Goal 2: Objective 2.3 | Penn State College of Health and Human Development

Goal 2: Supporting Research and Innovation

Grow the impact of the college’s research scholarship at least proportionate to overall University research impact growth over the next five years.

Objective 2.3: Enhance research activities through investment in doctoral and post-doctoral training programs

Action Item 2.3.1

Increase submission of institutional and individual training grants.

Implementation Tasks

Task 1: Evaluate feasibility of hiring additional member of HHD research office to focus exclusively on T32 pre- and post-award support.
Task 2: Summarize all recently submitted NIH T32, NIH F31, NIH F32, NSF GRFP, and other grants to support graduate student and post-doctoral fellowships. Include PI(s), department, mechanism, timing of submission, outcome of review, award if funded.
Task 3: Finalize HHD institutional support formula to be used to support T32 awards if funded (i.e., admin support time, graduate student match slots, postdoctoral fellow match slots, diversity supplements to stipends).
Task 4: Determine coordination points among existing training grants activities.

Responsible Party: Office of the Associate Dean for Research

Metrics: (1) Number of institutional and individual training grants submitted and funded; Number of pre- and post-doctoral fellows funded; (3) Number of fellows from underrepresented groups funded on training grants.

Start and End Dates: Spring 2021 – Fall 2021; ongoing

Action Item 2.3.2

Explore strategies to expand the number of graduate assistantships.

Implementation Tasks

Task 1: Investigate matching opportunities to combine department and college funds to expand the number of graduate assistantships
Task 2: Project tuition dollars that are reasonably likely to be unspent at the end of the fiscal year; develop a process for faculty to request these dollars to cover research assistant tuition if they support the stipend and health insurance on a research grant

Responsible Party: Office of the Associate Dean for Research; HHD Finance Office

Metrics: (1) Number of graduate assistantships supported by department/college collaborative funding; (2) Number of graduate assistantships supported by research grants.

Start and End Dates: Summer 2021 – Spring 2023; ongoing

Action Item 2.3.3

Create a college-level postdoctoral fellow support function that will be a differentiator in attracting and retaining postdocs and that has a focus on postdocs from under-represented groups.

Implementation Tasks: Create a postdoctoral fellow “Pathways to Leadership” program to identify and retain talented postdocs from under-represented groups, with the goal of transitioning into research and tenure track faculty positions at Penn State

Responsible Party: Office of the Associate Dean for Research; HHD Executive Committee

Metrics: (1) Median number of credit hours taught per faculty not in administrative roles in relation to grant effort; (2) Percent of time spent on research, teaching, and service; (3) Number of graduate and undergraduate courses that satisfy requirements for more than one HHD academic department.

Start and End Dates: Summer 2021 – Spring 2022; ongoing

Key Performance Indicators

Increase in funding mechanisms for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.