Forum Post
We write to express our concerns about the stagnant research enterprise at WSU. While we have many things to be proud of, neither of us are content with our current rankings and overall, we feel that a re-imagining of WSU’s research enterprise and recognition that we are not progressing at a pace expected for R1 institutions is sorely needed.
First, we state the current status of our research enterprise using data from NSF’s Higher Education Research & Development (HERD) database. According to Vice President for Research Chris Keane (Faculty Senate presentation 2-16-23), WSU’s R&D expenditures per Tenure/Tenure-Track faculty are close to the highest in our peer set for the period FY2008-2022, and the total value of WSU’s research awards has steadily increased over FY2016-FY2022. While these data points are laudable, they do not tell the whole story. We calculated the average growth per year, and 10-year growth, for FY2012 – FY 2021 compared to three R1 (Colorado State University, Oregon State University, and University of Missouri, Columbia, all of which are considered peer institutions) and two R2 institutions (the University of Idaho and Utah State University, which was elevated to R1 status in 2022 due to significant increases in research expenditures), and found that WSU was at the bottom, with an average growth rate of 1% per year (range = 1-9%) and 10-year growth rate of 6% (range = 6-107%). This is due largely to significant growth in non-tenure track faculty with declines in tenure track faculty at WSU (127% increase and 4% decrease over 10-years, respectively). As a result, WSU’s research enterprise is growing at a slower rate than our peers. Indeed, a closer look at HERD data shows that WSU’s ranking has fallen from 76th in FY2020 to 78th in FY2021 among all institutions, and from 48th to 51st among all public universities over the same time. We can and should do better than 51st among public universities!
Next, we discuss our “reimagining” of WSU’s research enterprise. Now that the so called “Drive to 25” research initiative (D25) has been retired, the new goal included in the Strategic Plan is to increase total R&D by 5%. This target simply will not cut it – such a goal will not result in overall improvement compared to our peers when those institutions are also increasing total R&D efforts to stimulate growth and does not keep pace with the inflation of costs for doing research. Instead, we need a substantive investment in the research enterprise that is, to quote our late President Elson S. Floyd, “bold, audacious, and visionary.” While success of the D25 hinged on investments in the research enterprise that never materialized, and the initiative itself lacked clear goals (e.g., being among the 42 institutions who could claim “top 25” public research university status by CMUP metrics was nebulous at best), we envision a definitive target – to be among the top 25 public research universities in the nation, in ranked order, using HERD data.
As one example, we applaud the efforts at the University of Missouri, Columbia; MizzouForward! is an aggressive and strategic investment to achieve research excellence and student success. It aims to hire 150 faculty in multiple areas of research over the next 5 years. We anticipate that their research enterprise and rankings will improve dramatically (currently ranked 71 overall and 46 among publics), while ours will stagnate or decline unless similar bold actions are taken immediately.
How will we get there? The key to building the research enterprise is to invest in infrastructure – we must have adequate numbers of staff for pre- and post-award, contract negotiations, and to efficiently hire new research staff. Next, we need substantive investments in our research capacity – laboratories, “core” facilities, and the like. Finally, we must invest in recruiting and retaining top faculty. With this infrastructure in place, faculty will have a robust ecosystem in which to be successful.
The final piece is to get back to our land-grant mission – research that improves the lives of the individuals, families, and communities within the state. Emphasis on fundamental research that is basic and translationally relevant for improving societal well-being has waned at WSU over the last decade. We must do more to address this lapse and issues such as food insecurity, access to health care, and prevention of chronic diseases, and close gaps in health disparities that plague our state and nation alike. We believe that dramatic action is needed to get us back on track and are calling on the administration for strategic investment to achieve research excellence.
Submitted by,
Glen Duncan, Professor and Chair, Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
Jon Oatley, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine
Response
The Faculty Senate Executive Officers have been notified of this forum post and will respond back once more information becomes available. ~03.21.23
Thank you Professors Duncan and Oatley for your thoughtful post regarding the WSU research enterprise. I understand your concerns regarding the relatively slow growth in research expenditures compared to what is necessary to advance WSU to a “top-25” public institution.
Let me start by pointing out that the WSU research expenditure data posted on the NSF Higher Education & Development Survey (HERD) website is unfortunately not accurate for all years due to historical inaccuracies by WSU in reporting “internal” research expenditures. The Office of Research (OR) and the Office of Internal Research (IR), along with other involved units, have worked together to correct these figures. This link provides the correct historical data. We have informed NSF of these corrected expenditures, and the data posted on the NSF HERD website is now correct for FY2017 onwards. NSF will be correcting data back to FY2013 in future updates to their HERD website.
Correcting the figures improves the situation somewhat. The correct 10 year (FY2011-2021) average annual growth rate of research expenditures is 2.1%, and the 5 -year (2016-2021) average annual growth rate is 3.4%. The improvement does not impact your top-level message regarding achieving top-25 public research university status, however. For FY2021, the 25th ranked public university had total research expenditures of $677M. The average 10-year growth rate required for WSU to achieve this expenditure level, relative to 2021 and including 5%/yr. escalation in the $677M amount, is about 11%/year. This is clearly a much higher rate of research expenditure growth than WSU is experiencing now.
I would also point out that from 2015 to 2020, the number of tenure/tenure-track WSU faculty (Assistant, Associate, Full and Regents professors) decreased by about 6%. The increase in research expenditures over this same period thus reflects WSU’s position being a leader among our peers in expenditures per tenure/tenure-track faculty. It also reflects the dedication of you and your faculty, staff, and student colleagues to advancing research and scholarship at WSU- despite the financial difficulties WSU has faced, the pandemic, and other challenges. Thank you!
As you state, achieving this aggressive goal of approximately 11%/year annual expenditures growth will require investments in faculty, infrastructure, and research capacity. Unfortunately, the university’s financial situation has precluded that investment in recent years. As President Schulz has discussed in his various posts regarding the University budget, we are all looking forward to reversing this trend!
On the bright side, however, there is a demonstrated track record that WSU investment in research produces prompt and tangible results with respect to research expenditures. As I showed in my Feb. 16, 2023 talk to the Faculty Senate you mention, the FY2016-FY2021 “Grand Challenge” Strategic Research Investment Program invested in four initiatives* that, by enabling the hiring and support of 20 new faculty, returned $256M in awards through FY2022 based on a central investment of $10.9M. The returns to the University of this investment in terms of strengthening the faculty and advancing scholarship and creative activity provide a long-term benefit exceeding these awards, of course, but on a numerical basis this is a return on investment (ROI) of about 24:1.
Similarly, the New Faculty Seed Grant (NFSG) Program historically supported by the Office of the Provost and OR, has generated over $49M in awards since FY2000 based on an internal investment of $4.75M- an ROI of approximately 10:1. So, again, as the University recovers from its current financial situation we look forward to resuming additional investments in research beyond the NFSG Program.
In that regard, I am pleased to announce some positive news. You point out in your post that investment in fundamental research that is translationally relevant and improves societal well-being has also waned. Thanks to support from Chancellor and Provost/Executive Vice President Chilton, the Office of the Provost and OR will be executing a seed grant program to enhance community-engaged research at WSU. Further information on this FY2024 program will be forthcoming.
Finally, independent of our financial situation, it is important the University continue to explore new opportunities that enhance our research and scholarly activities and their impact on society. In support of WSU Strategic Plan implementation OR will work with faculty, staff, students, and university leadership to develop a plan by end of CY2023 to significantly advance the scope, visibility, and impact of the University’s research enterprise. This plan will also provide a “roadmap” for investment in faculty, infrastructure, and research capacity.
I and my OR colleagues appreciate your dedication to WSU’s research mission and look forward to working with you and faculty, staff, students, and administrative colleagues to advance research, scholarship, and creative activities at WSU.
*The four initiatives are a) the Health Equity Research Center (HERC), b) the Functional Genomics Initiative (FGI), c) the Nutritional Genomics Initiative, now transitioned to as the “Soil to Society” program, and d) enhanced support of the Washington Stormwater Center.
Christopher J. Keane
Vice President for Research, WSU
Vice Chancellor for Research, WSU Pullman
Professor of Physics