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Associate vice chancellor candidates present their platforms
On Thursday and Monday, the atmosphere inside the small research conference room in Woody Hall evolved the way most open meetings do. A small group of administrators and faculty gathered; ongoing concerns about the school's budget situation clouded the air; and the scheduled candidates soon appeared to make friendly introductions.
Then everybody got down to business.
On Thursday and Monday respectively, Prudence Rice and Donald Nielsen had their turn to speak to a small audience about their background and concerns for the state of research opportunities at SIUC.
Both Rice and Nielsen are vying for the position of associate vice chancellor for research and the director of office research development and administration. The appointed person would be instrumental in developing and implementing the research goals of the University.
The main thrust of Rice's presentation was to share her plans to improve department relations and increase the number of SIUC researchers willing to take advantage of federal funding. She also shared her plans for fostering a better balance between quality teaching and valuable research.
Nielsen's platform revolved around the idea that the main purpose of the position would be to connect researchers with funding.
"This office's main job is to find you and connect you with the people and institutions that can help you get funding," he said.
Nielsen advocates researchers going straight to the funding source with questions instead of having information filtered through an administrative body. He said such relationships become incredibly valuable over time and should be encouraged by administration.
"A consistent message needs to be sent out that research is important," he said. "Those who submit for funding should be rewarded by the school even if they don't get the funding.
"The only researcher that should go unrewarded is one who does nothing."
Rice said that as the acting associate dean for research and development, coming into the position meant a lot of housekeeping.
"The web page was messed up and some of the policies were here and there," she said. "It was chaotic, but I actually like coming into a situation where I get to whip things into shape."
After more than a year in the position, Rice said there were
important goals she had accomplished in conjunction with the Office of Research Development and Administration.
"I've worked to make things easier for principal investigators here at SIU," she said. "I've also added more opportunities for recognition for researchers on campus. I've encouraged colleges to have outstanding research awards to help recognize the valuable contributions research represents."
Two of Rice's main goals are to increase the visibility of research at SIUC and to establish a culture and environment where researchers feel encouraged to submit proposals.
"I've also worked to increase the visibility of research on campus by contributing columns in research publications and including color pages in Perspectives magazine," Rice said.
In addition to wanting to make research more visible, Nielsen said research must become a part of everyday life here at the campus.
"People have to make research an integral part of what they do here and realize that funding is not always the ultimate goal," he said. "It's peer review and recognition."
Rice said she feels there are a lot of opportunities out there and wants see SIUC take advantage of them.
"We need to take advantage of the fact that there's so much federal money for research out there," she said. "Grant money can pay salaries and research assistants and even fund travel. The more people we have getting grants the more we can help all of our units, students and faculty."
A sticking point with those present at both meetings is the way many departments on campus operate as independent entities, unaware and uninterested in what happens in departments outside their own.
Rice has made efforts to improve communication between colleges.
"I've been working hard to let the faculty know that there's an enormous amount of great stuff going on in all of our departments, to include efforts made by undergraduates," Rice said.
Both candidates are advocates for building different kinds of professional, beneficial relationships.
"Communication is key," Nielsen said. "Faculty needs to feel like they can ask administration questions about where funding is and why certain departments are getting it, and administration should be willing to offer honest answers."
Rice said, "Collaborative arrangements within and outside of the University are key. There is a real need for interdisciplinary research because that's where the jobs are."
Rice has worked to establish consortium partnerships between SIUC research efforts, the University of Illinois and the University of Missouri.
Both Rice and Nielsen see one of the biggest obstacles as what Rice calls "the culture of negativism" at the University.
"We have a really entrenched mentality here that makes research not as important as teaching," she said. "I believe cultures can change, but trying to get them to change in the direction you want is always the challenge."
Rice has not lost hope in the idea that she can get independent colleges to work together for the good of the University.
"I'm determined to start persuading people that a new culture would be nothing but a win-win situation for all involved," Rice said.
Nielsen said a culture change within the campus community is unavoidable. He also said if research could begin to be recognized for what it does for departments, the school and community, the culture surrounding the research will change.
"If you are successful in your research efforts, the money will follow," Nielsen said. "While we must be responsible to the bottom line, we do not have to be governed by it. An institution only becomes more viable as the quality of its research improves."
