Thriving research enterprise boost's college impact

The College of Social Work boasts a thriving research enterprise, investigating topics ranging from youth development to aging, from drug and alcohol abuse to community food systems, and much more.

Behind every superstar social work researcher—whether faculty, PhD or master’s students, undergraduates, or other investigators—is the college’s Research Office. Led by Dr. Michelle Johnson-Motoyama, professor and associate dean for research, and bolstered by the work of six staff members, the office positions investigators for success in their applications for funding and offers full-service award administration when proposals are successful.

In the pre-award phase, senior grants and contracts specialist Erin Scott, the university’s only certified pre-award administrator, consults with investigators, prepares budgets and helps investigators submit competitive applications. Last year, the office submitted over 100 proposals, generating over $8 million in research expenditures for the college. The college’s proposal success rate of 45 percent is well above the national average of approximately 10 percent.

Once funding applications are successful, the post-award team steps in. Like Scott, two team members hold certifications considered to be the gold standard in the field. Certified financial research administrator Elysabeth Bonar Bouton (one of just two staff members with this certification at the university) and certified research administrator Ally Kaufman manage grant budgets, submit reports, and procure goods and services for research with support from research administration management associate Eliza Jarvis. Research administration management consultant Katie Kieninger and research administration management associate Nancy Yates help investigators with Institutional Review Board applications and with other tasks that allow investigators to focus on their research.

“What we’re able to do, full circle for faculty and researchers, is really unique,” says Scott. “The services we can provide are beyond what other colleges offer.”

Johnson-Motoyama notes that in the midst of a challenging funding environment, the college is fortunate to have a diversified stream of research support, including federal, state, foundation and private donations. Still, the Research Office “is working on strategies to further support our faculty and researchers in the college to think about their funding portfolios and how they can strengthen relationships for the future,” she says. With a finger on the pulse of the issues that impact the social work community, the Research Office recently relaunched the Robert J. O’Leary SPARK Series, bringing speakers to campus who strengthen practices and advance research knowledge (thus the SPARK acronym). Last fall,

college alumnus Dr. DaVonti’ DeAngelo Haynes, MSW ‘18, assistant professor in the School of Social Work at Temple University, was the inaugural speaker. This past February, Dr. Dorceta Taylor, the Wangari Maathai Professor of Environmental Sociology at the Yale School for the Environment, delivered the lecture “Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Intersection of Civil Rights and Environmental Justice.”

Alumni are invited to join the campus community for SPARK Series events, which are offered in a hybrid format to accommodate all who want to attend. Watch the college’s upcoming events site for announcements about upcoming speakers. See page 17 of The Stillman.