Proposal Services celebrates new location with ribbon cutting, open house
Mississippi State hosted a ceremonial ribbon cutting and open house last week for the Office of Proposal Services, a new sub-unit of the university’s Office of Sponsored Projects. From left to right, ribbon-cutting participants included Katie Echols, director of research analysis and support, Office of Research and Economic Development; Dodie Maynard, Office of Sponsored Projects grants and contracts administrator; David Shaw, MSU vice president for research and economic development; Jennifer Easley, OSP director; Sandy Williamson, executive director of research fiscal affairs, Office of Research and Economic Development; Stephanie Hyche, OSP associate director; and Lauren Clark, OSP proposal development coordinator. PHOTO: Megan Bean | Public Affairs
Mississippi State officials and staff members participated in a ceremonial ribbon cutting for the university’s new Office of Proposal Services at 140 Morgan Ave. on the Starkville campus last Tuesday [Sept. 19].
A sub-unit of MSU’s Office of Sponsored Projects, the Office of Proposal Services plays a significant role in assisting researchers throughout the development of compelling funding proposals.
MSU faculty and staff can submit service requests through the OSP Service Request Portal, available online at http://osp.msstate.edu/servicerequestportal.
“Whether providing administrative support or helping faculty and staff find the resources they need to make their proposals and grants more successful, our goal is to promote research and creativity here at MSU,” said Jennifer Easley, director of the Office of Sponsored Projects.
OSP Associate Director Stephanie Hyche agreed the Office of Proposal Services’ staff is ready and willing to help in any way possible. She also thanked MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development David Shaw and his staff for their support in making the new office a reality.
“We’ve learned that everyone -- from department administrators to principal investigators -- require different forms of support, so we will shift our scope of work to accommodate all of the different needs that are brought to us,” she said.
During his remarks, Shaw said the idea for the Office of Proposal Services resulted from discussions with faculty and others on campus regarding the university’s five-year strategic plan. Ensuring university-wide productivity in terms of research has been and will remain a top priority, he said.
“This new office is ideally suited to help us meet some very fundamental needs at the individual principal investigator level, while also positioning the university to go after very large, multidisciplinary competitive grants that take a tremendous amount of coordination and effort,” Shaw said. “We are excited that Mississippi State is making this strategic investment.”
Among other roles, the Office of Proposal Services is equipped to identify funding opportunities; manage large, multi-collaborative projects; locate internal and external collaborators; offer learning opportunities relating to grant writing, proposal components, letters of support or commitment, data management plans and formatting; as well as provide individual proposal assistance through mentoring and peer review.
Housed in MSU’s Office of Research and Economic Development, the Office of Sponsored Projects is responsible for ensuring all research proposals and projects comply with university, federal and sponsor regulations, policies and procedures. For more information, visit www.osp.msstate.edu.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.
Sasha Steinberg | Public Affairs
