Alabama A&M University has become the sole Historically Black College and University selected to participate in a $2.8 million initiative funded by the National Science Foundation. The project focuses on developing an undergraduate curriculum to advance research administration and management, a field often overlooked in formal academic training.
The initiative, titled “Filling the Gap: Establishing an Undergraduate Program in Research Administration and Management,” is spearheaded by Dr. Chris Brown. Brown is a seasoned researcher and former vice president for research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Despite successfully managing a research program with expenditures exceeding $780 million, Dr. Brown had to navigate his professional development without any structured educational framework for research administrators.
Over the next three years, Dr. Brown will collaborate with a network of over 40 universities and international partners in South Africa and Namibia to create a credit-bearing curriculum designed to equip students with the skills needed to enter the workforce in research administration.
The Grant’s Network of Institutions
Alabama A&M will work alongside institutions such as the University of South Alabama, the University of Miami (Ohio), the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of California, San Diego, and New Mexico State University to develop and implement the courses that will serve as the foundation for this new program.
Dr. Majed El-Dweik, Alabama A&M’s Vice President of Research and Economic Development, emphasizes the significance of this initiative for HBCUs facing resource challenges. “Alabama A&M has an Office of Research and Sponsored Programs” that works tirelessly to support faculty in securing research funding,” he explained. “We know that many HBCUs have low resources in their Sponsored Programs, and some don’t have Sponsored Programs at all, so we will be working to share with those universities how they can obtain and develop that talent.” ”
The complexity of applying for and managing research grants is often daunting, and this initiative seeks to clarify the career pathway for aspiring research administrators. “For example, who can apply for this position? It’s very confusing. Is it someone with a business degree, education degree, engineering degree? This project will target and educate students and professionals, but mostly students, because there is no pipeline in this area to support sponsored programs,” adds El-Dweik.
The newly developed curriculum will encompass vital topics including grant management, legal issues in sponsored research, budgeting, intellectual property, and compliance with federal regulations.
“This will provide a viable professional career option for future research administrators and managers,” said Brown. “Their service provides the backbone that supports research, scholarship, and service at universities, industry, government, and not-for-profit organizations. These individuals are critical to achieve successful outcomes, including technical innovation and improvement in the quality of life.”
