by Wendy J. Allyn

A workshop to teach graduate students essential skills for obtaining grant money will be a key to many students’ professional success, an SIUC Graduate School Dean says.

The workshop, scheduled for Wednesday, is co-sponsored by the Graduate and Professional Student Council and the SIUC Office of Research Development and Administration, which is responsible for promoting research and other sponsored projects on campus.

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Dean John Yopp, of the SIUC Graduate School, said graduate students, especially those who teach and do research, are expected to support their work with some funding from sources outside the University. The workshop will provide basic knowledge and training to obtain that funding through grants, he said.

The real importance is there’s so much dependence on people who are going out in the world for grants, Yopp said. It’s a very important skill and it’s a learned skill.

Graduate students must know how to represent themselves to a variety of granting agencies to receive funds, Yopp said.

It’s like selling yourself to the agency, he said. It’s not that easy. There are all kinds of cultures of granting agencies.

Connie Shanahan, a research project specialist from the research development office, said the workshop will cover why grants are important, resources, tips, the parts of a grant and the writing process.

Anyone who might seek funding to continue their graduate program will benefit from attending the workshop, Shanahan said. They may gain valuable professional experience because steps in grant-writing resemble those taken toward becoming a professional, she said.

Putting together a grant is similar to putting together a proposal for a thesis or dissertation, Shanahan said. It’s valuable to say you know about the process for future positions. No matter what you do, there can be fundraising as a part of your job.

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Yopp said knowing how to write grants may be especially important to SIUC graduate students because the University depends on outside funding to help graduate at least 50 Ph.D. students a year. SIUC receives more than $18 million in federal grant funds annually, he said.

As a result of the funding it receives, the University is one of about 30 schools to hold a second-level ranking by the Carnegie Institute for the Advancement of Learning, which ranks all institutions of higher education in the United States, Yopp said. He said SIUC does exceptionally well in receiving grants for students and faculty, and the workshop will help carry on this success. SIUC faculty receive about 800 grants and contracts a year, he said.

Mark Terry, GPSC vice president for graduate school affairs, said the workshop is free and open to all SIUC graduate students. It will be held Wednesday, Oct. 25 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the Student Center Mississippi Room.