College of Health and Human Sciences RSCAD FAQ
Documents linked in responses below may require an eID login to view.
Who is the best point of contact for questions about statistical consulting, and when should I reach out to them?
The K-State Statistical Consulting Lab can provide this support. You can read more about the services that they offer or schedule a meeting. If you need statistical consulting for a currently funded project, you should reach out to them before collecting any data. If you need statistical consulting expertise for a research proposal, you should reach out to them as soon as you start writing the proposal. You may also contact faculty in the Department of Statistics directly if their research interests overlap with your needs. Here is the list of Department of Statistics faculty. [back]
Who is the best point of contact for questions about space for research, and when should I reach out to them?
If you have unmet needs for research space, you should contact your program leader, school director, and Nick Wallace. Please be aware that space is limited in the College and that needs associated with currently funded projects will be prioritized. [back]
Who is the best point of contact for questions about purchasing, and when should I reach out to them?
Each school has an accounting office. Kathy Schaefer is the accountant for the School of Health Sciences. Stephanie Fox is the accountant for the School of Human Sciences. Cassie Hall is the accountant for the School of Consumer Sciences. They can answer questions about purchasing and most other financial aspects of research. You should reach out to them prior to making a purchase. They can also provide you information on how to obtain a Business Procurement Card or you can refer to the University’s guide. [back]
Who is the best point of contact for questions about hiring, and when should I reach out to them?
After getting approval for a hire by your supervisor, you should reach out to Kayla Schmidt. She is the Human Resources Manager for the College. She is the first point of contact for all hires. You should contact her as soon as you are considering hiring for a position. [back]
Who is the best point of contact for questions about managing people, and when should I reach out to them?
Contact Kayla Schmidt, the Human Resources Manager for the College, who can advise you on official university policy. The university also appoints ombudspersons to assist faculty, unclassified professionals, and administrators. These impartial faculty members and unclassified professionals are less aware of official policy, but can facilitate communications between parties. Please visit the Ombudspersons' website for more information.
Resolving personnel issues may not require involving other parties. When you cannot resolve an issue or do not feel capable of doing so, please immediately engage with ombudspersons or human resources personnel. [back]
Who is the best point of contact for questions about paying study participants, and when should I reach out to them?
Each School has an accounting office. Kathy Schaefer is the accountant for the School of Health Sciences. Stephanie Fox is the accountant for the School of Human Sciences. Cassie Hall is the accountant for the School of Consumer Sciences. They can answer questions about paying participants. If there are compliance issues related to paying a certain population of participants, please refer to the “How do I make sure my research is compliant with federal guidelines and policies” FAQ for more information. [back]
Who is the best point of contact for questions about misconduct, and when should I reach out to them?
The university appoints ombudspersons to assist faculty, unclassified professionals, and administrators. These impartial faculty members and unclassified professionals can provide information and facilitate communications between parties about employment and grievances at Kansas State University. Please visit the Ombudspersons' website for more information. You may also contact Kayla Schmidt, the Human Resources Manager for the College.
If you have experienced or observed misconduct, please engage with ombudspersons or human resources personnel as soon as you feel safe. [back]
Who is the best point of contact for questions about grant submissions, and when should I reach out to them?
Cindy Monzon is the HHS Grants Specialist dedicated to proposals and awards from the College of Health and Human Sciences. It is best to let Cindy know you are preparing a proposal as soon as you start drafting it, so that she can provide you a list of the requirements (including internal due dates) for each document in the proposal. You must provide her a completed budget and justification for a project one week before the external deadline to guarantee that it is approved in time for submission. [back]
Who is the best point of contact for questions about intellectual property (e.g., trademarks and patents), and when should I reach out to them?
Sarah Nolting) is the point of contact at Kansas State University Research Foundation (KSURF) about intellectual property. It is best to contact her as soon as you think you are creating or discovering something that could be protectable, by either a patent, copyright, or trademark. [back]
Who is the best point of contact for questions about starting a company, and when should I reach out to them?
Chris Brandt and Eric Buda are the people to contact for help with the strategic direction and operational management of the technology transfer and commercialization of your RSCAD breakthroughs. [back]
Who is the best point of contact for questions about proposal editing, and when should I reach out to them?
Nick Wallace would be happy to provide feedback on your specific aims page or equivalent introduction portion of your proposal. You should reach out to him at least two weeks before your proposal is due. It is also highly recommended that you ask a trusted colleague with relevant expertise to provide a technical review of the full proposal. Providing them with your proposal at least one month before it is due is best. [back]
Who is the best point of contact for questions about contract negotiations, and when should I reach out to them?
You should reach out to Christa Jahnke before engaging with any company about a contract. She is the contract negotiator for our College and will help you avoid lengthy “back-and-forth” negotiations by avoiding contract language restricted by state statutes. Our document has more tips on streamlining contract negotiations (pdf). [back]
Who is the best point of contact for questions about core facilities, and when should I reach out to them?
Ruth Welti is the Director of Core Facilities at K-State. She maintains a list of capabilities of the core research facilities on campus. She also has some resources to support use of these facilities for faculty needing to use the facilities for limited data collection, associated with a paper or grant resubmission. You should reach out to her as needed. [back]
Who is the best point of contact for questions about recruiting student researchers, and when should I reach out to them?
There are several ways to recruit students to participate in your RSCAD. When recruiting graduate students, you should begin by talking with your unit leader to confirm that there is space and, if appropriate, support for a graduate student. You can then use your professional network and direct contacts to encourage talented students to apply to K-State. Physical and digital advertising are effective for recruiting K-State undergraduates. You can also mention research opportunities in classes that you teach. Finally, Nick Wallace is happy to help you strategize ways to recruit student researchers. [back]
Who is the best point of contact for questions about developing my RSCAD agenda, and when should I reach out to them?
You should always have a 3-, 5-, and 10-year plan for your RSCAD program. If you don’t, reach out to your program chair, faculty mentor, and/or a trusted colleague. Nick Wallace is also happy to help you develop these plans. [back]
Who is the best point of contact for questions about my account balance(s), and when should I reach out to them?
For most faculty, Libby Vathauer is the business manager who is most capable of answering questions about your account balances. While there may be times of the year when high volumes of other work delay her responses, you should feel free to reach out with questions when they arise. If your grant accounts are handled by someone else in the college, Libby will be able to direct you to them for answers to your questions. [back]
Who is the best point of contact for questions about travel and reimbursements, and when should I reach out to them?
Cassie Hall is the person to contact if you are planning a work trip. Please reach out to her before you book travel, accommodations, or register for a conference. [back]
Where can I get a list of internal grant opportunities?
There are several opportunities for internal RSCAD funding. The College has Fall and Spring Awards that are due October 15 and March 15. You can find a description of those opportunities under the “Internal HHS Funding Opportunities” heading. Opportunities outside of the College include those from The Johnson Cancer Research Center and Vice President for Research Office. [back]
Where can I get a list of campus facilities and resources?
Here are links to a list of campus facilities and resources (general list (pdf), extension-focused list (pdf)). Ruth Welti, the Director of Core Facilities at K-State, curates a list of other campus core facilities. She may be able to help you identify additional shared resources. [back]
Where can I get an outline of the grant and contract submission process?
Here is an overview of the submission process for grants (pdf) and contracts (pdf). Please ask Nick Wallace if you have any questions. [back]
Where can I get a list of research expertise in the College?
HHS faculty research expertise and profiles can be found on our faculty interests webpage. [back]
Where can I get the College sales tax exhibition certificate?
K-State is exempt from paying sales tax. To take advantage of this benefit, you may need to provide a copy of the College sales tax exemption certificate (pdf). [back]
Where can I get a guide to early career faculty grant opportunities and advantages?
Many funding agencies have grant opportunities and advantages specifically designed to help get your RSCAD program going. You can find a partial list of of our early career awards (pdf). [back]
Where can I get help writing the non-technical parts of my research proposal?
Cindy Monzon is the HHS Grants Specialist and an excellent resource for HHS faculty working on non-technical parts of a proposal, for example, your budget justification or current and pending support document. [back]
How do I track the internal certification of my proposal?
Proposals need to be certified by the researchers involved and administrators from their Departments and Colleges. These approvals come through the Cayuse SP system and can be tracked by logging into to the system and clicking on the associated proposal number. This will include a list of people who have/have not authorized the proposal. [back]
How do I track the external review of my proposal?
The ability to track the external review will vary based on the funding agency. Some only provide updates after evaluation of the proposal has been completed, while others, like the National Institutes of Health, offer periodic updates via the ERA Commons system. Accessing the ERA commons system requires login via login.gov. [back]
How do I make sure my research is compliant with federal guidelines and policies?
To ensure compliance, all research involving humans, animals, or biological materials should be evaluated by elements of the K-State compliance infrastructure. This evaluation is done by three committees. Work with humans is evaluated by the Institutional Review Board or IRB. Research involving biological materials is evaluated by the Institutional Biosafety Committee or IBC. Work with animals is evaluated by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, or IACUC. Many research projects require review by more than one committee. If your research involves sending technologies, information, or materials to a foreign national or agency, it needs to be evaluated for compliance with Federal export control regulations.
If you are uncertain of whether your RSCAD activities need any of these compliance reviews, Heath Ritter is the Research Compliance Director for K-State and an excellent resource for feedback on compliance issues. If you need to submit an IRB, IACUC, or IBC application, Nick Wallace has extensive experience working with the compliance offices and is happy to help you. [back]
How do I make a grant budget?
Grant budgets must consider restrctions from the funding agency and be specific to the proposed research. Researchers will be the only people who can address many of the elements of a proposal budget, but the Dean’s Office can help. You can view a YouTube video about budgets. Cindy Monzon can look up salary information and review a draft of your budget. [back]
What are indirect costs, and why are they important?
Indirect costs (aka overhead, facilities and administrative (F&A) costs, IDC, etc.) are the costs associated with the support for research that cannot be directly attributed to a specific research project. Examples include utilities, building maintenance, IT support, safety and security measures, custodial services, and library services. The Federal government recognizes that at K-State, it costs an additional $53 to do $100 worth of research. You will hear this referred to as a 53% indirect cost rate (IDC rate).
When funding agencies or companies do not pay the full IDC rate, K-State has a limited ability to cover the indirect costs from other sources. Faculty are still allowed to apply for opportunities to that do not fully support the research, but the agency or company must have a public policy in place noting the level of IDC support they provide. This statement must be posted prior to proposal submission and must apply to applications from all institutes. [back]
What is credit allocation in Cayuse, and why is it important?
When you submit a proposal through the Cayuse system, you will be asked how you would like the credit to be allocated. This will not impact the distribution of direct costs in your budget if the project is funded. However, the distribution of the indirect costs and the percentage of the requested proposal dollars assigned to each person on the proposal is based on the allocation of credit in the Cayuse system. [back]
What is an internal processing form (IPF), and why is it important?
The internal processing form (IPF) contains the information used internally to ensure that your proposal is transmitted out of the University. It contains information about who is submitting the proposal, potential compliance issues and their resolution, research location, what type of research is being conducted, and the amount of support needed for technology transfer/intellectual property concerns. [back]