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Service as Administrator
(a) Our higher education system is one of the things that makes America exceptional. There's no place else that has the assets we do when it comes to higher education. People from all over the world aspire to come here and study here. And that is a good thing. (b) We want everybody to act like adults, quit playing games, realize that it's not just my way or the highway. (c) If we are not serious about facts and what's true and what's not, if we can't discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems. Barack Obama (b. 08/04/1961) A. Department Chair | B. Interim Vice-Provost of Graduate Education (Last Update: July 19, 2024) |
| A. Department Chair |
| Outward Presentation of the Department |
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Recruited undergraduate chemistry student Kari Knobbe to serve as Webmaster SP19-FS21.
Reorganized and rebuild the menu and submenu structures of the
Department Website,
improved the existing content with input by the appropriate faculty,
created a variety of new content, and maintained the website up-to-date. |
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Created, maintained, and annually updated Department of Chemistry
catalog content, recruiting flyers, and newsletters. |
| The Department of Chemistry has been blessed by the high levels of Chemistry Scholarship support received over the years from its alumni and friends. Series of Perpetual Plaques have been mounted outside the department office to recognize these generous donors, to connect their support with the names of the students who enjoyed the benefits, and, last but not least, to advertise these resources to future students. |
| In a joint effort between the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Biological Sciences, Schrenk Hall subscribed to become a member of the MinerBytes network, the complete content delivery system that is time and location aware. The screen was mounted in the commons area betwene the East and West wings on the first floor. |
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With the DoC Office Staff and various selection committees, organized
Annual Awards and Awards Banquets.
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| Delivered annual State of the Department presentations.
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| Departmental Infrastructure and Organization |
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With major renovations in West Schrenk Hall completed by the end of AY18/19,
a series of long-overdue Maintenance Projects were performed in Schrenk Hall to improve the appeal
of the Departments of Chemistry and of Biological Sciences.
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| Workplace for Electronics Technician. In AY18/19, Room G24 was assigned to Mr. William Satterfield, Electronic Technician serving Schrenk Hall. Room G24 was refurbished and equipped with adequate furniture and hardware as well as computer equipment. |
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Departmental Instrumentation Inventory, Organization, and Presentation.
Working with Dr. Nathan Leigh and Mr. David Satterfield, this major effort started in 2019
and was guided by weekly or bi-weekly meetings with the technical staff, often also including
the chair of Biological Sciences.
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| New Biomedical Research Core Facility: The Bio-CURE Lab at S&T. A proposal submitted to the UM competition for enhancement funds. Co-PIs (15% each unless otherwise noted): Dr. Nuran Ercal, Dr. Vadym Mochalin, Dr. Rainer Glaser, Dr. Risheng Wang, Dr. Thomas Schuman, Dr. Anthony Convertine, Dr. Keith R. Buszek (10%). Declined by UM, but funded by the Missouri University of Science & Technology, Office of Research, Dr. Costas Tsatsoulis. Award: $572,000 (including matching funds). Funding Period: 07/01/2019-06/30/2021. |
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Institute for Applied NMR Spectroscopy:
Consolidated 400 MHz liquid-state and 400 MHz solid-state NMR spectrometers in SH 125
working with co-directors Dr. Klaus Woelk and Dr. Chariklia Sotiriou-Leventis and faculty stakeholders.
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Microwave Laboratory Enhancement, Dr. Garry Grubbs.
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Organic Chemistry Laboratory Enhancement, Dr. Sotiriou-Leventis.
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| Coatings Institute relocation from BOM1, Dr. Michael van der Mark.
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| Departmental Organization of Self-Government |
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Appointed Dr. Jeffrey Winiarz to serve as
Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education beginning in AY19/20.
Dr. Winiarz was responsible for making faculty teaching assignmment in coordination
with the sub-discipline leaders. Teaching assignments were complicated for several
reasons and these include:
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The first major project towards improved was self-governance of the department faculty involved the
creation of well-defined processes for the constitution of the Personnel Committee and
its conduct of Annual Reviews. These processes were discussed and agreed in AY18/19 and
implementation commeneced with the annual reviews of performance in calendar year 2018. |
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Self-goverance also relied on regular monthly meetings of the
Undergraduate Affairs Committee (three elected members and Assoc. Chair UG Educ., ex officio),
the Graduate Affairs Committee (three elected members), and
the Recruiting Committee (one represenatative from each sub-discipline). |
| Undergraduate Student Program Development |
| Worked with the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education, the Undergraduate Affairs Committee, and the S&T Financial Aid Office to determine criteria for and to implement Chemistry Scholarships for undergraduates majoring in chemistry. |
| The FCR Endowed Undergraduate Research Fellowship Fund in Chemistry was establised on Dec. 30, 1991. Beginning in the summer of 2021, this fund supports one FCR Endowed Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Chemistry for summer research. This fellowship may be viewed as the "hard materials" equivalent of the Christine and Carey Bottom Scholarship in support of "soft materials" research. |
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Graduate Student Program Development |
| Created a Recruitment Visit Reimbursement Program for Department of Chemistry faculty in 2019. This program was designed to enable colleges and universities in Missouri and the Missouri-adjacent states to invite our faculty for a visit at our expense. A database was compiled that includes over one hundred colleges and universities in Missouri and adjacent states. All of these schools were sent packages with informational materials about the department and the Recruitment Visit Reimbursement Program. Faculty were encouraged to actively recruit prospective graduate students to visit S&T to learn about S&T's doctoral program in chemistry. |
| Successful
Chancellor's Doctoral Scholarship Nominations.
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| Successful
Kummer I&E Doctoral Fellow Nominations.
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| Faculty Development |
| Faculty instruct GTAs, GTAs teach students.
In the credit attribution for the instruction of laboratory sections,
it has been common practice to assign most of the credit for the faculty of record
and to assign very little credit to the GTAs. With more clarity about the concept "Faculty instruct GTAs, GTAs teach students", this situation can be remedied in a straighforward manner that ensures clear separation of responsibilities and allows for fair credit attributions to faculty and GTAs.
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| Distribution of Teaching Workloads.
It is a non-trivial task to balance teaching assignments for all faculty
to include courses at all levels.
Faculty accustomed to teaching upper-division UG courses or graduate courses prefer
the benefits of teaching small classes.
Teaching lower-division UG courses (Gen. Chem., Gen. Chem. Lab., Org. Chem. Org. Chem. Lab I)
presents massive efforts that can be so time-consuming as to compromise the faculty's
research component.
Naturally, faculty teaching upper-division UG courses or graduate courses not only prefer those
teaching assignbment but they also tend to work to retain the status quo.
Any advocacy for a more balanced workload distribution there has to be come from the
departmental leadership. Attempts to work toward improved balance included a variety of initiatives.
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| Promotions, Awards of Tenure, Retirements,
Post-Retirement Appointments, and Searches.
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| Faculty numbers have been declining prior to 2018 because of undergraduate enrollment trends at S&T and across the nation. This trend was sharply intensified by the COVID19 pandemic and the associated campus closures SP20 - SP22. The decrease of faculty numbers reached catastrophic levels by 2021 and was openly discussed in the department (see Excel sheet as PDF). Hiring by CASE did not restart until AY23/24. |
| B. Interim Vice-Provost for Graduate Education |
| Graduate Education Organization and Management |
| Provided leadership to the collaborative refinement, adaptation,
and development of the distribution of responsibilities among staff of Graduate Education.
Supervised the rebranding of the Office of Graduate Studies
to Graduate Education in AY22/23.
Learn
more at eConnection. |
| Provided leadership to ensure the continuing development
of Graduate Education staff and to regrow the size of the Graduate Education team. |
| Graduate Student Recruiting & Stipend X Support |
| Worked with Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Dr. Kamal Khayat to create the position of a Faculty Fellow for Graduate Education. It is the purpose of a faculty fellow is to connect eligible faculty to funding opportunities with focus on graduate student support. Learn more at eConnection. |
| Worked with Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Dr. Kamal Khayat to create the Recruitment Visit Reimbursement Program. This program is designed to encourage faculty and departments to invite prospective graduate students to visit S&T. Learn more at eConnection. |
| Collaborated with Kummer Institute leadership on the development and implementation of the Kummer I&E Doctoral Fellows program. Particpated in the I&E Fellows Selection Process; two rounds in AY22/23. |
| Worked with
Graduate Faculty and
Faculty Council
on annual recommendations to Provost regarding graduate student compensation, i.e.,
Stipend X.
In spring of 2023, advocated for university subsidies to make insurance or domestic
graduate students as affordable as the insurance for international graduate students. |
| Support of Graduate Students in Programs |
| Graduate Education organized one-day
Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Workshops for
beginning graduate students.
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| Worked with
Council of Graduate Students (CGS) to promote the
Graduate Student's Bill of Rights.
Numerous meetings with groups of CGS members and various constituents.
Advocated for letters of support by the deans of the three colleges.
Worked on the implementation of the goals wih various constituents incl.
HR, Graduate Faculty, Faculty Senate, and the Council of Research. |
| Researched options for an online campus-wide
Graduate Education Management system (i.e., Cayuse Education Manager).
Organized several presentations by
Cayuse
for various audiences
including two Chancellor's Meetings.
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| Developed new approaches to facilitate the Inclusion of Innovation & Entrepreneurship as part of broader graduate education. Event on March 15, 2023: "Learn about intellectual property". Poster. Learn more at eConnection. |
| Developed an extended format for the Graduate Research Showcase that included posters as well as oral presentations. Event on April 12, 2023: Poster. Learn more at eConnection. Announcement of Winners. |
| Throughout AY22/23, adjudicated non-standard cases of Graduate Student Misconduct presented to Graduate Education. |