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RESEARCH IN THE UNIVERSITY HOW DOES SOCIAL WORK FIT?. Presentation to the National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work March 13, 2008. REFLECTIONS OF A SOCIAL WORKER IN A FOREIGN LAND. Nancy Koroloff, Associate Vice Provost for Research and Sponsored Projects.
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RESEARCH IN THE UNIVERSITY HOW DOES SOCIAL WORK FIT? Presentation to the National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work March 13, 2008
REFLECTIONS OF A SOCIAL WORKER IN A FOREIGN LAND Nancy Koroloff, Associate Vice Provost for Research and Sponsored Projects
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY • Medium sized public university without a medical school. • Founded in 1946, 25,000 students • 430 MSW students, 650 with Ph.D. and B.A. • Emphasis on research in last 10 years • Revenue from research and sponsored projects in FY 2007 was $38M
SSW RESEARCH AT PSU • Regional Research Institute for Human Services founded in 1972 • Brought in first IDC to University • Annual revenues of $6-$7M. • Social Work has traditionally generated between 20-25% of research revenue at PSU.
Associate Vice Provost for Research and Sponsored Projects(The job description) • Pre award development and processing • Research contracting • Post award policy and procedures • Compliance
Associate Vice Provost for Research and Sponsored Projects(What I do) • Problem solving and conflict management • Forming and supporting teams • Training, communicating, informing • Clarifying and documenting procedures, policies, guidelines • Glorified paper pusher
How did I get into this job? • 12 years as the Director of the Regional Research Institute for Human Services. • 35 years of active researcher. • Taught research, policy, macro HBSE, administration practice. • Relationships and reputation as a boundary spanner. • Advocate for research infrastructure.
WHAT DOES SOCIAL WORK FIT IN THE UNIVERSITY’S RESEARCH ENTERPRISE? What does Social Work bring to the research potluck?
What’s on the menu? • Research that is: • Translational, transformative, • application, adaptation, implementation • Multi-disciplinary and inter-professional • Research teams (Centers, Institutes) • Mixed method (more acceptance of qualitative components) • Design research with the use in mind
What does Social Work bring to the research potluck? • PEOPLE SKILLS • Building relationships, trust • Working with groups • Forming, facilitating, getting work done • Manage conflicting viewpoints • Involve diverse constituent groups
What does Social Work bring to the potluck? • ABILITY TO DEAL WITH COMPLEX PROBLEMS • Ecological perspective • Able to live with ambiguity • Willing to grapple with a complex environment • Understand limits of real world • Ceteris parabus: Everything else being equal
What does Social Work bring to the potluck? • UNDERSTANDING DIVERSE POPULATIONS • Working in partnership: • Racial, ethnic and linguistically diverse communities. • Community members • Community based organizations • Consumers of services and their families
What does Social Work bring to the potluck? • HUMAN SUBJECTS REVIEW • (IRB) • Knowledge of vulnerable populations. • Ability to give voice to groups that others might be overprotect. • Community based participatory research.
WHAT ARE OUR CHALLENGES? • Isolation and insulation • Orient to community and not to other parts of the University. • Competition with instructional program. • Resources, hiring • Research training in doctoral programs • Post doctoral fellows, summer training • Lack federal funding sources where social work influences the priorities.
More challenges……. • Partial indirect costs • Orient to sharing power, don’t stake claims • Comfortable with “research with a goal” (advocacy). • Don’t encourage entrepreneurs.
SOME IDEAS ……. • Encourage faculty to collaborate with non social workers (non social scientist). • Provide incentives. • Invest in building long term research relationships. • Get to know your commercialization officer • Encourage SW faculty to join the IRB. • Be a Dean who understand the research process.
Nancy Koroloff • Associate Vice Provost for Research • Professor, School of Social Work • koroloff@pdx.edu • 503-725-9675