Toward a truly "next" generation

The profession of research administration, like many others, is rapidly evolving. The characteristics that define the profession -- such as what professionals need to do, and what they need to know -- are much different now than they were just a few years ago. For better or worse, the die will be cast for the profession by those who have a strong interest and stake in what it will look like. Those who hold leadership positions in research administration and management are probably best positioned to envision what the profession will look like in the future. Because of this, the author has asked several of the "old hands" in research administration to predict the future, and to tell them what they see for the coming years in research administration. Given the inherent difficulty in predicting the future with certainty, the author asked his respondents to identify any particularly important current trends that are driving change.