Incoming faculty members in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences have the opportunity to get a jump start on developing their research programs by participating in ASU New College’s Commit to Submit program. Now entering its third year, the program is comprised of a series of training exercises intended to orient new faculty to the ASU research ecosystem.
“This program allows faculty to hit the ground running with grant writing while also orienting them to ASU’s culture of research,” explains Lara Ferry, dean of research and strategic initiatives in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.
The main goal of the program is to help new faculty submit their first grants within 18 months of arriving at ASU. And, it’s working.
“Since we launched this program, all of our new faculty are submitting their first grants sooner, and we’ve seen a significant uptick in the overall number of grant proposals submitted and awards issued — we nearly doubled submission rates last summer,” says Ferry. “It’s inspiring, seeing enthusiastic faculty members focused on research, collaboration and transdisciplinary work.”
Commit to Submit includes an introduction to all of ASU’s support services for faculty researchers and delves into flows, processes, grant planning and resources. Participants will also create and submit a one-pager to a grant program officer, as well as develop a three-slide presentation deck and an elevator pitch — essentially creating a tool kit for basic grant writing.
“It’s a rapid lift,” explains Ferry. “It’s taking a new attitude toward research, reenergizing existing faculty and getting new faculty researchers into centers university-wide so they immediately have colleagues and connections.” Adds Ferry, “We’re collaborating across schools, colleges and campuses, and we solicit participant input and feedback as well. A significant focus is on planning — for example, you can’t submit overnight, a grant funding proposal needs at least six months of advanced preparation. We’re working to orient faculty to ways we can help them in these efforts in terms of creating timelines and road maps.”
Ferry invites ADRs and research administrators from across the university to connect with her if they want to implement parts of the program in their own divisions. She also invites questions, comments and input. Lara Ferry can be reached at Lara.Ferry@asu.edu.
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