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An old adage from a very seasoned research administrator once told Dr. Lea that in order to properly prepare for launching an R&D tech park to check the paws on the puppy. Through the years Dr. Lea has worked with campuses and industry leaders to set priorities and budgets for construction and operation for a variety of tech parks, specialized research facilities, and remote campus locations. A sample of such alliances and the role Dr. Lea played in the establishment of the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis can be found in the link below. Most organizations have the capacity to dream of bold and audacious plans for new collaborative efforts across organizational boundaries or across organizations. Such efforts are often memorialized in planning documents, white papers, and workshops, but stumble quickly when leadership, funding, governance and space needs (location) are discussed. Dr. Lea has a history enabling organizations to realize their audacious plans by developing sound strategies to step organizations through planning, funding, leadership and governance issues. One such plan born out of a junior faculty members desire to observe a large swath of the Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina to Florida was coordinated and brought to full operation across a multitude of institutions and geographies. The South East Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEACOOS) was fully developed in the UNC Office of the President and funding coordinated across congressional representatives from five states. The link below outlines the large-scale research endeavor that operated for 6 years. One of the best texts offered to assist organizations through the morass of issues regarding University/Industry partnerships was created by the American Association of University Professors and published by the University of Illinois Press. The book covers 56 principles that span academic norms to strategic corporate alliances. A copy of this valuable guide (link below) should occupy every senior administrators bookshelf, especially ...