SFOS Faculty of the FutureSFOS Faculty of the FutureCommittee ReportCommittee Report

To the SFOS Faculty

Faculty ‘Conclave’, Fairbanks

21 August 2005

Committee MembersCommittee MembersMilo Adkison Rolf GradingerNicola Hillgruber Brenda KonarJoe MargrafAlex deOliveiraTom WeingartnerMatt Wooller

Kate Wynne, ChairWith support from Christina Neumann and other SFOS staff

Committee Charge

…. identify the next tenure-track faculty positions needed to be hired in SFOS

from a strictly ACADEMIC perspective

Sounds simple enough

BUT….

Verges on

Strategic PlanningStrategic Planning !

Points to Consider, Points to Consider, Issues to DiscussIssues to Discuss

……togethertogether

• Is it primarily (or solely) academic?

• Is it Tripartite, where the ratio of teaching, research, and extension varies by faculty?

• What makes us unique? What distinguishes SFOS from any other schools?

• How do SFOS academic activities in dispersed ‘centers’ (Fairbanks, Juneau, Kodiak, Seward) fit in the vision? Can they be better integrated and mutually supporting/supportive- how??

How do we view the role of How do we view the role of SFOS and UAF ?SFOS and UAF ?

• re-building programs “in crisis”?

• preventing strong programs from faltering ?

• sustaining graduate programs in Oceanography, Marine Biology, Fisheries, Seafood Science?

• enhancing undergraduate program (↑ $ from enrollment)?

• sustaining / enhancing research programs (↑ $ from Indirect Cost Recovery)?

Given limited # hires in near future, Given limited # hires in near future, do we prioritize do we prioritize

• Critical mass (n) of faculty in each? if so, n =?

• Critical expertise (throughout school or in geographic centers) that can teach core courses in each? If so, don’t we first need to ID those courses?

in Oceanography, Marine Biology,

Fisheries, Seafood Science?

What constitutes a viable academic program

• Are broad areas of expertise needed by multiple SFOS disciplines?

• Does that expertise already exist within SFOS, UAF, or UA system?

• If so, can it be accessed and utilizied more efficiently? • joint appointments?• team-teaching and short courses?• improved distance delivery?• short-term travel by faculty to other SFOS sites for

team-teaching or short courses?

• How do we get funding needed for additional travel, IT improvement, etc?

Where are our expertise needs now Where are our expertise needs now and in near future (next 5 yrs)? and in near future (next 5 yrs)?

Committee ApproachCommittee Approach

• Identify emerging trends and needs (ADFG, NOAA, NSF, Ocean Commission); trends in hiring across campus

• Solicit input re: priorities from our respective ‘units’

• Identify those needs that cross-cut unit boundaries within school

• Identify needs specific to JUN and FBX

• Discuss SFOS academic strengths and challenges

• Review past and current student enrollment; existing faculty, their expertise and attrition

SFOS Faculty by Division

Tenure Track Non-Tenure track

13 Oceanography 1

12 Fisheries ?

7 Marine Biology 8

5 Seafood Science 0

10 Marine Extension 3

Unofficial, as of Spring 2005

SFOS has lost 7 tenure-track faculty in past year (3 Fisheries, 2 Oceanography, 2 Marine Biol)

SFOS Grad Students by DisciplineSFOS Grad Students by Discipline

Total MS PhD

Oceanography 21 7 14

Marine Biology 41 30 11

Fisheries 74 54 20

Interdisciplinary 9 6 3

Unofficial, as of Spring 2005

SFOS Strengths = ChallengesSFOS Strengths = Challenges

Faculty Diversity

Faculty Dispersal

Faculty of Future ?? Faculty of Future ??

oror

Faculty of Attrition ??Faculty of Attrition ??

General recommendationsGeneral recommendations

11. . Encourage faculty integrationEncourage faculty integration

• consider SFOS to have a multi-discipline academic program: Oceanography, Marine Biology, Fisheries, Seafood Science are each important disciplines and should be supported

• replace critical expertise lost within programs, but consider site-specific needs also

• encourage cross-discipline integration and application of expertise found within centers and units

• seek expertise (hire faculty) to meet overlapping needs of multiple disciplines whenever possible

• consider dissolving academic barriers between GPMSL/Fisheries and IMS/JCOF/FITC/MAP/ASLC/GURU

• Encourage more efficient and effective use of existing faculty when possible

• improve distance delivery

• encourage team-teaching and short-courses

• facilitate inter-campus travel by faculty and students, etc.

• seek joint appointments collaboration on campus(es) for ‘outside’ expertise

NOTE: integrating geographically-dispersed faculty and labs will require increased $$ support ***

2. Improve access to faculty in all locations and divisions

One revisionist’s visualization

Oceanography Marine Biology

Phys.

Geol.

Chem.

Biol.

Ecology

Pop Dynamics

Physiology

Policy

plant vert invert

Fisheries

Mgt.

Ecol.

fresh marine Extension

Sea Grant

MAP

FITC

Fish.

Seafood Sci.

biochem molec Biol toxicologist

SustHarvest.

Processing

SeafoodQuality

Marketing

Better integration of faculty expertise among academic disciplines

biochem molec Biol toxicologist

biochem molec Biol toxicologist

biochem molec Biol toxicologist

Specific recommendationsSpecific recommendations

12 Hires needed merely for SURVIVAL12 Hires needed merely for SURVIVAL

• Address acute and chronic losses to SFOS academic programs ONLY

• We need more faculty for GROWTH

• to address emerging trends and meet state-wide mandates/objectives

• and $ for facilities (lab and office space) to support them

NOTE: a new “Faculty of the Future” committee should be convened to address faculty hiring needs for GROWTH

HIRES NEEDEDTO SUSTAIN EXISTING SFOS ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

(not in preferential order, * indicate replacement of lost faculty) Expertise Location Acad Program

Biometrician/PopDy ecol (* Fagen) JUN Fisheries

Nearshore ecol (* Highsmith) FBX Marine Biol

Invertebrate/benthic ecol (*Shirley) JUN Fisheries

Marine mammal ecologist (* MikeC) FBX Marine Biol

Chemical Oceanographer (*Henrichs) FBX Oceanography

Geological Oceanographer (*Naidu) FBX Oceanography

Microbiologist (* Plumley) FBX Oceanogr/MarBiol

Physiological ecologist (incl fish) FBX Marine Biol/Fish

Biological Oceanographer FBX Oceanogr/MarBiol

Freshwater limnologist (habitat) FBX Fisheries

Freshwater Ecology/Fish Pops FBX Fisheries

Marine Biometrician FBX Marine Biol

The concept The concept

FreshwaterEcologist

NearshoreEcologist

InvertebrateBenthic Ecologist

MarineMammalEcologist

Microbiologist

Exp

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seL

oca

tio

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oo

lsT

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FairbanksJuneau

Biostatistics* Genomics*Stable

IsotopesGISRemoteSensingBioacoustics Modeling

Fluvial Geomorph

StatisticsChemical

OceanographyUndergradFisheries

Marine Biology Field Course

PhysiologicalEcologist

ChemicalOceanogr.

Exp

erti

seL

oca

tio

nT

oo

lsT

each

ing

FairbanksJuneau

Biostatistics* Genomics*Stable

IsotopesGISRemoteSensingBioacoustics Modeling

Fluvial Geomorph

StatisticsChemical

OceanographyUndergradFisheries

Marine Biology Field Course

FreshwaterEcologist

NearshoreEcologist

InvertebrateBenthic Ecologist

PhysiologicalEcologist

MarineMammalEcologist

MicrobiologistChemicalOceanogr.

Exp

erti

seL

oca

tio

nT

oo

lsT

each

ing

FairbanksJuneau

Biostatistics* Genomics*Stable

IsotopesGISRemoteSensingBioacoustics Modeling

Fluvial Geomorph

StatisticsChemical

OceanographyUndergradFisheries

Marine Biology Field Course

ChemicalOceanogr.Physiological

EcologistFreshwaterEcologist

InvertebrateBenthic Ecologist

MarineMammalEcologist

Microbiologist NearshoreEcologist

SFOS is uniqueSFOS is unique

serve research, academic, and extension functions

that

facilitate understanding of high latitude marine organisms, their habitat, environment, and sustained utilization.

Faculty within a single school

SFOS is uniqueSFOS is unique

serve research, academic, and extension functions

that

facilitate understanding of high latitude marine organisms, their habitat, environment, and sustained utilization.

Faculty within a single school

Embrace it. Share it.