2024-2025 STRIVE Cohort Classes Are Now on the Calendar
The Inaugural Cohorts for STRIVE 2024-2025 represent the distinguished research administrators across USC who exemplify excellence in research management. Through their dedication, they contribute significantly to advancing USC’s research mission and supporting the impactful work of faculty and researchers.
Program Overview
STRIVE is a tiered program that offers training for demonstrated competencies and proficiencies in research administration at three distinct levels: Discovery, Strategy and Innovation.
Program Length: Academic Year
Number of In-Person Sessions: 16 Two-Hour Sessions
Tiered Levels
The program's three-tiered approach follows participants through the learning process, starting with the basics of research administration and ending with hands-on learning experiences to innovate and improve upon real-life university research administration issues.
1. Discovery in Research Administration
STRIVE - Discovery introduces participants to the basics of research administration, federal regulations, USC’s policies and processes and the full life cycle of an award, from its creation to management.
2. Strategic Execution in Research Administration
STRIVE - Strategy provides training across central, college and departmental research administration operations for participants to gain hands-on skills in pre-award and post-award responsibilities.
Once participants have completed STRIVE - Strategy, they are encouraged to join the CRA Study Program.
3. Innovation in Research Management
STRIVE - Innovation focuses on case studies to address real research administration situations and gives participants the opportunity to problem-solve complex issues at the university, innovate new processes and increase operations efficiency.
Eligibility Requirements
To be considered for STRIVE, participants must:
- Be employed at USC Columbia, the USC schools of medicine in Columbia or Greenville, a four-year UofSC comprehensive institution or a USC Palmetto College campus.
- Be a full-time staff employee in a research administration and/or grant management role.
Participant Expectations
STRIVE participants are expected to:
- Attend 16 two-hour in-person program sessions.
- Commit to attend all scheduled sessions.
- Demonstrate proficiency across STRIVE competencies during their time in the program.
Post-Program Opportunities
Once they finish the program, STRIVE participants will have:
- Gained skills covered in the Certified Research Administrator exam.
- A certificate of completion of the STRIVE Leadership Program in USC's talent management system.
- A warm welcome into the campus-wide STRIVE network, which is a community sharing the specialized expertise and skill sets of research administrators at USC.