Building Strong Geoscience Departments: Resources for

the Community

Heather Macdonald, College of William & MaryCathryn Manduca, SERC at Carleton College

Geoffrey Feiss, College of William & MaryRandy Richardson, University of Arizona

Challenges and Opportunities

• Shifting institutional missions, tight budgets, competition for talented faculty and students

• Managing conflict, dealing with difficult situations

• New tools for teaching and research and opportunities for collaboration on global scale

• Increasing recognition of the importance of geoscience education and expertise

Building Strong Departments

• Community effort to stimulate discussion and disseminate community expertise– Workshops, town meetings, sessions at

professional meetings, website

• Resources to improve your geoscience program and enhance its presence on campus

• Sponsored activity of NAGT, AGI, AGU, and GSA; funded by grants from NSF

Workshops• Developing Pathways to Strong Programs for the

Future (2005)• The Role of Departments in Preparing Future

Geoscience Professionals (January 2007)• Connecting Geoscience Departments to the Future of

Science: New Structures for Research and Curriculum (April 2007)

• Strategies for Successful Recruitment of Geoscience Majors (GSA, 2007)

• AGU Heads and Chairs of Earth and Space Science Departments Workshop (AGU 2006, 2007)

Developing Pathways to Strong Programs Workshop

• What constitutes success?

• Various curricular approaches

• Beyond the curriculum

• Lessons from Physics

• Becoming an essential unit on campus

• Building a department team

serc.carleton.edu/departments

Participant Descriptions of Departmental Activities

Participant Posters

Characteristics of Thriving Departments - Letter to Chairs

• Mission of department is aligned with institutional vision

• Offer a modern and dynamic geoscience program (program is more than curriculum)

• Effective in recruitment, development, and retention of students, faculty, and staff

• Work effectively as a department team

• Build strong departmental leadership

• Communicate success, using effective metrics, to others

• Forge partnerships within the university and beyond

The Role of Departments in Preparing Future Geoscience

Professionals Workshop

• Career preparation – what are we trying to accomplish

• Geoscience careers in the 21st century

• Current practices

• Framework for student professional development

• Working with Career Service and other units on campus

• Assessment

What Do Students Need?

Employer and Employee Perspectives

Providing Information About Careers

• Photos and stories of geoscientists

• Job prospects talks in intro courses (Dallas Rhodes/GSU)

• Seminar speakers (range of careers) and career panels

• Alumni newsletter• Career brochures, web

resources

Top Ten Reasons to Become an Earth Science Teacher

Talking with students about job in a state survey

Assessment: Measuring the Impact of our Programs on Students

Cathy Manduca and Ellen Iverson

Investigating Complex Systems

Posters, Presentations, Discussions, Suggestions for Departments, Action Plans

Student Recruitment

• Strategies for Successful Recruitment of Geoscience Majors: workshop at GSA, 2007

• Web resources from GSA/AGU sessions, participant essays and posters

• Connecting Geoscience Departments to the Future of Science: New Structures for Research and Curriculum, April 2007

• Developing and Supporting Leadership: AGU Workshops for Heads and Chairs of Earth & Space Science Departments

– Leadership styles

– Recruiting majors, grad students, faculty

– Development and fund-raising

– Advice for new chairs

– Open discussions

Defining Strong Departments

National Context

Department Activities

Heads and Chairs

Workshops and Sessions

www.serc.carleton.edu/departments

• Building Strong Geoscience Departments is a community effort to stimulate discussion and disseminate community expertise

• Questions for YOU