PRESIDENT'S UPDATE August- September 2021
At the time of preparing this newsletter, many parts of the ARMS community are, again, living and working through a lockdown or other restrictions. It is unlikely that there will be any consistent and significant relaxation to these important public health measures in the short term until vaccination targets are met. Many of us have experience of going through these challenges and it might have been assumed that our experiences of the past 18 months would make us better prepared to manage the uncertainty of the current circumstances. However, in many ways it seems much more difficult to manage and adapt this year compared to last. Whilst other parts of the world relax their restrictions, it feels as if many parts of our region are only now beginning to experience the reality of a pandemic that has transformed the rest of the world.
Be assured that these feelings are not uncommon. I would encourage you to reach out to friends or family to share your feelings and concerns and try to stay connected so that you can check on how others within your network are doing. If you are able to, try to stay active, take lots of breaks in your work schedule and be kind to yourself. It is perfectly reasonable to relax your expectations and cut yourself a little slack during such extraordinarily challenging times. Should you need to draw on them, the ARMS website has a Wellness Resource Page which draws from some of the initiatives that we have provided during this period.
Through these obstacles, the ARMS Executive Office continues to refresh and develop new benefits for members. This newsletter provides some details of new developments in our professional development offerings, information on preparations for our Virtual Conference and other events, and updates on the election process for new members of the ARMS Board.
Dr Ross McLennan
ARMS President
WHAT'S UP in ARMS?
Update from the ARMS Board
LATEST ACCREDITED RESEARCH MANAGERS (FOUNDATION) OR ARMFS ANNOUNCED
We take this opportunity to acknowledge twenty (20) ARMS members who had recently completed all requirements for the Foundation Level Accreditation Program. These individuals now join a network of over 500 graduates who share the post nominal Accredited Research Manager (Foundation) or ARMF.
We congratulate our May 2021 cohort:
Anna Coppel - The University of Melbourne
Claire Smith-Moloney - University of the Sunshine Coast
Gordon Duff - London School of Economics
Hayley Boyce - The University of Newcastle
Hong Ren Ong - Nanyang Technological University
Jade Hurst - Transport Accident Commission
Jenny Horn - The University of Queensland
Joanna Brisbane - Ramsay Health Care
Katherine Gash - University of New England
Kerry Jenson - The George Institute
Kirsten Farrell - The Australian National University
Laura Billington - Macquarie University
Lorraine Cichon - Government of South Australia
Megan Dean - University of Tasmania
Nikki Rumpca - University of New England
Pei Pei Gan - Nanyang Technological University
Raoul Oehmen - The University of Notre Dame Australia
Rebecca Vandeleur - The University of Adelaide
Sandra Hughes - James Cook University
Susan Wright - James Cook University
INTERNATIONAL CELEBRATION OF RESEARCH MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS 2021
#RESEARCHADMINISTRATORDAY
Submissions due 11 October 2021
Research Administrator Day is an event initiated by fellow INORMS association member, the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions made by research management professionals globally. The day will this year be celebrated on the 24th of September.
To celebrate the day, ARMS will once again be giving away a gift voucher to the value of AUD$100 to be used for a future event in your office. To enter your organisation in the draw, please submit a short feature article with photos describing how the day was celebrated!
Submissions will be due no later than the 11th of October 2021 to: arms.adminofficer@flinders.edu.au. The winner will be announced in the October edition of Up In ARMS.
RESULTS OF 2021 ARMS BIENNIAL MEMBER'S SURVEY COMPETITITON
ARMS recently conducted a biennial member's survey. All participants were given the opportunity to go into a draw for an e-gift card prize. We congratulate the following recipients of this competition:
Noni Creasey - The University of Queensland.
Angela McPherson - The University of Newcastle
Faith Welch - The University of Auckland
Lucy Valenta - Monash University
Sincere gratitude is also extended to all members that had participated in this important survey. The results of the survey are expected to be reviewed by the ARMS Member Services Standing Committee next month and details will be shared with the community via this newsletter.
CONGRATULATIONS DR BRYONY WAKEFIELD!
Dr Bryony Wakefield, Director, Research Support & Evaluation, Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, Research Office, University of Melbourne, has been elected to the position of Vice President/President-Elect of NCURA.
As an involved member for nearly 15 years, Bryony has served as the Chair of Region VIII, as a member on the National Board of Directors, and as a member of the Education Scholarship Fund Select Committee. Bryony has also served as Region VIII Volunteer Coordinator, as host for the NCURA Fellowship Program, and was on the NCURA Delegation to Cuba. In addition, Bryony co-authored NCURA’s International Research Collaborations publication and several NCURA Magazine articles.
On being elected as Vice President/President-Elect, Bryony says, “It is a great honour to be elected to the position of Vice-President/President Elect – thank you! NCURA provides a framework that individuals and institutions can look to for guidance as we collectively navigate our ‘new normal’ for research administration in the future. I am very much looking forward to working with the NCURA community to fulfil our mission, values and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”
2021 RMIT PAUL TAYLOR AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH MANAGEMENT PRACTICE
Nominations close 5 PM AEST, Friday the 24TH OF SEPTEMBER 2021
Through the generous contribution of RMIT University, ARMS is pleased to announce the 2021 RMIT Paul Taylor Awards for Excellence in Research Management Practice.
These awards honour the life of Dr Paul Taylor, an exemplary, well regarded and inspiring Research Management Professional who sadly passed away suddenly in November 2018. Dr Taylor was highly regarded internationally for his thoughtful and determined leadership on the responsible conduct of research.
Our 2021 awards offer two categories:
Category 1 (Research Management Excellence) – Two awards of up to AUD$500 each may be granted in recognition of excellence in practice through: innovation in research management, leading change, providing quality service; and working smarter.
Category 2 (Paul Taylor Medal) – One award of up to AUD$1000 may be granted under this category in recognition of excellence in research integrity through: education and training, innovation in research integrity; leading change; research and understanding; and working smarter.
Award recipients will be announced at the ARMS Award Ceremony, aligned with the Virtual conference “Disrupting the Status Quo: Challenging the Research and Innovation Culture, on Thursday the 4th of November 2021.
To nominate an individual or a team, download and complete the nomination form and submit to arms.adminofficer@flinders.edu.au by 5 pm AEST, Friday the 24th of September 2021.
Chapter & SIG Updates/Events
NSW CAREER PATHWAY WORKSHOP
On August 13, the NSW Chapter piloted its highly anticipated Career Pathways Workshop. Registrations sold out with 24 hours of advertising; over 40 Chapter members registered, and 27 attended on the day to meet with 4 leaders in research management, who agreed to participate as mentors on the day.
Dr Ksenia Sawzczak, Steve Hannan, Emily Brennan and Dr Amanda Cleaver each led breakout rooms over a 2 hour period. Attendees were assigned to four small groups and cycled through each breakout room, asking questions of and obtaining valuable insights from mentors regarding their career pathway.
Feedback on the Career Pathways Workshop from attendees and mentors was extremely positive. The NSW Chapter anticipates running similar events in the future, potentially before the end of the year.
We wish to thank our mentors and attendees for their contributions. Thanks also to the NSW Chapter members who helped organise the workshop: Chapter co-convenors Stephanie Macmillan and James Walsh, alongside Emmaline Lear, Dr Joseph Toltz, Tanya Karliychuk and Chanel Hopkinson.
New Members
The NSW Chapter welcomed 3 new members of the past few months: Dr Shantala Mohan (Western Sydney University), Chanel Hopkinson (University of New England), and Emmaline Lear (Charles Sturt University). The NSW Chapter looks forward to their valuable contributions.
Member suggestions
The NSW Chapter welcomes suggestions from members regarding future events and initiatives. If you have any suggestions, please reach out to the ARMS office: armsadminofficer@flinders.edu.au.
Latest News & Member Updates
WHAT'S COMING UP? CHAPTERS, SIGS & PD SESSIONS @ ZOOM
- 24 September 2021 - Research Impact SIG Networking Session
- 06 October 2021 - PD Session @ Zoom: Managing burnout is everyone's responsibility - Contributing factors, comparisons with other professions and possible actions - registrations opening soon.
- 13 October 2021 - Social Media in Consumer and Community Engagement – Clinical Research Recruitment Beyond Hashtags - registrations opening soon.
NEW ACCREDITATION POINTS BASED MODEL ANNOUNCED: HELPING YOU TO CHOOSE YOUR OWN ACCREDITATION PATHWAY
A key strategic priority of ARMS is to support the development of excellent research management professionals by providing a diverse and broadly accessible accreditation program, and other professional development opportunities. With this in mind, the Accreditation Council in late 2020 considered changes to ARMS' current accreditation program structure, namely accreditation at the Foundation and Advanced Levels. While both programs have been well subscribed with over 540 graduates, it was agreed a slightly more flexible framework should be considered to enable members to fulfil their individual learning needs. This approach would help individuals choose their own accreditation pathway by selecting programs either from within the current suite of ARMS’ offerings or approved external programs and provide a meaningful pathway for upskilling and career progression.
I am now very pleased to announce that the Accreditation Council last month officially endorsed the implementation of this "New Points-Based Model of Accreditation". While it is understood that there is still some work operationally and at a policy level to be completed, it is anticipated that the Society will begin to transition and offer members three distinct accreditation pathways over the coming months:
Pathway 1: Foundation Level (25 points) – The Accreditation Council approved a model of assigning 25 points to candidates that had completed the current Foundation Level Accreditation Program (including the final assessment). These points may be used as credit for pathways 2 and 3 and that there will be no impact on individuals currently completing pathway 1: Foundation Level.
Pathway 2: New Established Level (100 points) - The Accreditation Council approved a model where an individual accumulating 100 points would achieve Accreditation at the Established Level. These points may be drawn from the completion of Pathway 1: Foundation Level (25 points) and the remaining 75 points may be drawn from elements of the previous Advanced Level Accreditation (tbc). The Accreditation Council has ruled that overall a minimum of 75 points out of the 100 accumulated points must be drawn from programs that have an assessment component.
Pathway 3: Advanced level (150 points) – The Accreditation Council approved a model where an individual accumulating 150 points would achieve Accreditation at the Advanced Level. Points must be drawn from the completion of Pathway 2 (100 points), with the remaining points drawn from the completion of a workplace based assessment (50 points).
CALL FOR CONFERENCE 2022 PROGRAM & ORGANISING COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
Expressions of Interest are currently being sought for members to serve on the Organising and Program Committees for the 2022 ARMS Conference which will held in the later half of 2022. The format of this event is still to be decided.
Volunteer members from across the broad geographical remit of ARMS are encouraged to apply to ensure representation from across the broad remit of ARMS.
If you have the commitment and drive to make a contribution to ARMS and are able to participate as a volunteer in committee meetings and related activities, we’d love to hear from you!!
All Committee meetings will be via Zoom and held monthly initially and will increase closer to the conference.
Applications are sought from volunteer members who are committed to making the 2022 conference the best yet!
Please note membership on the Committees will be capped.
Please complete the attached EOI and send to arms.adminofficer@flinders.edu.au by 8 October 2021 .
ARMS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE 2021:
03 - 05 November
Disrupting the Status Quo: Challenging the Research and Innovation Culture
ARMS will be announcing our 2021 Virtual Conference official program will be released shortly!
Keep up to date on our social media platforms and weekly wrap ups.
Don't forget to register, this conference is one NOT to be missed.
ARMS MEMBER PROFILE
ARMS recognises the important contributions of our members from across the Australasia region including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore as well as members from our Global Chapter.
As a new feature, a member will be profiled in each edition of our newsletter.
This edition we introduce... SA member Charlotte Ferrier.
Charlotte is Manager: Graduate Research Development at UniSA. Her previous role involved the development and implementation of UniSAEDGE, UniSA's institution-wide approach to HDR skills development, including launching a software platform, EDGEx. EDGEx lets candidates manage their entire skills development experience in one place, from creating a development plan to activity booking, recording and evaluation, and recognised completed development. Charlotte had stints at London Business School and Swinburne Uni before coming to UniSA in 2006 where she spent 11 years as Research Coordinator in the Division of Health Sciences before making the leap into uni-wide research services.
Charlotte enjoys the opportunities presented in her current portfolio to directly influence and enhance the research degree candidature experience.
As the focus on HDR transferrable skills development has increased, Charlotte has been able to connect with colleagues across the sector to understand best practice in this area.
EDGE was designed as a flexible, candidate-led approach to skills development and Charlotte is always keen to talk about this, and hear what others are doing to identify the next evolution of HDR skills development.
What do you find most rewarding and most challenging about working in research management?
I've loved the fact that I can make a tangible difference for my research colleagues through a deep understanding of the research support infrastructure which supports their endeavours. Since focusing on the research education space, I've found even more opportunities to directly support our next generation of researchers and to connect with the research of the future - it's a great privilege.
The challenge comes in helping researchers understand why we want to know what they are doing! It's not about control or constraint (well, not usually!), but to better understand where opportunities exist to provide relevant and timely guidance which ultimately streamlines the research support processes they need to engage with.
What words would you use to best describe research management?
Some days it definitely feels like herding cats! Our varied roles do invoke those classic interview responses like "managing competing demands, managing expectations, providing strategic advice".
Funniest ARMS conference experience?
Being escorted back to our various hotels by Dr Mark Hochman after the ARMS conference dinner in Hobart way back in 2008. I think he'd got wind of dance floor plans to "see what might be open" on the way home and he wanted to ensure the UniSA flock put in a good showing at the Friday morning sessions!
If you would like to be profiled for our next UP in ARMS Newsletter, or have a publication you wish to share with other members, please contact: Maria.Zollo@flinders.edu.au
2021 ACCREDITATION PROGRAMS
Foundation Level Program
The following self paced, online modules are open for registration:
Master Classes:
Please be advised that the next round of Master Classes is now open for registration:
Spring School Electives:
ARMS is pleased to announce that the following electives have been rescheduled or redelivered as part of the Spring School program:
Please continue to monitor the ARMS website for up to date information.
From the ARMS Executive Office
ARMS acknowledges the generous support of our corporate partners:
ARMS Executive Office Contacts
Maria Zollo
Chief Operating Officer
Phone: +61 8 8201 2525
Brett Dobson
Management Accountant
Phone: +61 8 8201 2610
Lisa Beckham
Conference & Major Events Coordinator
Phone: +61 8 8201 2911
Dana Watts
Accreditation Program Administrator
Phone: +61 8 8201 5592
Kaeisha Kilmister
Events & Administration Assistant
Phone: +61 8 8201 5592
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