Dear Colleagues,
It is an honor and a pleasure to officially welcome you to the 2018 Pre-Award Research Administration Conference in sunny Orlando, Florida.
For those of us in the west, it’s hard to imagine the utter devastation that a hurricane can bring. Over the past year, we watched helplessly as Harvey unleashed its fury on Texas. We then watched with great anxiety as Irma made its way across the Caribbean islands and descended upon Florida. And then, before the effects of Irma had even cleared, there was word of another hurricane…Maria. The Category 4 hurricane crossed directly over the island of Puerto Rico causing devastation of historic proportions. With NCURA’s FRA and PRA conferences then scheduled to take place in Puerto Rico in March 2018, it did not take long to realize that the island infrastructure would be in a state of recovery for some time. In record time, the NCURA meeting staff were able to defer destination Puerto Rico to 2020 AND secure a fantastic meeting location so that the show can go on! It was a near impossible task, yet here we are in Orlando!
If nothing else, research administration teaches us to be resilient. We are constantly adapting and adjusting to changes that are often beyond our control. The PRA theme that we selected is “Be Extraordinary: Re-energize and Engage”. With all that has happened over the past year, we feel an even stronger responsibility to bring our community’s positive spirit and energy towards a vibrant atmosphere of sharing and learning - these words bring new meaning to our conference. We have an opportunity to reflect on recent events as well as re-engage ourselves in the hot topics of our field with stimulating conversation and learning as we look forward.
The 2018 PRA Program Committee has been thoughtful to capture a timely and diverse set of topics for research administrators, new and experienced, to engage in. While we know it will be tempting to spend the days out in the warm Florida sunshine, our program content and expert speakers/facilitators will keep you captivated. The allure of the program content will draw you in - you won’t regret having spent the day indoors!
Thank you for joining us at PRA2018…Let’s Be Extraordinary.
Vicki Krell and Michiko Pane
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