Building%20Strong%20Geoscience%20Departments:

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• Building Strong Geoscience Departments
• A Workshop Report

Cathy Manduca, Carleton College Heather
Macdonald, Geoff Feiss, College of William and
Mary Randy Richardson, University of
Arizona With NSF funding (03-31930)
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• Supporting individual departments
• Strengthening the geosciences as a whole

• Promoting communication and discussion
• Sharing information and resources
• Enabling collective action

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• Establishing interest
• Starting a discussion
• Characterizing success

• Feb 05 Workshop at William and Mary
• Survey of geoscience department chairs
• Professional society sessions/town meeting
• Advisory Board meeting

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• First Order Outcomes

• Much in common that could learn from one another
• Time of challenge and opportunity
• Collective action could be very helpful

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• Key Themes

• A part of the institution being central,
  effective metrics/reporting, forging strategic
  partnerships,
• Exciting research opportunities
  interdisciplinary programs
• Teaching students Program design, curriculum,
  mentoring, professional development, student
  research, assessment, accreditation
• Beyond the academic program alumni relations,
  being part of the community, K-12 outreach
• Developing a strong team leadership development,
  teamwork, planning, mergers/splits
• Recruitment, development, and retention of
  students, faculty, and staff

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• Sharing Information

• Letter to heads and chairs
• Professional society sessions
• Website serc.carleton.edu/departments

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http//serc.carleton.edu/departments
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• Advisory Board Recommendations

• A Program for Departments to
• Foster discussion and sharing around topics of
  high interest to geoscience departments.
• Collect, develop and disseminate resources that
  assist departments in addressing the challenges
  and opportunities they face
• Foster improved leadership and team building
  within geoscience departments and enhance their
  ability to behave strategically.

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• Advisory Board Recommendations

• With Long-term Goals To
• improve leadership capacity of the profession
  broadly defined
• help geoscience departments/units thrive
  internally and as members of their institutions
• promote the ability of geoscience to contribute
  to society and enhance recognition that
  geoscience is fundamental to society and academia
• develop longitudinal thinking about and
  approaches to the education of geoscientists

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• Advisory Board Recommendations

• And several program elements
• Thematic workshops on topics of high interest
• Information gathering via interviews, surveys and
  sessions
• Community viewpoints developed by advisory board
• Continued website development
• Training of consultants
• Collaboration with professional societies

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• Next Steps

• Prepare proposal
• Continue sharing and discussion
• this session and its poster session
• website
• Build resource collection via contributions
• Resources
• Department profiles
• E-mail discussion list

• serc.carleton.edu/departments
• cmanduca_at_carleton.edu

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• Characteristics of Thriving Departments

• Dynamic and upwardly mobile, managing change
• Degrees are highly valued by students,
  institution, employers
• Student centered with loyal alumni
• Know the rules and play by them
• Communicate excellence
• Balance research, teaching and service
• Students meet stated goals
• Strong enrollments
• Congenial and collaborative
• Diverse, balanced, happy faculty and staff