During the 2023–24 fiscal year, Missouri State was awarded $101,362,431 to support projects in research, education and service. These dollars came from a combination of appropriations and competitive grant awards.

Brad Bodenhausen, vice president for community and global partnerships, says this success stems from the effort of hundreds of faculty and staff across campus. It can be a challenging process, he says, because there’s an element of unpredictability to funding awards.

“We know we can’t control the result of any one proposal,” Bodenhausen says. “That’s why we focus on doing the best we can in the areas we can control, such as how many people are submitting proposals and how well we’re supporting them through the process.”

More Than $100 Million in Awards

Of the $101,362,431 total, approximately $37 million came from appropriations, and nearly $1.2 million came from CARES Act funding.

The remainder came from competitive funding awards. Proposals from the Jordan Valley Innovation Center (JVIC) accounted for the biggest share of these — 54%. Bodenhausen says JVIC’s success is exciting — as is the broad range of proposals that received funding throughout the university. “The diversity of the awards is something to celebrate,” he says.

Eight of the university’s major units reached the $1 million mark in funding awards. These include:

• Administrative Services ($28.4 million)
• College of Education ($10.2 million)
• College of Natural and Applied Sciences ($10.9 million)
• Community and Global Partnerships ($39.9 million)
• Darr College of Agriculture ($1.3 million)
• McQueary College of Health and Human Services ($4.6 million)
• Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities ($1.8 million)
• West Plains Campus ($1.5 million)

Individual awards of more than $500,000 include the following:

• Dr. Denise Cunningham, director of the School for Teaching, Learning and Developmental Sciences, received $617,760 from the U.S. Department of Education through Missouri DESE. The funds will help cover tuition and fees for students pursuing the elementary mathematics specialist certificate.
• Dr. Chuck Garner, director of the Agency for Teaching, Leading and Learning received $3,331,750 from the U.S. Department of Education through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to fund Regional Professional Development Centers. The goal is to provide services and trainings that support the professional development and retention of teachers.
• Allen Kunkel, associate vice president for economic development/JVIC director, received $2 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The funds make it possible to construct corporate research labs and offices that support collaboration and long-term economic growth.
• Dr. Robert Niezgoda, visiting assistant professor of public health and sports medicine, received $2,175,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). The funding will support an internship program between DHSS and local public health agencies.
• Lisa Wade, dean of nursing and allied health at West Plains, received $532,944 from the Missouri State Board of Nursing to develop, support and expand nursing education on the West Plains campus.

“We know we can’t control the result of any one proposal. That’s why we focus on doing the best we can in the areas we can control…”

—Brad Bodenhausen

Different Approaches to Funding

Although there’s an undeniable thrill associated with high-dollar awards, some programs find success with a very diversified approach, according to Marina Loveland, director of research administration. She cites Bear POWER, which offers certificate pathways for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as one program that writes multiple proposals, including some for relatively modest amounts. “That can be a very stable funding model, too,” Loveland says.

Bodenhausen and Loveland agree that the number of proposals submitted is one of the most critical factors that can be controlled. “Please keep applying, even if an application gets denied,” Loveland says. “If you’ve received reviews of an application that wasn’t funded, you can use that knowledge to reapply, and we’ll support you as much as we can.”

Resources from Research Administration

In February, the office of research administration (ORA) introduced a new means of support: the Focus on Research Administration blog. It’s a great place to learn about funding opportunities and get tips on writing successful proposals.

Visit the Research Administration Blog

Now, a self-guided training program is in the works. ORA is currently developing curriculum, with the goal of rolling the training out on Brightspace during the 2024–25 academic year.

During the past year, ORA added two new team members. With these additions, Loveland was able to introduce process improvements, like having staff positions that are dedicated to certain aspects of proposals. It makes the process more efficient, she says, and will ultimately allow the ORA team to provide more individual attention.

Bodenhausen says these steps to refine research strategy align with the continuous agility process (CAP), the systematic, ongoing process that’s designed to keep Missouri State’s academic affairs fresh, relevant and market-savvy.

“Adding these ORA staff positions and improving research compliance are among the first outcomes,” Bodenhausen says. “This year, the research strategy leadership team will continue to collect feedback, with the goal of identifying areas of strength and opportunities in research, scholarship and creative work.”

As the team collects feedback and ideas, they welcome input from the campus community. Please feel free to reach out to Bodenhausen directly, or reach out to ORA about inviting a member of its team to your departmental, school or college staff meeting.

From Loveland’s perspective, the latest evolutions at ORA reflect the growth she’s witnessed since she joined the office in 2001. “At that time, if we had $15 million in external funding, we considered it a good year,” she says. “So many people have worked to promote research and service-oriented projects, and you can see the results — not just in the dollar amounts, but also in the way these projects affect our community.”

Around Campus…

We’re so excited to welcome everyone back to campus for the fall semester. Please join President Dr. Biff Williams and Provost Dr. John Jasinski for the All Faculty Welcome Back Lunch on August 15.

On August 14, the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning has put together a great lineup of programming for this year’s Showcase on Teaching and Learning.

In Case You Missed It

We’ve shared a lot of news this summer. A few posts that may be particularly relevant as you look ahead to the new year:

• “Brightspace Resources for Students”
  Please share this post with your students as they transition to Brightspace, Missouri State’s new learning management system. This page is also available at the following shortened url, which may be convenient for distribution:
  MissouriState.edu/LMS
• “CAP Recap”
  An update about progress for the continuous agility process (CAP) during the 2023–24 academic year.
• “Academic Facilities Update”
  Reflections from an interdivisional group that toured academic buildings to help create collective understanding about maintenance needs and goals.
• “Next-level Institutional Effectiveness”
  The latest progress in the university’s shift to a more data-informed culture.
• “On the Horizon for the Honors College”
  Details about recommendations for supporting the Honors College.