{"id":208,"date":"2025-10-29T17:00:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T17:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.research.colostate.edu\/osp\/?page_id=208"},"modified":"2026-02-19T23:00:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T23:00:50","slug":"ram-symposium","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.research.colostate.edu\/osp\/training\/ram-symposium\/","title":{"rendered":"Ram Symposium"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Lighting up the room: Research Administration Community and Culture (LIVE)<\/summary>\n

Presenters \u2013 Chris Carsten, eRA Systems Officer, OSP; Brigette Pfister, OSP, Financial Compliance Manager, OSP; Staci Wasson, Associate Director of Research & Finance, CVMBS.
This session will NOT be recorded.<\/em><\/strong>
Join your colleagues in the opening session of RAM Symposium to discuss what it means to be part of the research administration community at CSU. What kind of community are we building? Change is constant \u2013 how do we encourage resilience and lifelong learning?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community and Culture Handout<\/a><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Cost Basics<\/summary>\n

Presenter \u2013 Doug Leavell, Director of Research Analytics, OVPR
Facilities and administrative costs are essential costs of research that aren\u2019t easily identifiable to a particular project. The costs are allocated to projects using a rate negotiated with the Federal government. This session will provide a basic understanding of what F&A costs are and how the recovery rate is calculated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

F&A Handout<\/a> | Recording<\/a><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Under the Spotlight: Emerging Audit Hot Topics<\/summary>\n

Presenters \u2013 Brigette Pfister, Financial Compliance Manager, OSP; Kim Melville-Smith, Assistant Director & Director of Post-Award, OSP
As the landscape of university research evolves, so do the risks and compliance challenges. This session will shine a light on the latest audit hot topics impacting sponsored research. Attendees will gain insights into emerging regulatory changes, common audit findings, and best practices for mitigating risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Audit Hot Topic Handout<\/a> | Recording<\/a><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

The Opaque World: Gifts, Grants, and Private Foundation Grantseeking at CSU<\/summary>\n

Presenters \u2013 Sam Ernst, Director, Foundation Relations; Bill Moseley, Pre-Award Manager, OSP
Private foundation grant-seeking can seem like a black box. What is the process? Who do we work with? UA? CSUF? OSP? Will this be a gift or a grant? Those seeking illumination should attend this session as we will attempt to make the opaque transparent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gifts, Grants, And Foundation Handout | Recording<\/a><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Collective Sparks: Insights and discussions from Department Research Administrators (LIVE)<\/summary>\n

Presenters \u2013 Jessi Fuentes, Executive Director of Finance, College of Agricultural Sciences; Anja Wahl Wells, Director of Business and Research Support Operations, Walter Scott, Jr College of Engineering; Staci Wasson, Associate Director of Research and Finance, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
This session will NOT be recorded.<\/em><\/strong>
This session will offer insights into effective strategies, collaboration techniques, and innovative solutions to common challenges. It will focus on utilizing the skills DRAs already have to adapt to the ever changing research environment while staying connected to our community and remembering to include joy in our daily lives.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Guiding the Way: Best Practices for Effectively Engaging Leadership in Research Administration<\/summary>\n

Presenters \u2013 Jessi Fuentes, Executive Director of Finance, and Dr. Eugene Kelly, College of Agricultural Sciences
This session will explore effective strategies for building strong, collaborative partnerships between research administrators and institutional or college leadership. Participants will learn how to ensure that research priorities are aligned with the institution\u2019s vision, goals, and overall impact. By fostering deeper engagement, administrators and leadership can work together to drive research success, enhance resource allocation, and support sustainable growth within the research enterprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recording<\/a><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Funding Focus: Demystifying the Federal Appropriations Process (LIVE)<\/summary>\n

Presenter \u2013 Meg Suter, Assistant VP for Research & Chief of Staff, OVPR<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This session is not being recorded.<\/em><\/strong>
This session will provide an overview of the federal appropriations process, focusing on both the Washington, D.C. legislative process and CSU\u2019s on-campus processes for identifying appropriations priorities to support university research initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appropriations Handout<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Compliance Highlight: CSU regulations for Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)<\/summary>\n

Rich Wright, Director, Secure and Global Research and Facility Security Officer, OVPR<\/em>
CSU has long required protection of \u201csensitive\u201d or \u201ccontrolled\u201d information, from personal contact information to research data. With recent federal regulations concerning \u201cControlled Unclassified Information,\u201d CSU\u2019s research community is faced with confusing and at times conflicting regulations. Learn more about CSU\u2019s approach to CUI and how to best protect yourself and your research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CUI Handout | Recording<\/a><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Escape the Office (LIVE)<\/summary>\n

Presenter \u2013 Kathryn O\u2019Hayre, Training and Information Coordinator, OSP<\/em>
Join your colleagues online for a problem-solving adventure to escape the office! Our virtual escape room is designed specifically for the RAMAround community. Harness your RA knowledge, CSU facts, and random trivia in this team collaboration to see if you can work together and escape.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Who Should Attend?<\/strong> RAM Symposium is appropriate for sponsored project administrative staff and faculty investigators at CSU. The curriculum will focus on CSU-specific practices and systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Must I attend all the sessions?<\/strong> We understand that time is a premium at CSU. We encourage participants to attend all or most of the sessions, though there is no requirement. While sessions will be recorded and posted, attending in real-time allows for engagement not available when watching on demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there a Cost to attend?<\/strong> No, all RAM Symposium sessions are offered free of charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Registration Required?<\/strong> Registration is recommended for CSU employees; an EID\/NetID is required to log into the MyLearning portal. Let us know if you have any questions at OSP_info@colostate.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does this count for CEU\/CEC?<\/strong> Yes, continuing education units or credits (CEU\/CEC) count toward maintaining your credentials. The RAM Symposium sessions will count towards those hours if you attended live and at least half of the session. The OSP Training Team enabled the printable certificates in My Learning for the 2025 series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instructions:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1. AFTER THE SESSION, THE OSP TRAINING TEAM WILL MARK YOU IN MYLEARNING IF YOU HAVE ATTENDED*. THIS WILL ALLOW YOU TO PRINT A CERTIFICATE AS PROOF OF YOUR HOURS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. TO PRINT: LOG IN TO MYLEARNING AND GO TO YOUR COMPLETED SESSIONS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. HIT THE \u2018DETAILS\u2019 BUTTON. A SIDE WINDOW WILL OPEN, WHERE YOU CAN VIEW AND PRINT YOUR CERTIFICATE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please contact the Training Team (OSP_info@Colostate.edu<\/a>) if you cannot join the live session, intend to view the recordings afterward, and would like a certificate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2022 RAM Symposium Archive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

October 13th, 2022 @ 12PM \u2013 4:40 PM MT Check out the RAM Symposium Community featurette<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concurrent Session Descriptions, recordings, and handouts below<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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