Sandy Fowler, CALS assistant dean for research, was recently named chair of Region V of the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA). Region V includes research administrators in  Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

NCURA is committed to advancing the field of research administration through education and professional development programs, the sharing of knowledge and experience, and by fostering a professional, collegial, and respected community.

The following is a Q&A with Fowler.

What are you most interested in doing as NCURA chair?  
Offering more regional free professional development training opportunities (webinars, lunch and learns, workshops). I want to create a space for folks to connect to help us get through the ever-evolving federal funding challenges. There is a whole lot of worry, and I’d like to give folks a platform to simply chat.

How long have you been associated with NCURA? I’ve been a member since 2012 and I was a NCURA Traveling Workshop Faculty member the past six years. I rolled off at the start of 2025 but hope to roll back on in 2026. I taught folks the high-level fundamentals lifecycle of grant funding: from where grants come from, through compliance, to closeout.

What impact does NCURA have on the research enterprise at UW–Madison, how to they work together? NCURA is the one of the best places for information and training for anyone that wants to be a research administrator in the world! We have access to a lot of resources (policy examples, templates, and people) to help us work through challenges and questions.

It seems associations such as NCURA are more important than ever in the changing federal landscape. Can you share what NCURA is working on in this space?
They are doing a whole lot. Unfortunately, some of our research administrator (RA) counterparts were laid off due to funding cuts. NCURA opened their job postings to all of the RA community, not just to members. In addition, they started a webinar series – https://www.ncura.edu/MembershipVolunteering/CollaborateNCURA/ChangingFederalLandscapeCollaborateCommunity.aspx. Again, not just for their members but the whole RA community.

Anything else that you would like to add? 
Super thankful the UW supports professional development and opportunities to be involved with associations like NCURA.

This Q&A article was first published in the June 2025 Research at UW e-newsletter.