Program connects staff, faculty

At many universities, the prevailing culture often seems to be that the faculty perform research, staff members administrate, and never the twain shall meet—unless it’s to butt heads. If that’s sometimes the case at Caltech, Vice President for Business and Finance Al Horvath is out to change things.

Horvath and Sue McHugh, outreach coordinator for Business and Finance, have launched the Research Spotlight for Staff, a new program with the goal of bridging the divide between Caltech’s academic and administrative sectors. He describes it as “kind of a mini Watson lecture” in which faculty members present their work to a staff audience.

“Recently, we’ve been searching for ways to create a more supportive environment for staff and to connect them more with what really goes on here—the research,” he says. “It’s been a challenging year in lots of ways, so we’re trying to do lots of smaller things to let people know they’re appreciated.”

The idea of a faculty presentation arose, which would be similar to Business and Finance’s Leadership Forum for management but geared toward all staff.

Then out of the blue, Horvath received a call from Rosen Professor of Biology Scott Fraser—wanting to discuss ways that faculty could build bridges with staff. “Either my office was bugged or this was just really a good idea, arrived at by different sides of campus,” Horvath says.

Fraser liked the idea and offered to give the first talk. They decided to start small, in the Beckman Institute auditorium, and gave out tickets to ensure that people would show up. McHugh also set up tours of the Brain Imaging Center, which is affiliated with the Biological Imaging Center, headed by Fraser.

Held in January, the first event was “amazingly successful,” Horvath says, with “tons of very positive feedback.” The after-lecture refreshments went largely untouched because most people opted to take the tour. Contributing to the success, Horvath believes, was that the program focused specifically on staff, and that he and Fraser have good rapport, which set an upbeat tone.

“It was really exciting—it got us fired up,” he says. And the vision seemed to catch on. Soon he got a call from Andrew Lange, Goldberger Professor of Physics, who Horvath says is “very focused on wanting to recognize and appreciate staff.” Lange was about to go on sabbatical, but first wanted to present his work on mapping the cosmic microwave background in Antarctica. His talk, with short notice, had a slightly smaller turnout, but also received good feedback. Enthusiastic staff began suggesting future speakers, and a third lecture took place in April with McMillan Professor of

Geophysics Jeroen Tromp, director of the Seismological Laboratory, along with a tour of the lab.
With such positive response, Horvath and McHugh hope to hold the program four times a year, focusing on topics with broad interest. Research areas that lend themselves to lab tours would add extra interest. For now, they will keep the program on a smaller scale, until it “develops its own momentum.” Tickets will be given to vice presidents and division administrators, who are encouraged to rotate distribution among their employees. McHugh says, “We emphasize that we want staff rather than VPs to attend—the people who otherwise may not get the chance to learn about the research.”

One thing that struck Horvath when he arrived at Caltech, he says, was the faculty’s willingness, given the chance, to share with the campus community and laypeople, and their ability to make their work accessible and interesting. “They’re approachable and open to everyone, wanting to have them jump on board,” he says—an attitude lacking at other universities where he’s worked. “This is one of the times our small size is a big advantage.”
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