Finding Financial Support for Managerial Training Programs
(Excerpts from TechTalk Article, Vol. 12, No. 3, June 2007)

Competency in managing animal facilities does not come from passive osmosis. Rather, it comes from active learning, networking with others in the lab animal field, and possessing the motivation to continue to grow within the profession. However, competency comes with both internal and external costs, such as labor hours, travel expenses, conference registrations and certification examination fees.

Where does the money come from for continuing education activities for supervisors and managers? Fundamentally, four sources have existed under both the incremental budgeting model and the zero-budgeting model: 1) funding from direct recharges of grants and contracts awarded to the institution; 2) departmental administrative overhead support; 3) reallocations from revenue-producing cost centers; 4) external funding in the forms of sponsorships and scholarships from corporations and organizations. The critical need for external funding to provide management and supervisory continuing education and training continues to grow as institutions and corporations are challenged with shrinking financial resources and the complexity of managing facility operations escalates.

Recognizing the need for a managerial training program, LAMA members conceived of the idea for ILAM (Institute for Laboratory Animal Management) in 1990. A consortium of LAMA and AALAS members met and developed the program in 1991, and the first-year courses started in 1992. ILAM is a two-year, five-day intensive managerial program for 40 to 50 participants per class, covering topics such as personnel management, cost accounting, time management, mentoring, and administration. ILAM also provides the unique opportunity to meet others in the lab animal field and to form lifelong networks of mutual support. To date, ILAM has graduated over 625 participants from the program.

Seeing the value of ILAM, LAMA members wanted to provide financial support to ILAM participants who needed funding to continue into the second year of the program. LAMA created the ILAM Scholarship to provide financial support through the LAMA Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization. Thanks to the vast generosity and continuing support of many individuals and corporations, the scholarship money has been raised through live and silent auctions during ILAM and at the LAMA Annual Meeting, and through jewelry sales and cash contributions. LAMA would like to convey a special appreciation to Liz Pelletier for donating a hand-made quilt to the live auction for last several years.

The ILAM Scholarship application requirements include a documented educational background, work experience, and career goals, as well as professional references. The LAMA Foundation Board annually reviews the scholarship applications and selects the recipients. Carmen Bianco, Kyrsten Koebach, Howard Mosher, Kim Scamardo, and Leo Yanas currently serve on the LAMA Foundation Board. This year’s recipients for the ILAM Scholarship were Michelle Gillespie, RMLAT from the University of Calgary and Maria Lang, AA, RLATG from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Due to the critical need to provide educational opportunities for supervisors and managers, the LAMA Foundation Board has expanded this scholarship program to include the preparatory course work for CMAR examinations, managerial courses, leadership programs, and to fund first-year ILAM participants. Finding solutions to the financial restraints of institutions and corporations develops competent individuals to manage animal facilities.

For more information on the scholarship program, please contact a LAMA Foundation Board Member. If you would like to make a donation to the LAMA Foundation, please contact Howard Mosher. Thank you for your support!

Enjoy the rest of the summer,
Kim
KimberlyEdgar@aol.com or Kimberly.Edgar@Dartmouth.edu
#603-646-1351