Dean's Message - Convocation 2008
College of Arts and Sciences Convocation message
Where Do We Go From Here?
Students, Faculty, Staff and Friends:
One of the greatest challenges of a growing academic institution such as ours is to define our collective direction to the future. Once we know where we would like to be at some point in time, only then can we evaluate and perhaps determine the best route to take. That route may not be the easiest or the fastest, but it should be one that, indeed, takes us to our desired place in the future. But first let's ask ourselves the question, have we actually decided on some future position of the College that meets not only the mission of the University, but also our collective academic aspirations?
Last year's message regarding our changing institutional culture holds true regardless of our ultimate goals. We are well into a state of transition with all the relevant opportunities and challenges that are required to build a vibrant future of the College. We gradually cast aside old ideas and philosophies, try things we haven't tried before, and create new and fresh approaches to programmatic sustainability. We are rising to one of the greatest challenges, which is to focus on strategic plans that build on existing strengths, and we are working hard to promote growth in enrollment and extramural funding. Do we know where this effort is leading? Do we have our sights on some nebulous or arbitrary goal such as "this many students" or "that much external funding" or "a heaping amount of international prestige?" I believe that we still need to think more about our plans, elucidate our goals and outline our objectives; in other words, decide what we want for our future. Where do we go from here?
There's no doubt that the world has faced, and continues to face, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression that began in 1929. Everyone in our society has seen some negative effect of the economic recession. Accordingly, because higher education is part of the larger economic system, it has experienced significant changes due to recent budgetary problems. Simply look around, or into a mirror, to see people who have made a sacrifice. Some have sacrificed more than others. Casualties always occur during economic downturns, businesses fail, and nonprofit organizations lose revenue. Tax revenues fall during such times, and the priorities of states usually include entities other than higher education. We can all hope, perhaps with good reason that the recession has bottomed out and is transitioning into a more positive economic pattern. In the meantime, we find ourselves laden with heavy burdens such as increased workloads, the loss of good faculty members, misunderstandings, and a decline in morale.
Yet, not all of our current inconveniences may be related simply to the economy. As a matter of fact, we have reason to believe that we are on a positive trend and that we have a bright future. But what is that reason, and what resources do we have that will enable a future of national and international prestige, and sustainable growth of new and existing programs? In order to answer that complex question, I refer to an article by Peter A. Facione in the March 20, 2009 Chronicle of Higher Education, "A Straight-Talk Survival Guide for College." Facione suggests that the primary message to get across is that institutions of higher education are in fierce competition. He believes that a major mistake is to focus entirely on budgetary realignments, and that the surviving institutions "will be those that have built collaborations among internal groups in order to compete externally for students, faculty talent, and financial resources."
We already have made great strides along these lines. In spite of the budgetary difficulties, we have begun to focus on programs that will enable more flexibility and interdisciplinary participation. We have done a better job at marketing ourselves, announcing our accomplishments on the web, and proclaiming the viability of excellent academic programs and so forth. Simply visit the ISU website and see who has done something really great lately. Listen to a few recent examples, of many, that proclaim the excellence of our College:
The Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program in the Department of Psychology was ranked number one out of 207 doctoral training programs in the US and Canada based upon Examination for Professional Psychology (EPPP) test scores as published in Psychological Report (2008).
The Rupp Debate Society, in the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies won the competitive bid to host the 2009 CEDA National Debate Tournament at Idaho State University in March 2009. The event included more than 450 participants from 83 colleges and universities across the country. Schools such as Harvard, Dartmouth, Emory, George Washington, University of Southern California, and Pepperdine were represented.
The Department of History announced the advent of a new cooperative publication venture, Idaho Landscapes: The Magazine of Idaho History, Culture, Art and Science, with the Idaho State Historical Society and the Center for Idaho History and Politics at Boise State University.
The Department of History also co-hosted over 500 scholars from around the world at the annual meeting of the American Society for Environmental History held in Boise. Department faculty collaborated with colleagues at the University of Idaho and Boise State University to organize the event, the largest and most prestigious conference in the field of environmental history.
The Department of Mass Communication completed a $2.3 million project to renovate media facilities and incorporate the KISU-TV studio into the Department. This integration enables broadcast students to learn and operate state-of-the-art HDTV equipment that outshines that of any institution and/or TV station in the state of Idaho.
Drs. Rene Rodriguez and Joshua Pak in the Department of Chemistry received a $1.3 million award from Precision Nanoparticles: "Improved Fabrication Methods and Materials for Advanced Photovoltaic and Semiconductor Devices." The nanotechnology developed by Pak and Rodriguez was nominated for the United States Top 100 Research & Development Discoveries of 2008.
The Department of Physics, in conjunction with the Idaho Accelerator Center, now has more operating accelerators than any university in North America. Physics and Health Physics faculty typically bring in ~$7 million dollars per year in external funds.
Overall, during the 2008 calendar year, the College of Arts and Sciences conducted research for over 20 active NSF grants, submitted 205 proposals for $44.5 million in external research funding, and received 101 grant awards for $12 million total. Faculty in the College also successfully wrote an NSF EPSCoR $15 million grant proposal, "Water Resources in a Changing Climate", an interdisciplinary project related to climate change and water resources, which fosters collaboration with other Idaho universities.
Three Idaho State University faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences were honored as ISU's 2008-2009 Distinguished Faculty. James Aho, professor of sociology, is Distinguished Teacher; Russell Wahl, professor and director of the philosophy program, is Distinguished Researcher; and Cynthia D. Hill, interim director of the Center for Teaching and Learning and economics professor, received the Distinguished Public Service Award.
And most recently announced: Idaho State University biological sciences Professor and Chair Terry Bowyer and Professor John Kie have been honored by The Wildlife Society with a Wildlife Publications Award for an Outstanding Article for their paper "Effects of scale on interpreting life-history characteristics of ungulates and carnivores."
These and other successes indicate that the College of Arts and Sciences comprises a diverse group of collegial individuals with great credentials. We need to remind ourselves and the rest of the world that we have a great institution because we have great people and we live in a great community; remember that always. Our faculty, staff, and students are willing to share resources, and share ideas. We are developing new ways of teaching and conducting scholarly activities more efficiently and with a competitive and creative edge that will help us cut through the entanglements and complications of a complex world.
Thus, we can continue to work together, help each other, conjoin our efforts toward a common goal, and with that in mind our university of foot-soldiers, so-named by business Professor Frank Plewa, can go a long way. But we have not yet collectively answered the original question in this message: Where do we go from here?
We must answer that question as we proceed into the coming academic year, which will likely be as challenging as any year in the history of the institution. If we can focus on our goals, decide what is best for our institution, and really get a handle on our direction, no one can say in a bemoaning fashion, "We can't get there from here!" Let's not focus on the nay saying. Let's not focus on what difficulties we will have. Let's focus on what we can accomplish with what resources we have available to us. It still makes sense for us to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to improving the College. Again, remember that by improving our College we improve the University, the community, our individual lives and careers. Our challenge is to focus on our direction, keep our heads cool, and work together as colleagues to solve some very difficult problems and invent a very real and good future.
Scott Hughes