Scott Berry holds one of his three daughters.

Regionals’ new grant and development writer introduces himself to the Miami community

March 1, 2018February 28, 2018 Research & Innovation StaffLeave a comment

Greetings, friends of the OARS office. My name is Scott Berry and I am the new Grant and Development Writer for the Miami Regional campuses. I am thrilled to be joining the Regional Advancement team and serving as the OARS liaison for Miami Regionals faculty members and programs.

Before joining Miami, I was the Director of Community Outreach and Engagement and the Grants Manager at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton. In this role, I straddled the line between programming and fundraising, which provided me with a unique vantage point on the external funding process as a whole. I had the opportunity to write proposals for new community arts programs and then help manage and track the implementation of them. These experiences will certainly come in handy for my position with Miami.

Coincidentally, one of the Fitton Center’s public art initiatives, StreetSpark, will be creating a mural at Miami Hamilton this summer to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the campus. I will be on fairly familiar ground as I help identify funding sources to support this project.

Along with my professional background, I also have some previous experience in academic writing and editing. I have both a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in Irish literature and culture from Wake Forest and Notre Dame, respectively.

Though I am new to the Miami staff, I actually have lifelong ties to the university. My father, Dr. Stephen Berry, was a long-time faculty member in the Department of Psychology in Oxford. Much of his research was grant-funded, so he is very familiar with the role OARS plays in supporting faculty endeavors.

I am looking forward to working with Miami Regionals faculty and staff to advance their efforts in the laboratory, the library, the classroom, and the community.

By Scott Berry, Grant and Development Writer, Regional campuses, Miami University.

Photos courtesy of Scott Berry.

Miami University's Hamilton campus. A building is seen through an arch with "Miami University" signage.

OARS’ newest staff member shares her experience

January 18, 2018January 17, 2018 Amy Hurley CooperLeave a comment

Amy Cooper and three other people stand behind a table that holds Regionals-branded tote bags among other items. — Amy Cooper (second from right) worked at Miami’s Regional campuses for 25 years before coming to OARS.

My new position in the OARS office feels a lot like coming home for me. I first arrived on the Oxford campus as an undergraduate in 1986. After earning a degree in professional/technical writing, I spent the next 25 years at Miami’s Regional Campuses.

I was with the Center for Chemistry Education on the Middletown Campus for many years. We worked with educators from preschool through college level to make chemistry fun for all students, with more than $15 million in grant funding received. The experience I gained in proposal development and managing large-scale funded projects (along with some difficult lessons learned) helps me advise faculty and staff on avoiding pitfalls in project planning.

More recently, I was the grant writer and then the director of proposal development for the Regionals. After 18 years of chemistry, all day and every day, it was an exciting adventure to support external funding efforts across all disciplines. I was privileged to work with a lot of dedicated faculty and staff members who put students first, including many non-traditional and first-generation students with a broad range of life experience and some unique challenges.

An accomplishment I’m very proud of was coordinating the Regionals’ successful application for a US Department of Education Upward Bound grant in partnership with Hamilton High School. Students at the high school will be helped to see college as a viable option and provided with step-by-step support to apply and enroll in college, at Miami or elsewhere.

Throughout the years, I worked closely with OARS staff, who ensured that proposals were in line with funders’ and Miami’s guidelines. At first, their work seemed very mysterious to me. Over time, I grew interested in research administration, particularly when Tricia Callahan or Anne Schauer caught an issue that might have doomed a proposal. They were generous in answering my questions about how they did their jobs.

As a new OARS team member, I’m thrilled to be starting on this latest Miami adventure, back where my Miami life started. I’m very interested in how faculty members on all campuses build a research agenda and garner funding to support that work. I want to help make the process as straightforward as possible. I look forward to working with you!

Written by Amy Hurley Cooper, Assistant Director, Proposal Development, Office for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship, Miami University.

Photos by Miami University.

Head-and-shoulders portrait of Amy Stander

OARS welcomes Amy Cooper as new Assistant Director of Proposal Development

December 5, 2017December 1, 2017 Jim Oris1 Comment

We are pleased to announce that Amy Cooper (formerly Amy Stander — she got married!) joined the OARS team as Assistant Director of Proposal Development on December 1. She fills a position vacated by Tricia Callahan, who left Miami University at the end of the summer.

Amy has extensive experience in grantwriting and grants administration, most recently serving as Director of Grant Development for Miami’s Regional Campuses. We are excited to have her here in 102 Roudebush, and hope you will join us in welcoming her to her new role.

Photo of Amy Stander courtesy of Amy Stander. Welcome photo by Nick Youngson via The Blue Diamond Gallery, used under Creative Commons license.

Boy in a ringmaster costume holds up an applause sign with a little help from his teacher

OARS Director designated Distinguished Faculty by professional organization

September 12, 2017July 25, 2017 Research & Innovation Staff1 Comment

Head-and-shoulders portrait of Anne Schauer. — Anne Schauer

OARS Director of Research and Sponsored Programs, Anne Schauer, was recently designated Distinguished Faculty by the Society of Research Administrators International (SRA International).

According to SRA International, the designation of Distinguished Faculty “recognizes individuals who continually distinguish themselves as exemplar teachers, scholars, and practitioners in the field of research management and administration.”

During her initial three-year term, Schauer will act as a subject matter expert on behalf of SRA International. In this role, she may be called upon to contribute to external reviews of research administration capacity and processes, to consult with organizations, and to present and review professional workshops, continuing education courses, and professional development programs.

Schauer will be officially recognized at the SRA International Annual Meeting to be held in Vancouver in October.

Applause photo by Senior Airman Benjamin Wilson, U.S. Air Force, in public domain. Photo of Anne Schauer courtesy of Anne Schauer.

Green Post-It Note with the words Good Job handwritten on it.

Associate Director of Research Compliance earns certification

November 15, 2016October 24, 2016 Research & Innovation Staff1 Comment

Jennifer Sutton, Associate Director of Research Compliance

Associate Director of Research Compliance Jennifer Sutton recently earned the Certified IRB Professional (CIP) credential.

Administered by Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R), CIP is earned by passing a 250-question exam that covers “information determined . . . to demonstrate a standard level of knowledge about human subjects research review under the rules and regulations of the United States.” To maintain certification, Sutton will complete Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and/or retake the exam in three years.

In addition, Sutton has been selected by PRIM&R as a Community Ambassador for the 2016 Advancing Ethical Research Conference, to be held November 14-16 in Anaheim, CA. According to PRIM&R, “Community Ambassadors are charged with aiding fellow attendees in meeting and connecting with each other.” Community Ambassadors assist fellow attendees during the meeting, help coordinate onsite events, and attend networking receptions.

“Good Job” photo by NOGRAN s.r.o. via Flickr, used under Creative Commons license. Photo of Jennifer Sutton by Miami University Photo Services.

OARS administrative assistant earns certification

October 25, 2016October 17, 2016 Research & Innovation StaffLeave a comment

Vanessa Gordon, Administrative Assistant in Miami University’s Office for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship (OARS), recently earned the Professional Administrative Certification of Excellence (PACE).

Administered by the American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP), PACE is earned by passing a 120-question exam that covers topics ranging from office technology to project management to interpersonal communications. To maintain certification, Gordon will complete at least 24 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) every two years.

According to ASAP, those who earn the PACE credential are “highly-credible professional[s] . . . whose skills and expertise are recognized.”

Thumbs-up photo via PublicDomainPictures.net, used under public domain. Photo of Vanessa Gordon by Scott Kissell, Miami University Photo Services.

A foil-wrapped Hershey's kiss sits in the spotlight on a dark woodgrain table. The "flag" sticking out of the wrapper reads "Congratulations." There are empty, crumpled-up Hershey's Kiss wrappers scattered around the still-wrapped Kiss.

Tricia Callahan achieves CRA, is named to NCURA Executive Leadership Program

January 12, 2016January 11, 2016 Research & Innovation StaffLeave a comment

Head-and-shoulders portrait of a woman with long brown hair and glasses. — Tricia Callahan, Director of Proposal Development

OARS Director of Proposal Development Tricia Callahan recently added two accomplishments to her résumé.

Earlier this month, Callahan was certified as a professional grants administrator by the Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC).

To receive Certified Research Administrator (CRA) designation, Callahan met education and experience requirements and passed an examination administered by RACC.

In addition, Callahan’s commitment to the field of research administration was recognized by the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA), which accepted her into its Executive Leadership Program (ELP).

NCURA’s ELP trains selected NCURA members in executive leadership principles, including recognized best practices of volunteer leadership. Callahan was nominated for the ELP based on her longstanding and very active involvement in NCURA.