The Roles of Chief Research Officers at American Research Universities: a Current Profile and Challenges for the Future
26 Droegemeier, Snyder, Knoedler, Taylor, Litwiller, Whitacre, Gobstein, Keller, Hinds, Dwyer The Roles of Chief Research Officers at American Research Universities: A Current Profile and Challenges for the Future Kelvin K. Droegemeier University of Oklahoma Lori Anderson Snyder University of Oklahoma Alicia Knoedler University of Oklahoma William Taylor University of Oklahoma Brett Litwiller University of Oklahoma Caroline Whitacre The Ohio State University Howard Gobstein Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Christine Keller Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Teri Lyn Hinds Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Nathalie Dwyer Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Abstract: The individual charged with stewarding the academic research and creative activity enterprise (i.e., Chief Research Officer or Vice President/Chancellor for Research), has tremendous responsibility and influence over the institution’s ability to achieve its overall mission. Yet, the skills and knowledge required to successfully serve in this role have not been comprehensively studied. To address this deficiency, we synthesize the views of 78 sitting Chief Research Officers to document the academic and experiential pathways of respondents, their current roles and responsibilities, and future challenges. We provide recommendations for effective ways of preparing future candidates for this important role. Keywords: Chief Research Officer; Vice President/Chancellor for Research; training; experience SOCIETY OF RESEARCH ADMINISTRATORS INTERNATIONAL Droegemeier, Snyder, Knoedler, Taylor, Litwiller, Whitacre, Gobstein, Keller, Hinds, Dwyer 27 A Current Profile and Challenges for the Future American research universities currently face an environment of change, marked by broad opportunities for growth in terms of research development, as well as many challenges (Brint, 2005).
[Show full text]