Research administrators at Penn State will have a new opportunity to strengthen and expand their professional skills through the Administrative Committee on Research (ACOR) Certification & Education Series (ACES) program, which was recently updated to integrate modules from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Skilled Training in Administration and Institutional Research (STAIR) program.
Specifically, the year-long ACES professional development program, exclusively available to Penn State employees, now includes NSF STAIR's Collaborative Administration for Research Excellence Series (CARES) curriculum, which was developed by STAIR at Penn State and is available to research administrators across the country. The collaboration combines CARES' self-paced foundational training with ACES' live, interactive lessons. The model allows participants to build core knowledge independently before applying it through discussion, case-based learning and collaborative activities.
Three CARES modules were integrated into the 2026-27 ACES curriculum, but the collaboration is continuing. The ACES and STAIR teams plan to integrate additional CARES modules as they are developed to fully deploy eight modules into ACES for the 2027-28 program.
"The ACES participants are Penn State research administrators who are actively working in the field," said Jennifer Stewart, ACES lead on the integration. "ACES provides a structured, year-long professional development pathway for employees seeking to deepen their understanding of the research lifecycle, particularly new research administrators who may enter the profession without formal training or prior experience in research administration."
Jialing Wang, STAIR research program manager, pointed to how the program fits with research administrators' schedules.
"The combined program provides participants with greater flexibility and a more comprehensive learning experience," said Jialing Wang, STAIR research program manager. "Participants can complete the asynchronous CARES modules at their own pace and around their busy work schedules, allowing them to build foundational knowledge before attending the interactive ACES sessions."
The collaboration also brings together expertise from across Penn State and beyond. CARES was developed using ACES materials as a foundation, with support from Penn State staff and faculty as well as many other research administrators from around the country. During the summer, 19 subject-matter experts from across the University helped determine how the programs could be integrated into existing class schedules.
"Because the STAIR CARES curriculum was developed using the ACES materials as a foundation and with strong support from the Penn State's subject-matter experts, integrating the two programs was a natural next step, demonstrating our institutional commitment to the research administration profession," said Camelia Kantor, STAIR principal investigator.
STAIR has finalized and beta-launched seven CARES modules to date, reaching more than 120 learners across 53 universities. Developed with support from the NSF, the modules are freely available to learners nationwide through the STAIR website.
"The STAIR modules were the perfect starting point for someone like me just stepping into the field of research administration," said Parker Jones, a research proposal specialist at the University of South Alabama. "The material was engaging with the activities, and the quizzes were an effective way to ensure that what we learned not only stayed with us throughout the other modules but also throughout our journey into the profession."
The 2026-27 ACES application period is now closed, but employees interested in the next program year may check the ACES website next spring for registration information. CARES modules remain freely available through the STAIR website.
