagement and Feedback
We are developing a detailed set of FAQs to address common questions and concerns. Please submit any questions you may have about this process via this Google Form. We will respond to these inquiries promptly and may include them in our FAQ resource.
We will also host a series of virtual open office hours in July for faculty and staff to discuss these changes, ask questions, and gain a clearer understanding of what to expect post-launch. Details regarding the format and timing of these sessions will be shared soon.
We also welcome the opportunity to meet with faculty and staff over the summer or after the academic year begins in September. These meetings are crucial for us to hear directly from you about any concerns and to clarify any changes in SPA operations. If you are interested in setting up a meeting, please email research@pdx.edu.
Sustaining Progress through Strategic Planning and Process Improvement
While the launch date of August 12 is an important milestone, it is just one step. There remains a substantial amount of work to be done, including the training and onboarding of staff, refining our internal processes, and establishing and updating detailed standard operating procedures. Additionally, we are committed to enhancing and improving our communications.
All these elements are being incorporated into a comprehensive strategic plan and roadmap, which many of you have helped to create. We’ll release it in draft form for your feedback and comments this summer before finalizing it in the fall. Your insights and cooperation are invaluable to ensuring a successful transition and RGS looks forward to our continued collaboration.
April 2024 Update
Staffing Updates
We've made significant progress in refining SPA's leadership and staff structure to boost our effectiveness.
Nicole Braman has been promoted to Associate Director of Departmental Research Administration, a role that leverages her extensive experience and dedication to research administration at PSU since 2007. Nicole's deep understanding of our departmental research administration and her tenure with PSU since 2005 positions her perfectly to lead our efforts in implementing a renewed and dynamic DRA Team structure.
We are equally excited to welcome Rachelle Richmond to the role of Associate Director of Sponsored Projects Administration, focusing on Post-Award Administration. Rachelle's vast experience, spanning 14 years across various aspects of research administration, will be instrumental in guiding our Post-Award and Finance & Compliance Teams. She will officially join us on April 1st and is actively participating in our transition planning. Rachelle's return to a full-time schedule underscores her commitment to this vital role, reflecting positively on the future direction of SPA.
To further strengthen our leadership team, we have launched a search for an Assistant Director of Sponsored Projects Administration, focusing on overseeing the Proposal and Award Acceptance Teams. This position has been widely advertised to attract experienced candidates who can contribute to our vision of a streamlined and responsive SPA.
All but one of our specialized team managers have been identified. Their understanding of and experience in the full sponsored project lifecycle will enhance their leadership and ability to guide their team members.
- Megan Zeazas, Proposal Manager
- Becca Lockwood, Award Acceptance Team Manager
- Anna Kovtunova, Post-Award Manager
- Anisa Chisti, Finance & Compliance Manager
- Katrina Dahlke, DRA Manager
- Kayla Paul, DRA Manager
In addition to these significant leadership updates, we are thrilled to highlight Barbara Stedman's transition to the Proposal Team. Barbara's move strategically enhances our team's capabilities, bringing her wealth of knowledge and experience to a critical area of our operations. Her dedication and expertise are assets that will undoubtedly elevate our proposal development processes and contribute significantly to our collective success.
We know it may be difficult to fully grasp and keep track of all these changes. To assist in this, we've developed a simplified team framework diagram (see below) that depicts the relationships between newly specialized functional units, outlining their roles and responsibilities and how they contribute across the proposal and award lifecycle stages. Our aim with this visual tool is to make the post-transition team roles more comprehensible and transparent for everyone involved.
Refinement of Operations: Limited Submission Management
As we continue to enhance our research development capacity, our focus remains on providing robust support for faculty across all career stages. Over the coming months, we are excited to roll out a suite of resources, training opportunities, and new initiatives designed to bolster the development of competitive proposals for research and other scholarly activities.
A key part of this effort is introducing a new, streamlined process for managing Limited Submission Opportunities. Annie Lindgren, Interim Associate Vice President for Research, is leading this initiative in collaboration with the new proposal team in SPA. Together, they are dedicated to making these opportunities as accessible and navigable as possible for our faculty. To this end, we have revamped our website to facilitate identifying such opportunities, requesting approvals, and seeking guidance throughout the process.
For faculty interested in pursuing limited submission opportunities, the process has been simplified to require just a single application form and supporting documents. This streamlined approach minimizes administrative burdens and ensures our faculty can focus on what they do best—pioneering research and innovation.
Next Steps
As the SPA reorganization progresses, our focus is on a few critical actions needed for a successful transition:
- Finalizing Recruitment of Key Positions: As mentioned, we are advancing towards completing our team by filling key roles, including the Assistant Director of SPA and other critical staff positions. Securing these roles is vital for our operational readiness and the effectiveness of our new structure.
- Completing Portfolio Assessment and Determining Assignments: Our ongoing portfolio analysis will soon conclude, leading to strategic assignments of proposals and awards to our staff. This ensures that all projects are matched with the appropriate expertise, optimizing support for our research activities.
- Announcing the "Go Live" Date: In the upcoming weeks, we'll finalize the current reorganization phase and announce the "go-live" date for the new SPA structure.
We appreciate your continued support and patience as we approach these important milestones. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification on our plans. Your insights are crucial to ensuring a successful transition for all.
February 2024 Update
Engagement and Staff Role Clarification
In the first quarter of 2024, we have made significant strides in shaping the future of SPA. Unit leaders and managers have engaged deeply with SPA staff through one-on-one meetings to discuss their roles within the new organizational structure. All SPA staff have been notified of their positions and roles within this newly envisioned framework. These discussions and notifications have been instrumental in clarifying roles and responsibilities, addressing uncertainties, and reinforcing our collective commitment to this initiative. Supervisory assignments are being finalized and will be communicated shortly, ensuring a clear understanding of reporting lines and managerial relationships.
Staffing Progress and Enhancing Organizational Capabilities
As we finalize the post-transition organizational structure into functional units, our staffing levels are crucial to strengthening our operational capacity and managerial capabilities. We have launched several new searches for key positions to enhance our service delivery and responsiveness to the needs of our research community. The job descriptions for these positions were developed to align with the new organizational structure, ensuring they directly support our anticipated operational needs. The positions include:
- Proposal Analyst: responsible for proposal and budget development, approval, and submission
- Grants Specialist: responsible for reviewing and accepting grant awards and issuing related subaward agreements
- Agreement Specialist: responsible for reviewing, negotiating, and accepting sponsored project agreements and issuing related subaward agreements
- Post-award Analyst: responsible for financial administration, management, and accounting of sponsored awards
- DRA Manager: responsible for overseeing the operations of a team of Departmental Research Administrators assigned to a college or collection of units at PSU
Timeline and Transition
We understand the importance of predictability and preparation. Consequently, we aim to announce the "go-live" date for the new structure at least four weeks in advance. This timeline will allow our faculty and staff ample time to prepare and adjust to the changes. However, the determination of this date is closely tied to our success in filling key positions, including the ones listed above, underscoring our commitment to a seamless and well-prepared transition. We will provide an update as soon as we feel ready to proceed.
Assignment of Proposals and Awards
We are conducting a comprehensive portfolio analysis to address questions and concerns regarding who will manage proposals and awards and who the points of contact will be for researchers within the new structure. This analysis ensures that the assignment of specific staff to proposals and awards is thoughtful and strategic.
Looking Ahead
The thoughtful structuring of our teams, combined with the strategic filling of new and vacant positions, lays the groundwork for a more robust and agile SPA. Please stay tuned for further updates, including announcements on management appointments, detailed transition plans, and our “go-live” date. Your feedback and questions are invaluable to us as we move forward, so please reach out to us at research@pdx.edu with any thoughts or concerns.