U. seeks official for financial side of research

With the increase in research funds, Penn seeks an executive director for the Research Services Dept. As Penn's total dollars for faculty research projects continue to increase annually -- funding from government and other sources totaled more than $400 million last year -- the administrative side of research must grow right along with it, officials say. To that end, the University is now searching for an executive director for the Research Services Department, which administrators created last April when they combined the departments of research administration and accounting. Penn has recently posted job advertisements in publications including the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Department of Research Services -- which is located in the Mellon Bank Building at 36th and Walnut streets -- is currently co-directed by Anthony Merritt, the former director of Research Administration, and Robert McCann, who was the director of Research Accounting. The new position is necessary, Vice President for Finance Kathy Engebretson said, because Penn needs one person to oversee and organize the combined departments. And Vice Provost for Research Ralph Amado -- whose more academic-oriented job is separate from the administrative side -- said the combination of the two departments under one director will help streamline the system and "reduce the reduplication of efforts" between accounting departments. The new hire would be responsible for a budget of $1.7 million and about 30 staff members. Engebretson said the department needs a "top-notch person" to make needed changes in how research is administered at the University -- from finding sources of funding and developing a better accounting system to improving training for faculty and administrative staff. Also, since Merritt is planning on retiring in 1 1/2 years, Engebretson said that "we need someone to transition" the department who will learn from Merritt before he leaves. Merritt did not respond to several telephone calls for comment, and McCann declined to comment. Another issue the director will handle is incorporating into the current administrative system the huge increase in research money given to the University. "Research funding and volume has been growing much faster than the budgets of administrative units that handle it," Engebretson said. She said that in fiscal year 1998, which ended June 30, Penn's $415 million in research awards was an increase in 14 percent from 1997's funding. Research dollars have increased 12 to 14 percent in three out of the past four years, with the exception of 1996. At the same time, though, the average increase in the Research Services budget has been less than 3 percent a year. This means the department's workload increases faster than the staff can grow to process it. And while the funding increase is "fabulous news for the University," Engebretson said, "there is a responsibility that goes along with it" for the executive director to handle. Penn has received applications from internal and external candidates, but Engebretson declined to name them.