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Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Mission Statement

The mission of UCA’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs is to support faculty, staff, and students in the pursuit of academic, scholarly, and creative excellence as they seek external funding, to provide leadership in matters of compliance and research ethics, and to create opportunities that elevate research and the creative arts on our campus in order to fulfill UCA’s mission and to serve our community.

Vision Statement

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs aspires to be a recognized leader in the support of scholarly and creative enterprises locally, regionally, and nationally.

Cayuse Sponsored Projects

UCA has upgraded our proposal routing system to Cayuse Sponsored Projects.  Please email orsp@uca.edu to set up an orientation to the new system.

Congratulations to Dr. Charlotte Parham for receiving the 2021 External Funding Impact Award

The External Funding Impact Award Committee selected Dr. Charlotte Parham to receive the 2021 External Funding Impact Award. Dr. Parham is the third recipient of the External Funding Impact Award, which was established in November 2018 to recognize a faculty or staff member for excellence in obtaining external funding, to promote a culture of grant writing among faculty and staff, and to encourage grant recipients to track the impact of their grant work on individuals, the university, the community, and their disciplines/fields.

The committee issued the statement below about Dr. Parham’s work:

Dr. Charlotte Parham was selected as the recipient of the 2021 External Funding Impact Award. The committee agreed that her externally funded projects will have a long-term impact on individuals, the UCA community, and the citizens of Arkansas. In a recent award, Dr. Parham received a $4.2 million dollar grant from the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education to promote parental involvement, literacy, and education by providing high-quality, age-appropriate books to children ages 0-5 across Arkansas. The impact of this external grant will truly change the lives of children in Arkansas (and future UCA students) who might not have a book in their homes without this project. In addition to the $4.2 million dollar grant, Dr. Parham has also been instrumental in four other external grants awarded to UCA and the Arkansas Department of Education. 

Suzanne Wiltgen Passes the Certified Research Administrator Exam, Joins Board of Research Administrators Certification Council

This summer Suzanne Wiltgen, Grant Administrator in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, passed the exam to become a Certified Research Administrator (CRA). The CRA credential is a major achievement in her field. It is evidence of Suzanne’s mastery of grant administration and commitment to excellence in her work.

Suzanne went on to apply through a competitive process for a seat on the Board of Directors of the Research Administrators Certification Council.  She was selected to serve and will begin her three-year term in October 2021.

 

UCA Students Receive Over $50,000 in SURF Grant Awards

Sixteen undergraduate students, with the support of 14 faculty members, have secured $55,000 in grant funding for in-depth research projects to be completed in 2020. These students come from 11 different degree programs ranging from Biology, Computer Science, Art History/Gender Studies, and History. Five of UCA’s six colleges are represented with funded projects, distinguishing the quality of programs offered by the university. More than half of faculty mentors are first-time SURF mentors. Funding for STEM and non-STEM projects was about 60/40.

The Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program is sponsored by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education and is designed to allow undergraduate students from across the state to conduct in-depth research projects in their specific fields of study with the assistance of faculty mentors. To be eligible to apply for these funds, students must have a minimum GPA of 3.25, 30 or more hours of credit toward his/her degree at the time of funding, and the support of a faculty mentor.

 

Congratulations to Dr. Tansel Halic for receiving the 2020 External Funding Impact Award

Dr. Tansel Halic accepted the External Funding Impact Award at the 2020 Faculty Convocation. Dr. Halic is the second recipient of the External Funding Impact Award which was established in November 2018 to recognize a faculty or staff member for excellence in obtaining external funding, to promote a culture of grant writing among faculty and staff, and to encourage grant recipients to track the impact of their grant work on individuals, the university, the community, and their disciplines/fields.

Core Values

Core Values
Professionalism, Ethics, Collegiality

Sponsored Programs strives to:

  • Focus on integrity at all levels through…
    • Continuous review and update of policies related to compliance with federal and state agencies.
    • The development and maintenance of financial compliance with post-award accounting.
  • Foster a culture of academic, scholarly, and creative excellence by…
    • Working with college deans, department chairs, and other institutional divisions to increase grant submissions and awards.
    • Develop collaborations with deans, associate deans, and chairs to identify funding opportunities and support release time for faculty to do research.
    • Develop training programs for administrative support at the college and department level.
    • Increase grant writing services and implement project management practices.
  • Provide a learner-focused environment for all students by…
    • Providing resources for students for funding their project through SURF, Sigma Xi, and other student-focused grant programs.
  • Commit to ongoing improvement and innovation in facilities and technology by…
    • Working with faculty members to identify novel technologies.
    • Continuously developing board policies that aim to disclose technology and transfer research materials to other institutions.
    • Working with legal counsel on export control issues.
  • Increase engagement with external partners by…
    • Fostering relationships with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Arkansas EPSCoR, the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, and other state colleges and universities to raise UCA’s voice in state research infrastructure decisions.
    • Involving Sponsored Programs staff with national associations such as National Council of University Research Administrators, Society of Research Administrators, Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Grants Resource Center, Association of University Technology Managers, the Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research and the National Organization of Research Development Professionals.
    • Increasing use of social media to disseminate opportunities, have a voice in state and national policy, and to maintain currency in policy implementation
  • Promote diversity in all areas by…
    • Working with deans, associate deans and chairs to identify funding opportunities that specifically target underrepresented groups.
    • Continuing to offer research seed money from the Research Grant and Development Program Fund to underrepresented groups in order to gather preliminary data to be used in a major grant proposal.

Contact Us

Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
201 Donaghey Ave.
Torreyson West, Ste. 328
Conway, AR 72035
Telephone: (501) 450-3451
Email: orsp@uca.edu