Integrating the Sciences, Mathematics and Technology
Task Force Meeting Notes
December 3, 1999

Present: Roddy Amenta, Suzie Baker (for Cheryl Talley), Steve Frysinger, Jim Herrick, Bob Kolvoord, Gina MacDonald, Bob McKown, Dick Rice, Jim Sochacki, Jim Steele, Cole Welter, Tom Wood.

Deans David Brakke and Jerry Benson provided opening remarks.

David Brakke
Possibly some confusion on what various people are doing on collaboration. Want blueprint for future for departments at JMU. Brakke and Benson collaborate, but this is a foreign idea for some groups. The Deans try to think of the University as a whole.

· College of Science and Mathematics department discussion.

Solid tradition in disciplinary sciences.
Chemistry Department one of the best in the country.
Biology good department too. Outstanding new head.
Physics had tough times. Recently had a laudatory review by advisory board. They know how to teach physics.
Math Department doing well too.
Geology-external review and soul searching. Came up with an imaginative proposal in environmental science.

· Strengths in undergraduate research as a whole. How can we provide more support for undergraduate research in sciences?

· Important Elements for us to consider

1. What makes us unique? Why come here for science or math?
2. What are our strengths?
3. What should we be doing across departments and to further collaboration?

· Two or three areas for focus

1. New programs.
2. Ways to remove problems for students moving back and forth between Science and Math and ISAT.
3. Science education could be better for all students and for teachers of science. IDLS major is involved. (We do a good job with our majors but other students might not get the same experience.)

Dr. Benson
Task forces are meant to gather ideas. We are not to generate a specific map to follow. We are to generate good ideas. These will go to the Deans and back to faculty to flesh out.

We want to reinforce collaboration. Deans focus on getting students in and seeing where they go when they leave. The Admission Office doesn't want to recruit for programs, but sell uniqueness of JMU. Interns and grads go to a lot of the same places to work. Then they can sell university graduates to these employers. Collaboration and connections are important to be enhanced.

Dr. Brakke
The numbers of JMU science and math grads going to graduate schools has declined. More students being directly employed by firms such as biotech and IT firms. Have to give this more attention.

Should we be thinking about tearing up discipline boundaires? Answer: Lines have been blurred by research interactions. Sciences have grown closer together. Don't want to focus on structure and have it drive the interaction. Structure is needed and shouldn't be an impediment. Bioinformatics is new idea. What does it mean to different people? Many people came to discuss it and didn't matter where people came from. Teacher education is another area.

Resources dictate what we can do. Things now are underfunded. Informal collaboration already happening. Need more funds to do more.

Benson
Underfunding is a factor. We have never had enough resources. Shouldn't wait for resources to dream. We do need base infusion though.

Could be the time to catch our breath. Academic Council knows that.

Brakke
Some areas do have resources. Could put things together cheaply. Instrumentation labs and biotechnology labs are putting things together. Have space in biolabs for example. Also working to gather resources. Legislature could give more money. If we got more money, what would we do? Will strengthen foundations too. Need goals to be good.

Gina - Need to prepare students for rest of their lives. Need to learn how to solve problems through liberal arts education. Have concentrations that are undersubscribed. Don't want to see vocational tech emphasis.

Brakke - broad, shallow coverage in interdisciplinary program is bad. Need depth. No pressure from outside. Won't force new programs. Need faculty support.

Are we getting a double message? Is there pressure for replacing old programs?

Funding comes from new programs. Need to have other options for students, too. Already have array of programs. Need to have overall structure to promote.

Sometimes we buy duplicate items. Twelve-hour teaching load doesn't leave much time for collaboration. Teaching loads are heavy. Students need time too.

At the time the ISAT program was being built, faculty were told of pressure from state. State wanted program so there was pressure from outside.

Best thing would be a center where people could get together.

Many people are working on similar problems.

Brakke - Center for Shenandoah Valley Research is an option. Release time for faculty would be good. This is good idea for this task force. Easier to sell reduced teaching loads if we have bigger picture of programs to drive it. Need goals before we can plan resources. Equipment needs also have to be planned. Starting on master plan for renovation. Needs could drive facilities.

Deans departed. General discussion followed:

Would be good to have some of administration's ideas on web board. Want to see discussion on web board.

There is a mass of data in some programs. How do we make sense of it? Visualization is possible. Tech support is underfunded. Lab equipment and tech support important too.

Would like to see programmatic ideas and better ways to do things. Need people to work grants, technology support. What would help us do these things? Don't expect detailed analysis from us, but alert to where problems are.

Form consensus first on uniqueness of JMU. What are our strengths? Proposals are seeds for us to work with not something to be scored. We should not think in terms of accepting or denying proposals.

Maybe our focus should not be on programs or majors but on something that would help faculty generate these ideas and collaborations. Possibly a Center could bring people together and let them generate the new programs. Duplication of classes between departments is problem. Should look at these problems. Center would be good idea, but we have to go into more detail. Center idea helps us get out of department boundaries. What would we do without department boundaries? Seminars would be good idea too. Can generate ideas.

Sponsored programs helps with grant proposals.
K-12 outreach is good idea too. Need to integrate high school teaching into our research.
Promoting faculty research would be good too. Could incorporate research into undergraduate teaching and teaching education. Good to bring teachers into classes and labs for summer. Grants office to help find opportunities would be good. Creating database of resources available for talks would be good idea.
Outreach could be coordinated.
Strength here is openness of faculty to outside groups.

Centers of excellence are also important. Could be advertised. Centers could attract sponsors and interns. Easy to market. Model for this is an institute at Virginia Tech for biotech. Do research at center, but still teach courses. Need virtual centers. Need to promote physical interaction. Proximity is first step. Then resources cause it to gel. Center could generate funding. Two-person centers can generate funding.

Entrepreneur efforts exercises students. Would be good to see students in classes from other majors. ISAT students want to get into these areas, different areas.

Recap

Applying our Criteria quantitatively is not as important as using it to qualitatively evaluate our ideas. Still need to work out agreed-to criteria.

Meeting next Friday the 10th and again on the following Wed. evening. Open forum on the 16th at 4:30 p.m.

This committee needs a half day to put things together. Can we have a mini-retreat on 6th?