Dear Colleagues,

 

I write to let you know that Dr. Jeff Seemann, who has served as our Vice President for Research since 2013, recently informed me that he has decided to step down from this position at the conclusion of the academic year, and will return to the faculty as a Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology.  

 

While I am sorry to lose a senior leader of Jeff’s caliber from this critical administrative position, I understand his decision and wish him all the best.

 

Under his leadership, the university’s research-support philosophy shifted dramatically and is now firmly rooted in an Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) that is service-driven, with the expressed goals of providing more effective, efficient, and accessible services and support to faculty.

 

Further, he has created new research development capacities that are focused on our faculty, allowing them to achieve even greater success in their research, scholarship, and creative activities.

 

Jeff reorganized the research development and support operations within the OVPR to merge several disparate offices into a coordinated and integrated unit. An outstanding executive leadership team was created and includes sponsored programs, research compliance, research development, technology commercialization, corporate and business relations, animal care and use, research IT, and environmental health and safety. 

 

Several faculty advisory committees were reconstituted or newly constituted to provide more faculty interaction, engagement, and participation in decision-making around the research needs and priorities of the faculty and institution. The executive leadership team is more engaged with the schools and colleges than ever before. This allows them to better meet the needs of faculty and to ensure consistency in the quality of services and the support of research growth across units and campuses.

 

The OVPR now oversees the research enterprise at all UConn campuses, and Jeff was highly successful in, for the first time, substantially integrating research functions and opportunities on the Storrs and regional campuses with research functions and opportunities at UConn Health in Farmington.

 

Some of these efforts have been on a smaller scale, such as the capacity to fund similar research opportunities in both places, while others have been on a much larger scale, such as creating similar policies and procedures, compatible grants management systems, similar compliance practices, and research development programs intended to link the research capacities of the two campuses in a synergistic way.

 

Further, a significant upgrade in the electronic administration system for grants management, research compliance, and related research support is now operating in a more consistent and seamless way across all campuses.

 

Under Jeff’s leadership, the university has created:

 

·         A well-funded Research Excellence Program at both Storrs and UConn Health, and a Scholarship Facilitation Fund at Storrs to better support faculty research, scholarship, and creative accomplishments, and in particular to stimulate greater funding success by the faculty;

·         A system for the distribution of indirect cost return directly to faculty at UConn Health for the first time;

·         A technology commercialization unit to facilitate faculty innovation and entrepreneurship, venture development, and new company/job creation, as well as greater engagement with industry and business partners; 

·         The opening of a new Technology Incubator Program Facility at UConn Health that focused on dramatically increasing the number of new high technology companies;

·         Grant writing workshops and research development services to assist faculty in developing more robust and competitive grant proposals; 

·         And a shared services unit to provide much better support to all UConn faculty in proposal preparation and submission.

 

In order to be successful, faculty researchers need comprehensive, consistent support by the institution and an environment that is conducive to and supportive of their work. Jeff has worked diligently to help ensure they receive it. I am proud to say that over the last four years, UConn has seen dramatic growth in the level of its research awards.

 

We are incredibly grateful for his service to UConn.

 

Within the next few weeks, I will conduct an internal search for a new VPR. This will not be an interim appointment. We are home to many outstanding researchers across disciplines who can lead effectively in this role.  It is indeed a wonderful sign of our research advancement that I am able to name a VPR from within our own ranks; it is evidence of our academic strength. To that end, I will appoint a small committee and conduct this search shortly.  I will make the final choice in consultation with Provost Teitelbaum, deans, and others.

 

Please join me in thanking Jeff and in wishing him all the best,

 

Sincerely,

 

Susan Herbst