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Under Gwendolyn Mami's direction, the number of grant proposals that have been submitted has increased 58 percent.

Under the direction of Gwendolyn Mami, who in December became its first permanent director in two and a half years, the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs (OSRP) is enjoying a period of stabilization and growth. From a grant-writing mentoring program to a one-day grant development seminar and shepherding funding proposals before the U.S. Congress, OSRP—which works with faculty to obtain publicly funded grants—is hitting its stride.

Clearly, something’s working: According to Mami, the number of public grant proposals submitted during the first six months of 2009 represents a 58 percent increase from the same period last year.

Teaming experienced grant writers with newbies
Earlier this month, OSRP announced the first five recipients of its newly reconstituted Grant Mentoring Program. Established to encourage more people to write grant applications for public funding, the program has been retooled since its last incarnation, four years ago. Each recipient will be paired with a mentor who has written successful grant proposals, and will receive $2,000 upon the completion of three requirements: participation in an OSRP-sponsored training course, identification of a funding entity and a proposal topic, and submission of a final proposal to a selected public agency/funder.

“I see the Grant Mentoring Program as a tremendous opportunity, not just to get people excited about grant possibilities, but also to enhance the College’s bottom line,” says Mami.

Mami said she hopes the program will also help achieve her office’s goal of increasing external funding to the College from public sources by 60 percent over the next two years.

The recipients are as follows:

Grant Development Workshop “very well received”
On June 12, the OSRP teamed with the Center for Faculty Development to host the first of what Mami hopes will be several grant development workshops. Forty-five people attended the all-day workshop, which was led by Phyllis McBride, assistant director of the Office of Proposal Development at Texas A&M University, who has a substantial track record of writing successful grant proposals. Faculty and staff from the Community College of Denver were also in attendance.

“The workshop was very well received,” says Mami, adding that several feedback forms requested follow-up workshops. She also said that workshop participants’ interests were far-ranging, and “could give us an opportunity to expand in new granting areas and agencies that Metro State hasn’t pursued before.” In addition, Mami sees potential for collaboration on joint grants between Metro State and CCD, which could not only help Metro State in its pursuit of Hispanic Serving Institution status, but also with obtaining grants where HSI status is a requirement, as CCD already is an HSI.

Cultivating partnerships
Mami says that she sees room for much more partnering between the OSRP and other entities, both within the College and in the business community.

The Development Office, which oversees privately funded grants, is one such entity. “We’re both under Institutional Advancement,” says Mami, “and the end result of our efforts is the same: additional funding to the College.” She’s looking to enhance collaboration with the Development Office, working toward more joint projects. “Funding from multiple sources provides more sustainability, and some grants require both public and private funding.”

In an effort to make more contact with the business community, the OSRP has also hired a business development specialist. Mami said her office is exploring, in addition to student internship opportunities with area businesses, a way to enhance contract opportunities in business for Metro State faculty and staff. “We’d provide expertise, they’d provide fees for services,” she explains.

Other efforts: congressional funding and reviewing ICR policies
The OSRP is also spearheading efforts to obtain funding from the U.S. Congress for two projects in particular: simulation equipment for the World Indoor Airport and upgrades to the buildings along Ninth Street Park.

In addition, the OSRP is embarking on a series of conversations with all the stakeholders involved in indirect cost recovery (ICR) and allocation. ICR is a formula or percentage of a total grant amount intended to reimburse an institution for the indirect costs of administering a grant. These costs may include, but are not limited to, overhead, utilities, technology, etc.

According to Mami, Metro State has a negotiated indirect cost rate with the Department of Health and Human Services anda copy of the ICR agreement is available through her office.

Mami has led the first meeting about ICR with a group of faculty and staff members. “By the end of 2009, after we’ve had a chance to hear from everyone involved, we hope to know whether to affirm existing policies or change them,” Mami says.

Overall, Mami concludes, it’s been “a very active six months,” since she arrived in her current position. Laughing at the understatement, Mami says, “I’m really enjoying it.”

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