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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
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REFLECTIONS OF A SOCIAL WORKER IN A FOREIGN LAND

Nancy Koroloff, Associate Vice Provost for
Research and Sponsored Projects
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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

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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.

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Associate Vice Provost for Research and Sponsored
Projects(The job description)

• Pre award development and processing
• Research contracting
• Post award policy and procedures
• Compliance

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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

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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.

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WHAT DOES SOCIAL WORK FIT IN THE UNIVERSITYS
RESEARCH ENTERPRISE?
What does Social Work bring to the research
potluck?
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Whats 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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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More challenges.

• Partial indirect costs
• Orient to sharing power, dont stake claims
• Comfortable with research with a goal
  (advocacy).
• Dont encourage entrepreneurs.

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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.

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• Nancy Koroloff
• Associate Vice Provost for Research
• Professor, School of Social Work
• koroloff_at_pdx.edu
• 503-725-9675