A Successful Partnership: University of KansasHaskell Indian Nations University

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A Successful PartnershipUniversity of
Kansas/Haskell Indian Nations University

• Robert Barnhill, Ph.D.
• Marigold Linton, Ph.D.
• FDP in DC January 8, 2007

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Who are these guys? Sundance Kid to Butch
Cassidy

• REB Ph.D., U of Wisconsin Mathematics
  Professor, U of Utah Chair of Computer Science,
  ASU Vice President for Research, ASU, KU and UT
  System
• ML Ph.D., UCLA Psychology Professor, San Diego
  State U of Utah Director American Indian
  Programs, ASU, KU President of SACNAS

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Lawrence, Kansas U. of Kansas, Haskell Indian
Nations University

• KU
• Founded 1864, bleeding Kansas, traditions Rock
  Chalk, Jayhawk
• Haskell
• Founded 1884, boarding school, BIA, ecumenical

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REBs hometown undergrad alma mater, 100 year
family history

• .

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KU and Haskell current data

• KU 30,000 students, 2,500 faculty, 4 campuses,
  Research I university
• Haskell lt1,000 students, 42 faculty tribal
  college funded by Bureau of Indian Affairs

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KU/Haskell Collaboration?

• ML/REB collaboration on NASA AISTEC at ASU, 1994
  on consortium of several research I universities
  and tribal colleges
• 1997-1998 REB and ML arrive in KS
• REB Vice Chancellor for Research and Public
  Service
• ML Director American Indian Outreach
• Little collaboration between Haskell and KU prior
  to 1998 when ML appears

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Jump starting a collaboration Financing a
Breakout Movement

• Bring money!
• What grants did ML know about that KU and Haskell
  might share?
• NIH Training Grants for STEM students
• Bridges to the Future award
• Creating equity!
• KU/Haskell have a joint grant
• ML is writing a KU grant to receive Haskell STEM
  students, but it is a KU grant (IMSD)

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Slogging in the trenches

• Haskell Whats in it for us?
• Grants help students but not Haskell
  infrastructure
• RISE program supports Haskell infrastructure
• Obtain KU Provosts agreement for ML to write a
  RISE proposal for Haskell.
• Find a reliable administrative partner at Haskell
• Become sensitive to the partners environment
• Haskell Foundation embezzlement
• Must have somewhere safe to handle the money
  (receiving and spending awards)

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Slogging, continued

• Preparing the RISE proposal
• Frequent delays caused by changes in Haskell
  administrators
• Sensitivity of Haskell to outside help
• Balance between training your partner and writing
  the proposal yourself
• Decision to approach KUCR (i.e., REB) and the
  Provost about having KUCR manage the grant

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Time Out What are we talking about? What
are these NIH grants for?

• Bridges to the Future (KU lead)
• Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity (KU)
• Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement
  (Haskell)

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Bridges to the Future

• Bridges students from community college to
  four-year institution
• Either institution may be the lead
• Programs focus on training STEM students
• Paid research experiences at the four-year
  institution
• Faculty from two institutions working together

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Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity (IMSD)

• For majority institutions only
• Permits institution to make changes that will
  increase the chances for minority STEM students
  to succeed
• Paid research experiences in KUs research
  laboratories
• Modification of gatekeeper courses
• Tutoring travel to SACNAS conferences

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Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement
(RISE)

• For minority serving institutions only
• Permits institution to make changes that will
  increase the chances for STEM minority students
  to succeed
• Paid research experiences in KU laboratories
• Graduate degree training for Haskell faculty
• Basic skills enhancement for students
• Sponsored projects/institutional research aid

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Haskell institutional problems

• Haskell lacked a sponsored projects office
  (Haskell Foundation embezzlement case)
• Haskell could not manage large grants if it did
  receive them
• KU could not apply for funds that target minority
  institutions such as Haskell
• NOW WHAT?

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ML/REB Solution

• KUCR as the honest broker
• Handles proposals/grants for KU and Haskell
• The whole 9 yards
• Proposal preparation
• Post-award activities
• Research integrity (IRB etc.)
• Purchasing
• Audits

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Nothing is easy

• We receive RISE funding BUT
• NIH sends the grant to Haskell which cant handle
  it
• Then NIH discovers that Haskell is funded by BIA
  (a federal agency) transfer of funds between
  govt agencies is frowned upon
• NIH wont send funds to KUCR (semi-independent
  agency) because its seen as KU, a non-qualifying
  institution

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Reasoning with federal agency

• For 6 months ML explained these issues to
  numerous folks at NIH
• By end of this time folks are on board
• Money arrives 6 months late and progress report
  is already due

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Sustainability path

• KUCR helps with proposal development
• KUCR manages current awards and trains Haskell to
  manage future awards
• Research Admin 101 and 201 training
• Institutional analysis training

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Important local considerations

• The top leadership of both institutions must be
  enthusiastically on board.
• KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway, Provost David
  Shulenburger
• Haskell President Karen Swisher, VP George
  Godfrey
• Such a collaboration must be done for the right
  reasons, i.e., for things that the institutions
  want to do, not merely to get the money

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Faculty and Student Participation

• How to bring together disparate cultures?
• Students must be courted
• Faculty must be courted (avoid big dog
  little dog attitudes)
• Administrators must be courted
• Dont expect gratitude

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What NIH Funding Has Resulted from this
Collaboration?

• Bridges to the Future (KU lead)
• Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity
• Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement
  (Haskell)
• Institutional Research and Career Development
  Award (KU lead)
• Postgraduate Research and Education Program (KU)

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Institutional Research and Career Development
Award (IRACDA)

• Post-doctoral fellows receive up to three years
  of research experiences at university
• Post-doctoral fellows teach at a minority
  institution
• Focus is on scientific development of fellows
• Exposure of fellows to teaching opportunities at
  a minority institution

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Postgraduate Research and Education Grant (PREP)

• Target Graduates from Haskell who are not quite
  ready for graduate school
• Goals Prepare them to be outstanding researchers
  and leaders
• Training
• Experience in research mentors laboratory
• Improve both writing and math skills
• Leadership training and experiences

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Some successes

• In six years KU had more than doubled the number
  of American Indian students matriculating (a very
  big deal!)
• Students in the Haskell/KU Bridges Program are
  retained at 79 in comparison to non-Bridges rate
  of 34
• We have moved from 30 potential mentors to 83
  potential research mentors

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Successes, continued

• Skills development laboratory significantly
  outperforms mathematics and English development
  classes
• Attitudes of Haskell faculty have changed
• Haskell now includes research as part of their
  mission
• AND MUCH, MUCH MORE

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Some challenges

• Departures of administrators at both institutions
• Everyone needs a minority institution and
  endless folks want to help
• Climate at Haskell has changed in many ways
• Management issues arise
• Are dealt with through joint meetings

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Making it work At the cutting edge

• Need someone
• Who has a faculty background
• Who understands majority/minority cultures
• Who works well with university and federal agency
  people
• For whom this is a significant part of their
  workload
• Who has considerable long-term patience

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Take Away Messages

• There are always more possibilities for
  collaborationFIND THEM OR MAKE THEM!
• Here is what we didHOW MIGHT THEY FIT IN YOUR
  CONTEXT AND INSTITUTION?
• Students benefit from these collaborationsSOME
  CHANGES ARE REMARKABLE

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Natural advantages

• Clark Kerr Use your natural advantages
• Lawrence, as a Richard Florida-like town,
  attracts creative people
• KUs tradition of equity and diversity
• Haskells leadership status among American Indian
  colleges and universities
• Leadership at every level of both institutions

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Thank you! Questions?

• mlinton_at_ku.edu
• barnhill_at_asu.edu