Nazareth College of Rochester is a small, independent, co-educational, private liberal arts college with a substantial regional impact. The Princeton Review featured Nazareth College in its The Best 379 Colleges: 2015 editions, as one of the best institutions for undergraduate education. U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges (2015 edition) guide ranks Nazareth in the top tier of colleges and universities in the category of Best Regional Universities - North. Nazareth offers a wide range of majors and professional programs in biomedical and biobehavioral research (BBR); science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); and Health and Human Sciences (HHS) disciplines. Recent campus improvements have expanded and upgraded the facilities that house these programs. Despite upgraded facilities and engaged faculty Nazareth College has not been successful in securing external funding for its biomedical and biobehavioral research. This inability to compete successfully for external awards is in part due to a lack of resources and infrastructure in the Office of Sponsored Programs and Faculty Research (OSPFR) and partly due to a lack of access to faculty development opportunities related to grant seeking and management. Nazareth College recognizes that its OSPFR must be developed to meet the needs of the college, faculty and ultimately its students. To this end it has recently hired a new Director for the OSPFR, Dr. Jennifer E.B. Harman, responsible for building the research enterprise. The driving force behind Nazareth College's expansion of its research enterprise is the increased recognition of the value of research in a teaching college, the expansion of accredited programs in the health and human sciences requiring faculty research productivity, and Nazareth's growing regional reputation for engaged scholarship. This project times well with the College's strategic plan to increase opportunities for undergraduate research and its commitment to enrolling a diverse population. Nazareth College has the goal of increasing internal and externally funded research 25% by 2020. Nazareth College also seeks to increase its diversity through partnerships with schools in Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse and New York City with the intent to identify under-represented minorities who show interest in careers in BBR, STEM or HHS fields. The goal of the BRAD award is to expedite these initiatives, increase the momentum of change that has already begun, and emerge as a viable, sustained research program.
The aims of the proposal are 1: professional development for research administrators, 2: increasing faculty profession development opportunities for STEM and HHS faculty and 3: infrastructure upgrades to the OSPFR.
Aims of this program focus on educational opportunities for faculty, Dr. Harman and other members of the OSPFR. Professional development for OSPFR will enrich Dr. Harman's background while professional development opportunities for faculty will provide the resources necessary for faculty to seek external funding. OSPFR infrastructure will reduce the administrative effort required for proposal development and management of awards.
Nazareth College of Rochester is a small liberal arts college with a diverse student population, half of which are pursuing programs in biomedical and biobehavioral research (BBR), STEM or health and human sciences. The College recognizes the value of creating undergraduate research opportunities for students to complement their education in preparation for graduate programs and careers in BBR. Nazareth College requests funds to specifically target growth in BBR, STEM and HHS research through infrastructure upgrades and professional development opportunities, the results of which will elevate the presence and impact of sponsored programs in a predominately undergraduate institution and serve as a model for similar institutions.
