Control Tower
What is Control Tower
Control Tower is a centralized hub designed to provide end-to-end visibility, monitoring, and management across research operations, processes, and data flows at UTRGV. Acting as a command center, it gathers all relevant data, analytics, and decision-making tools to facilitate governance, reporting, and coordination across the research enterprise.
To request access please email researchIT@utrgv.edu with the name of your college/School
Key Features of the Control Tower
- Visibility: Provides a real-time, comprehensive view of research metrics, processes, and operations across different colleges, schools, departments, and other research units at UTRGV.
- Metrics and Insights: Utilizes advanced analytics to process large volumes of data, offering actionable insights that help identify trends, predict potential issues, optimize operations, and draft necessary mitigations.
- Proactive Management: Enables UTRGV units to anticipate and respond to anomalies, disruptions, or inefficiencies before they escalate, based on current and historical trends.
- Integration: Integrates data from multiple sources, including research systems, Peoplesoft, and Banner, providing a unified view of research metrics.
Accessing the Control Tower Dashboard
All UTRGV colleges and schools have access to the Control Tower Dashboard. Upon logging in, users will first see college or school specific Research Operational Metrics. The navigation menu, located on the left side of the screen, includes a section named "Tracking Doctoral Metrics," which focuses on Doctoral Metrics.
Metrics Scale
- At Risk (< 90%): Current metric is below 90% of the previous fiscal year, signaling potential risk that requires attention.
- Behind (90% - 99%): Current metric is slightly behind but within a manageable range compared to the previous fiscal year.
- On Track (100% - 119%): Current metric is better than the previous fiscal year but still has room for improvement.
- Outperform (≥ 120%): Indicates outstanding performance, exceeding 120% of the previous fiscal year's value.
Research Operational Metrics and Doctoral Metrics
The third section of the Control Tower includes four expandable sections, each dedicated to a key research variable:
- Research Expenditures: Provides detailed summaries, top contributors, growth trends, and data download capabilities.
- Awards: Offers comprehensive overviews of funded proposals, giving a clear picture of UTRGV's financial successes.
- Proposals: Assesses the breadth and depth of submitted projects, highlighting departmental and faculty engagements.
- Doctoral Outcomes/Enrollments: Tracks the progress and achievements of doctoral programs, showcasing their impact on UTRGV's academic future.
Detailed Overview of Key Research Variables
Section 1. Research Expenditures
Research expenditure refers to the total amount spent on research and development (R&D) activities. This critical metric is essential for assessing the scale and impact of UTRGV's research activities. The key categories of research expenditures include:
- Salaries and Wages
- Equipment and Supplies
- Facilities and Utilities
- Grants and Contracts
- Travel
- Consulting and Professional Services
- Indirect Costs
Section 2. Awards
Awards or grants are essential for advancing knowledge, developing new technologies, and supporting the research infrastructure at UTRGV. Types of awards include:
- Federal Grants (e.g., NIH, NSF, DoD)
- State and Local Grants
- Private Foundation Grants
- Corporate Grants
- Institutional and Internal Grants
- International Grants
- Scholarships and Fellowships
- Endowed Chairs and Professorships
Section 3. Proposals
UTRGV's Division of Research submits various types of research proposals to secure external funding, including:
- Grant Proposals
- Contract Proposals
- Collaborative Proposals
- Internal Funding Proposals
- Subaward Proposals
- Programmatic Proposals
- Infrastructure Proposals
- Community and Outreach Proposals
Section 4. Doctoral Outcomes/Enrollments
This section tracks the progress of UTRGV's doctoral programs, which play a significant role in the university's Carnegie classification. Each program's impact is categorized by its college, degree type, and contribution to UTRGV's research output. Key doctoral programs include:
- Business Administration (Ph.D.)
- Clinical Psychology (Ph.D.)
- Curriculum and Instruction (Ed.D.)
- Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)
- Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
- Human Genetics (Ph.D.)
- Materials Science Engineering (Ph.D.)
- Math and Statistics with Interdisciplinary Applications (Ph.D.)
- Nursing Practice (DNP)
- Occupational Therapy (OTD)
- Physics (Ph.D.)
- Podiatric Medicine (DPM)
- Rehabilitation Counseling (Ph.D.)
Impact of Key Research Variables on Carnegie Classification
Achieving R1 classification by 2028 is a critical goal for UTRGV, and the Control Tower and Data Pulse Metrics Bulletin play pivotal roles in this effort.
Research Expenditures, Doctoral Outcomes, and Awards are among the key variables that significantly impact UTRGV’s Carnegie classification. These metrics reflect the university's research activity, funding success, and the strength of its doctoral programs—factors that are essential for attaining "Very High Research Activity" status.
The Control Tower provides real-time visibility and management across these research variables, enabling UTRGV to monitor and optimize performance effectively. By integrating data from various sources, it offers a unified view of metrics that are crucial for R1 classification.
The Data Pulse Metrics Bulletin complements this by delivering comprehensive and actionable insights to senior leadership. It tracks key performance indicators, including research expenditures, awards, proposals, and doctoral degrees, ensuring that leadership is informed and can make data-driven decisions to align with UTRGV’s strategic goals.
Together, the Control Tower and Data Pulse Metrics Bulletin enable UTRGV to monitor progress, drive performance, and strategically plan towards achieving the prestigious R1 classification.