Dr. Tim Atkinson, an assistant provost and assistant professor at the University of Central Arkansas, has been elected to serve on the Grants Resource Center Advisory Board.
The Grant Resource Center provides comprehensive research and sponsored programs information services to faculty and administrators at member institutions who are pursuing federal and private funding, according to its website.
The center’s board is a part of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and functions as an important link the Washington-based GRC staff and campuses throughout the country. The GRC conferences include advisors facilitating open forum recommendations for GRC programming and resources. The GRC Advisory Board represents over 100 institutions in 44 states.
Atkinson will serve a two-year term.
“It is an honor for me because my peers elected me to the position,” Atkinson said. “It is a bit humbling and overwhelming to me because I’ll be working with some really good school representatives from across the country including some college presidents.”
The GRC includes many high caliber schools from across the country, Atkinson said. Individuals who sit on the Advisory Board are seen as advisors to the organization and act as advisors to other schools.
“By being elected to the position, they are looking to me to explain how we run our grant operations at UCA and how we interact with our faculty and students,” he said. “They are usually looking to the advisors to facilitate discussion about issues that are facing all university grant operations across the country. It puts us on the cutting edge of the conversations that are going on nationally.”
Atkinson said being on the board gives UCA exposure to entities in Washington, D.C. that fund research.
“They see the UCA name on the GRC website and they realize that UCA is truly involved,” he said.