The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) is a research-administration and
academic-support unit of the Center for Scholarly and Creative
Excellence (CSCE) under the leadership of the Vice Provost for Research
Administration. The OSP consists of a director and three
grants-and-contracts specialists who serve as the central pre- and
non-financial post-award office for the support and advancement of
research and other externally sponsored activity at Grand Valley State
University. The OSP prides itself on its commitment to service and
quality in all of its support services to the academic and
administrative professional (AP) community, and, as an extension of that
commitment, engages in thoughtful strategic planning that supports and
flows naturally from the strategic plans of the organizational hierarchy
within which it is nested; namely, the University, the Academic and
Student Affairs Division, and the CSCE. Our work encompasses the
Sponsored Award Life Cycle for all faculty and AP staff who engage in
sponsored activity--primarily extramural grant awards, but also
service-agreements, industry-sponsored projects, and unfunded
agreements. This Cycle includes the development of fundable ideas; the
finding of suitable funding sources; the development and submission of
proposals; the receipt, negotiation, and setup of external awards; the
non-financial management of awards; and the administrative closeout of
awards. We also work closely with the other research-administration
units of our Center (the CSCE) to support the work they perform in their
areas of specialization and provide faculty and AP staff members with an
effective, efficient, and interconnected system of support for their
scholarly and creative activities. Our work is complex, fast-moving, and
fraught with risk which requires great care, constantly evolving
knowledge, and a steadfast professional and personal commitment to
quality and ethical conduct in the stewardship of sponsor funding and
associated University resources. This Strategic Plan represents the
direction and focus of the OSP and provides the focus and framework for
the OSP's work through 2021.
Mission
MISSION The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) is the central pre- and
non-financial post-award office for the support and advancement of
research and other externally sponsored activity at Grand Valley State
University.
Vision
VISION The OSP is a world-class sponsored-programs development and
administration office that is well-known and respected by institutions
of higher education in the state, the region, and the nation.
Value Statement
VALUES
Purpose: OSP undertakes its daily work with purpose; our efforts
are trained on our mission, vision, and values; on the faculty,
staff, and student work we support in our small way; and on the
ultimate mission of the university—service to the student, the
community, and the furtherance of applied and general knowledge.
Excellence: OSP strives for excellence in its administrative work.
Quality focus, efficiency, timeliness, and the application of
specialized knowledge and collaborative expertise in the field of
sponsored-programs administration are the hallmarks of our approach.
Service: Quite simply, OSP exists to serve. We are placed and
resourced by the University to support, facilitate, and enable
excellent outcomes for the faculty and staff who pursue extramural
funding of their scholarly and creative endeavors. We take great
pride and satisfaction in building relationships with PIs, their
“local” support staff, and their collaborators—both internal and
external—through the service we provide.
Stewardship: OSP takes very seriously the honor and responsibility
of stewarding GVSU resources. We strive to employ a
quality-assurance approach to resource stewardship, whether it be in
our efforts to budget fully and properly for full cost recovery, to
allocate and expend our own resources wisely, or in our efforts to
educate and train our “clients”—the faculty and staff members we
serve—to steward their external funds efficiently.
Strategic Priorities, outcomes, and key objectives
Strategic Priority Area 1: Actively engage learners at all levels.
Outcome D: Grand Valley supports innovative teaching, learning, integrative scholarly and creative activity, and the use of new technologies.
Outcome E: Grand Valley strategically allocates its fiscal, human, and other institutional resources.
Strategic Priority Area 2: Further develop exceptional personnel.
Outcome E: Grand Valley strategically allocates its fiscal, human, and other institutional resources.
Strategic Priority Area 3: Ensure the alignment of institutional structures and functions.
Outcome E: Grand Valley strategically allocates its fiscal, human, and other institutional resources.
Strategic Priority Area 4: Enhance the institution's image and reputation.