GRADUATE FACULTY COUNCIL DOC. NO. 779A Approved May 12, 2003 FOLLOW-UP REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON REVIEWS FOR THE REVIEW OF THE MASTER OF SCIENCE AND DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE PROGRAMS IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (Date of Review: December 9-11, 1998) The original report, GFC Doc. No. 779, was approved April 19, 1999. Response to Recommendations Recommendation 1: The Department should undertake a comprehensive evaluation/revision of its curriculum. Program Response: The Department has initiated and is in the midst of reforming its curriculum. We have revised our two-course Foundations of Biological Sciences series (204-150 and 152) by restructuring the entire sequence. The first semester now consists of biological concepts and the second organismal biology. We have adopted a new textbook that follows this format and is much more succinct and concept driven than the more encyclopedic text used previously. We have also upgraded Genetics to the 300 level with a discussion section; and we have added new upper-division courses developed by new hires. Recommendation 2: The UWM campus administration, College of Letters and Science, Graduate School and Department should endeavor to resolve the perceived conflict over faculty assignments and resource allocation at the WATER Institute. Program Response: With three exceptions, the faculty are now all 100% in the Department of Biological Sciences. Unique resources that are not available on campus, such as access to the research ship and small boats are provided by the WATER Institute, and the faculty with partial appointments at WATER maintain research labs at that location. Biological Sciences graduate students utilize these labs and other supporting facilities at the Institute. There are also some BioSci graduate students and faculty who work at the NIEHS Biomedical Sciences Core Center at WATER. These individuals use aquatic models to investigate biomedical problems, such as toxic effects on reproductive functions and on development. Recommendation 3: The UWM campus administration, The College of Letters and Science and the Department should cooperate to increase start-up funding for new faculty. Program Response: Start-up funding has increased substantially in recent years, such that a typical new faculty member receives approximately $250,000-$275,000 in start-up over 1-3 years. This increase has greatly enhanced our abilities to attract new hires, particularly in the last three years.
Graduate Faculty Council Doc. No. 779A p. 2 Approved May12, 2003 Recommendation 4: The College of Letters and Science and the Department should develop a plan to increase flexibility in faculty workload. Program Response: We are currently pursuing this initiative via our Policy and Planning Committee that works directly with and is advisory to the Department Chair. We are discussing flexibility of work-load between semesters and over a biennium. We are developing a three-tiered system that allows for reduced work-load for faculty heavily involved in research as demonstrated by publications in peer-reviewed journals and extramural grant funding, a middle category for faculty continuing to publish but without funding, and a third category for faculty involved exclusively in teaching. The College is also more amenable to adjusting teaching loads between semesters to provide a light load in one semester to enhance research productivity. Recommendation 5: The Department should develop a plan to support the continuing education of its Teaching Laboratory Technicians. Program Response: Currently we are encouraging our technicians and supporting their participation in continuing-education courses and workshops offered on campus. Recommendation 6: The UWM campus administration, College of Letters and Sciences, Graduate School, and Department should cooperate to increase the TA and RA stipend to levels that are nationally competitive. Program Response: Our stipends for TA and RA have been supplemented substantially via the Chancellor s Graduate Student Awards (we have received $185,000 from this source), our departmental Ruth Walker Awards, and a limited number of awards from the College of Letters and Science (supplementing stipends up to $4500). We have advertised our new rates on our departmental website, and based upon the marked increases in applications to our Program in the past two years, we believe that our recruiting has been somewhat enhanced and that we have become more competitive nationally. However, stipends need to be raised further (see below). Because the UWM TAs are part of a State union, we have to negotiate salary increases through the State system. Our Department is actively participating in these negotiations by having a departmental representative on the bargaining team (Dr. Jane L. Witten, co- Director of our Graduate Programs). This year, the team negotiated for the highest percentage increase that the State unions would permit, although this was lower than we had wished. However, because of the State deficit, it is unlikely that any increases will come through this year. The establishment of the Chancellor s graduate student awards has been a way to increase the stipends for incoming students, and this has increased our successful recruitment of high-quality applicants. Our Department also has used a portion of theses funds to supplement existing student TA stipends. However, additional resources are necessary to
Graduate Faculty Council Doc. No. 779A p. 3 Approved May12, 2003 bring us to a more competitive level with our peers, but the Chancellor s awards do reflect a strong commitment from the University to address this problem. Recommendation 7: The College of Letters and Science and the Department should cooperate to commit TA allocations at an earlier date. Program Response: The Chair endeavors to allocate TA appointments as early as possible given constraints of indecision on the parts of students, late registrants, enrollment constraints, change of status to RA upon PI s successful grant procurement., etc. Since TAships are linked to enrollment, some appointments cannot be made until enrollments are finalized. We hope to in the future arrive at one-year rather than one-semester appointments by working with the L&S Deans. Recommendation 8: The Department should develop a policy for the allocation of TAs. Program Response: In recent years, each and every graduate student that has requested a TA has received one; and every attempt is made to allocate at a 50% level. At the minimum, a 33% TA is awarded, which waives the out-of-state tuition for the student. Recommendation 9: The Department should make TA course assignments at an earlier date. Program Response: The Chair appreciates this concern and again makes every attempt to make the TA assignments as early as possible. For example, assignments are made several weeks ahead of the start of classes. Spring and Summer semesters are notoriously problematic in this regard. Most students will know that they have a TA well in advance, but assignments to a particular section may be determined based on last-minute enrollment figures and other variables noted in 7 above. Recommendation 10: The Department should develop guidelines for time-to-degree completion (e.g., sit for qualifying exams after 18 month in the program). Program Response: Our Guidelines are posted on our departmental website and state: M.S.: http://www.uwm.edu/dept/biology/docs/grad/msguide.html B. PLANS OF STUDY. You must file a STUDY PLAN at the beginning of your first year, signed by yourself and by your major professor. You must update your progress or change in your STUDY PLAN by the end of January in each year. This must be signed by you and your Committee. File the original PLAN with the Graduate Director. You and your major professor can include separate comments on your progress in each STUDY PLAN.
Graduate Faculty Council Doc. No. 779A p. 4 Approved May12, 2003 a. End of Year 1. Approve thesis research proposal and coursework plan. b. Beginning of Year 2. Administer MS oral examination. c. Fall Semester of Each Year. Review research progress of student and sign STUDY PLAN. d. Year 3. Administer final thesis defense. Ph.D. : http://www.uwm.edu/dept/biology/docs/grad/phdguide.html A Ph.D. Graduate Advisory Committee must be established by the end of the first year of enrollment (see below). The Committee will meet with the student at least once a year to evaluate the student's research and academic progress, and to record a revised program outline on the PLAN OF STUDY form. A new PLAN OF STUDY form, signed by Committee members, MUST be filed with the Graduate Director by the student no later than the end of January of each Spring semester. STUDENTS WHO FAIL TO FILE A COMPLETED PLAN OF STUDY FORM IN TIME IN ANY YEAR WILL BE INELIGIBLE FOR FURTHER FINANCIAL AID (RAs, PAs, TAs, FELLOWSHIPS). The following is the proposed sequence of events in text form. The official website shows it in tabular form. In the first 12 months, the student is to remedy deficiencies (if any agreed upon by her/his Advisory Committee), submit the Plan of Study, and meet with her/his committee. In Year 2, the student is to submit the Warrant for Proposal, the Research Proposal to the Committee, and Plan of Study. In Year 3, the student submits an Application to take the Preliminary Exams 1 and 2, and submits the Plan of Study. In Year 4 (if not earlier), the student is to apply for Dissertator Status, and submit the Certification Document and Plan of Study. In Year 5, the student is to submit the Application for Graduation, defend the Dissertation, and graduate. Recommendation 11: The Department should encourage the formation of a graduate student organization to foster communication among students and between students and faculty. Program Response: A TA Union is in place currently. Graduate student mixers are convened each year; and graduate students meet for our weekly departmental Colloquium series, which entails a seminar and refreshments in social, non-threatening situations both before and after the Colloquium.
Graduate Faculty Council Doc. No. 779A p. 5 Approved May12, 2003 Recommendation 12: The Department should explore the means to increase support for graduate student travel to research meetings. Program Response: The Department provides travel support from the Ruth Walker Award fund, such that at least $300 is available to a student presenting at a conference; this then can be matched with funds from the Graduate School. Recommendation 13: Appropriate planning groups should assess the adequacy of the current budget for needed renovation in Lapham Hall. Renew effort to secure additional funding if warranted. Program Response: Since the last Review, the South Tower of Lapham Hall has been completely remodeled and planning is well underway to do the same for the North Tower. All new research and teaching labs have been built or planned. Completion of the North Wing Project is scheduled for summer 2005. Recommendation 14: The UWM campus administration, College of Letters and Science, Graduate School and Department should cooperate to develop a database of peer comparison information including identification of appropriate peer institutions. Program Response: The Graduate School database used by the Department entails information on Institutions within the Urban Corridor, the Urban 13, CIC, etc. Additional Information: We have negotiated with the Dean of L&S a reduction in TA workload (by about a third) to one that is more competitive with peer institutions. This will result in more timely completion of the terminal graduate degree, all the while maintaining a high quality of teaching for our undergraduates. Program Response Prepared By: Professor Reinhold Hutz, Graduate Program Representative, and Professor Arthur Brooks, Department Chair, March 2003 Recommendation of the Committee on Reviews The COR finds the department s response to be satisfactory and recommends that the next review of the M.S. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences be scheduled according to the regular review cycle.