Steps Forward

Strategy 1: Our People

Updated August 1, 2024 Strategy 2

Growing and supporting high-quality and diverse faculty and staff is the key enabler for achieving our vision. Competition for top talent is fierce, and we must intensify our efforts to recruit and retain outstanding people and support their long-term career development.

1.1 Retain and recruit high-quality faculty and staff.

  • Created a department-level career ladder program in collaboration with the Council of Associate Deans for Research (CADR) to help increase staff retention within departments.
  • Streamlined processes for VPR startup support.

1.2 Increase research support.

  • Increased and standardized SRAD returns to 30% to colleges and departments for sponsored funding.
  • Reorganized the Office of Research as a first step to promote increased assistance with proposals and other research administration activities.
  • Established a task force to assess FSU’s health research services infrastructure and recommend improvements to better serve health and translational research studies across FSU.
  • Active recruitment underway for a Health Research Services Director to assist in building a robust health research infrastructure.
  • Launched an online one-stop “hub” for research resources and support.
  • Increased targeted support for large, center-level proposals.

1.3 Support broad perspectives and inputs.

  • VPR held multiple listening sessions with faculty groups centered around emerging topics – Submit ideas to aspire@fsu.edu for areas where central administration needs to hear broader feedback!
  • Presented the 2nd annual Festival of the Creative Arts.

1.4 Establish Incentives that encourage creativity and innovation.

  • Expanded the 5% summer salary program to include all researchers who are 100% funded by grants and contracts.

1.5 Invest in Research Assistants and Post-docs.

  • Broadened Collaborative Collision activities to include research assistants, post-docs, and graduate students in Spring 2024.
  • Invited post docs to participate in the Summer 2024 Research Mentor Academy.
  • Invested in post-doc training fellowships in areas that align with ASPIRE.
  • Created a Graduate Student Resource Center.
  • Initiated a travel award program to increase the ability of graduate students to attend and present at conferences.

Strategy 2