UNIT REVIEW FOR CY 2012 Unit Name: School of Plant Sciences Unit Head: Karen S. Schumaker Date of review: March 21, 2013 1
Cooperative Extension System Total Extension FTE: 5.39 List Extension programs: Desert Turfgrass Management (Kopec) Plant Disease Identification and Management (Matheron) Weed Management (McCloskey) Plant Disease Diagnosis (Olsen) Cultural Practices for Field Crops (Ottman) Turfgrass Management (Pessarakli) Environmental Horticulture/Stewarding the Campus Arboretum (Quist) Controlled Environment Agriculture (Rorabaugh) Nursery and Specialty Crop Management (Schuch) Cropping Systems Management (Wang) Commercial Citrus and Deciduous Fruit Crop Management and Grower Education (Wright) 2
Research Total Research FTE: 19.75 FTE Number of peer-reviewed publications in the unit and per faculty FTE: 71, 3.59 Number of proposals submitted to federal agencies: FY2012 = 54 List of agencies submitted to: NSF USDA NIFA and AFRI NIH DOE DOD USAID Number of successful proposals and list of agencies funding these: 42 Grants Awarded: NSF, USDA, NIH, DOE, Cotton Inc., United States Golf Association, National Park Service, AZ Grain Research Promotional Council, SunGrant, AZ Dept. of Agriculture Number of commercial contracts and list of companies: None Total research expenditures for FY12: $16,767,096 3
Intellectual property data Disclosures: 1 Provisional Patents: 1 (Filed) Patents: 1 Licenses: Companies spun out: 4
Academic Programs A. Instruction Total Teaching FTE: 7.14 Total student credit hours taught by department towards CALS degrees: Undergraduate graduation rates: 4 year: 46.6% 6 year: 51.6% Freshman retention rate for each degree: Program Semester students entered Number of Students Returned 1 st year Returned 2 nd year Plant Sciences Fall 2010 9 100.0% 88.9% Plant Sciences Fall 2011 6 100.0% Plant Sciences Fall 2012 5 Crop Production Fall 2011 3 100.0% Crop Production Fall 2012 1 5
Academic Programs (cont.) A. Instruction List Masters degrees and numbers of graduate students in each degree: Plant Sciences: 2 Plant Pathology: 2 List Doctoral degrees and numbers of graduate students in each degree: Plant Sciences: 14 Plant Pathology: 8 6
Academic Programs (cont.) A. Instruction (cont.) List Undergraduate majors and option, and give numbers of students in each option: Description of Major Number students enrolled Plant Sciences (no sub-plans) 32 Crop Production* Agronomy 8 Turf Science 1 Undeclared subplan 7 Sustainable Plant Systems Agronomy 2 Turf Science 1 Environmental Horticulture 7 Controlled Environment Agriculture 0 Food Safety 1 Undeclared subplan 12 Total 71 *Phased out in 2012-replaced by Sustainable Plant Systems 7
B. Winter/Summer Program List courses offered in summer/winter, enrollment #, completion #: (If desired, this can be submitted as an embedded excel spreadsheet; please submit the excel sheet with the excel file) Course Number Course Title Semester/Term Instructor Enrolled/ Completed Format PLS 465/565 Post-harvest Physiology Summer 11 (2) Kubota & Fonseca 10/10 Online MIC 424 Virology Laboratory Summer 12 (2) Fane 5/5 Laboratory PLS 170C1 Plants and Our World Pre-session 12 Sieberg 20/20 Online PLS 170C1 Plants and Our World Summer 12 (1) Sieberg 19/19 Online PLS 170C1 Plants and Our World Winter 11 Sieberg 13/13 Online PLS 170C1 Plants and Our World Winter 12 Sieberg 25/25 Online 8
C. Outreach College or Alternative Programs List certificate programs, study abroad, executive and continuing education and/or other programs offered through Outreach College and define the goals of the various programs: None List courses offered through Outreach College, current enrollments, and anticipated enrollments Course Number Course Title Semester Instructor Enrollment Golf & Sport Turfgrass PLS 270 Management S08, S09 Kopec 2 PLS 403 Citrus Production S12 Wright 6 PLS 475A/ 575A Physiological Plant Production in Controlled Environments S12 Kubota 3 PLS 300 Applied Weed Science S12 Tickes 12 PLS 306 Crop Production F12 Silvertooth 11 PLP 305 Plant Pathology S11 Matheron 11 9
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Graphical representations of numbers of undergraduate, masters and Ph.D. degrees conferred per year since 2000 Number of degrees 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 M.S. 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Undergraduate 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Ph.D. 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 10
List the undergraduate and graduate courses that will be taught spring 2013 through spring 2014 (3 semesters and summer/winter), and the name of the instructor for the course. Do not list house numbered courses. Indicate if courses are: online (O), hybrid/blended (HB; partial online) and/or face to face (FTF). Indicate the semester in which they are offered: (Fall (F), Spring (S), Winter (W), Summer I (SI), Summer II (SII), Pre-session (PS), evening (E), weekend (W) Course Semester Title Instructor Format PLS 170C1 S, F, S Plants and Our World Quist O PLS 170C1 F Plants and Our World (Honors section) Ray FTF PLS 170C2 F Introductory Biotechnology Feldmann FTF PLS 195A F Colloquium Ray, McCloskey, Galbraith FTF PLS 217 F Intro to Hydroponics & CEA + Laboratory Rorabaugh FTF PLS 235 S Intro to Horticulture Quist FTF PLS 240 F Plant Biology Lecture & Laboratory Smith FTF PLS 270 S Golf and Sport Turfgrass Management Kopec FTF PLS 312 S Animal & Plant Genetics Ray FTF PLS 330 F Plant Propagation, Production and Management Quist & Schuch FTF PLS 340 F Introduction to Biotechnology Feldmann FTF PLS 359 F Plant Cell Structure and Function Palanivelu FTF PLS 359L F Plant Cell Structure and Function Laboratory Palanivelu FTF PLS 360 S Plant Growth and Physiology Mosher FTF PLS 361 S Principles of Plant Physiology Laboratory Rhoads FTF PLS 397B S Workshop: Advanced Hydroponics Rorabaugh FTF PLS 436/536 (ENTO) S Agro-Ecology Walker & Carriere FTF PLS 440/540 F Mechanisms in Plant Development Schumaker FTF PLS 448/548 F Biochemistry and Metabolic Engineering Schmidt & Herman FTF No Summer, Winter or Pre-Session classes are currently scheduled 11
List the undergraduate or graduate courses that will be taught spring 2013 through spring 2014 (3 semesters and summer/winter), and the name of the instructor for the course. Do not list house numbered courses. Indicate if courses are: online (O), hybrid/blended (HB; partial online) and/or face to face (FTF). Indicate the semester in which they are offered: (Fall (F), Spring (S), Winter (W), Summer I (SI), Summer II (SII), Pre-session (PS), evening (E), weekend (W) (cont.) Course Semester Title Instructor Format PLS 455 F Turfgrass Management Pessarakli FTF PLS 472/572 (ECOL) S Systematic Botany McMahon (ECOL) FTF PLS 483/583 F Controlled Environment Systems Giacomelli FTF PLS 497F S, F, S Community Garden Marston FTF PLS 498 S Senior Capstone TBD FTF PLS 565 F Next-Gen Sequencing Analysis B. Wang FTF PLS 595B F Current topics in Plant Sciences - Advanced Schumaker FTF PLS 695A S School of Plant Sciences Journal Club Palanivelu / Yadegari FTF PLS/PLP 596A S, F, S School of Plant Sciences Seminar VanEtten FTF MIC 328R S Microbial Physiology Fane FTF PLP 150C1 S Mushrooms, Mold and Man Pryor FTF PLP 305 F Introduction to Plant Pathology Pryor FTF PLP 305 S Introduction to Plant Pathology Matheron HB PLP 329A F Microbial Diversity Arnold FTF PLP 427/527 R F General Mycology Orbach FTF PLP 428L/528L S Microbial Genetics Laboratory Baltrus FTF PLP 428R/528R S Microbial Genetics Lecture Baltrus FTF PLP 550 F Principles of Plant Microbiology TBD FTF PLP 596B S,F,S Current topics in Microbial Biology Orbach FTF No Summer, Winter or Pre-Session classes are currently scheduled 12
List courses that will not be taught or will be eliminated as a result of insufficient faculty for instruction Semester Course Number Course Title Spring PLS 463/563 Post-Harvest Physiology, Tech and Safety Spring/Fall PLS 696 Interdisciplinary Seminar Spring PLS 361 Plant Physiology Lab Winter PLS 170C1 Plants and Our World Summer PLS 170C1 Plants and Our World 13
Number of undergraduate students in the unit involved in: i. research experiences: 102 (18 Volunteers, 22 Credit, 62 Pay) ii. extension experiences: 1 iii. internships: 1 14
New academic programs, efforts planned with Outreach College, certificate programs or new online courses or degrees, or new courses planned for Winter or Summer Sessions and how these changes support your strategic plans Strong effort to develop online courses, one of the key action items in SPLS Strategic Goal One Several courses (PLS 359, PLS 360, PLS 428) are utilizing online instruction tools Participation in USDA grant (submitted by Randy Burd and Matt Mars) to develop and offer online courses for UA South Planned submission to the OIA Online Education Project (Option D) for development of additional online courses to be offered in term and in summer/winter sessions The Curriculum/Teaching Committee is developing online certificate programs through the Outreach College to engage students and professionals globally 15
New academic programs, efforts planned with Outreach College, certificate programs or new online courses or degrees, or new courses planned for Winter or Summer Sessions and how these changes support your strategic plans Exploring a new undergraduate degree in Biotechnology Degree will support our strategic plan by integrating research experiences into classroom teaching and increasing the number of students in SPLS majors; additionally, it will prepare students for 21 st century employment opportunities As a first step, we have developed a new 400/500 level Plant Biotechnology course, which is currently undergoing the approval process Degree will enhance undergraduate education at the UA and position CALS as a leader in one of Arizona s growth industries 16
List the top 5 employers of your graduates: Universities (Postdoctoral research) Professional Schools ( Medical / Dental) Industry (Horticulture/Golf Courses/Parks & Recreation Government Schools (K-12) 17
Describe company, corporation or industry interactions your unit has had this past year including advisory boards, individual faculty/industry research projects, and classroom or curricular participation Advisory Boards: Northern California Golf Association Golf Course Association of Arizona Research Boards: Yulex Corporation Arizona Citrus Council California Citrus Research Board Research Collaborations: With corporations and the agricultural industry 18
Alumni and Development history and plan for CY13: Mission The current economic outlook mandates that departments and faculty members more effectively obtain research/education funds via traditional and nontraditional avenues; the mission of the newly established Development/Fundraising Committee is to facilitate this process History Communication between the School and the CALS' offices of Development and Alumni affairs has been informal -- potential donors may not have been identified Communication between faculty members within the School has been informal -- we are not maximizing are own resources Communication with School alumni has been informal -- potential donors may not have been identified 19
Alumni and Development history and plan for CY13: Actions and Goals Within the College. Inform the CALS Development Office and Gift Center about our research/educational activities and their real-word applications to identify potential donors Status data has been gathered and sent to CALS Development office Within the School. Better communication Faculty are successful with: 1) garnering grants from traditional funding agencies (NSF, NIH, USDA), 2) serving on grant review panels, 3) soliciting funds from nontraditional sources (e.g. grower associations and seed companies); in addition, there is wide scientific expertise and specialized equipment within the School, which is under-utilized. Status database will be developed asking faculty members to review grant proposals, lead funding workshops, and/or scientifically advise colleagues informally or via formal collaborations With School Alumni. On-going communication Send School newsletters twice a year, focus on student achievements 20
Review your unit s organizational structure, including your unit s business office structure: 21
Unit or college or university or other issues, concerns, and trends that you consider important over the next 5 years: Two priority issues Lack of funds for graduate education High ERE rates, lack of institutional support for RAships, reductions in/limited numbers of/uncertainty regarding reliability of TA support (college, university) Limits on new faculty hires (especially with respect to start-up funds at the college, university levels) Additional key issues Need recognition and leadership role consistent with faculty participation in undergraduate Microbiology major (college) Lack of funds for equipment maintenance (college, university) (e.g., electron microscope, service contracts for teaching and research equipment) Lack of bridge funds (school, college) Lack of incentives for faculty (college, university; e.g., return of IDC) Concerns regarding salary equity within the School (college) 22
School of Plant Sciences Activities since June 2012: Visioning/School Structure Held more than 10 faculty discussions to identify and discuss School priorities Completed a faculty-led, CALS-mandated Strategic Planning Three document Established new faculty committees to better reflect School priorities (e.g., Research Strategic Planning, Recruitment/Outreach, Development/Fundraising Assigned faculty to School committees based on faculty preferences Began committee-driven monthly faculty meetings Established faculty consensus on hiring priorities for the School Started weekly e-mails to faculty on campus and throughout the State (action items and information focused on promoting productivity, research, instruction and outreach) Prepared the first annual School newsletter (mailed in January 2013) Developing faculty database for the CALS Development Office 23
School of Plant Sciences Activities since June 2012: Enhancing Research Continued a record of award winning success by faculty, including national, international, and intramural awards Planned the first annual School Research Retreat (took place in January 2013) Planned monthly faculty research lunches (began in February 2013) Added three faculty to the School as joint or adjunct Developed School Journal Club (began in January 2013) Research faculty attended 2013 Ag Summit and began first research discussion with colleagues in Yuma Grant submissions up 60% in FY 13 (July through March; 73 applications, $30.8 M) compared to the same period in FY 12 24
School of Plant Sciences Activities since June 2012: Expanding Instruction/Recruitment/Outreach Activities Reviewed and enhanced undergraduate curricula in three majors (Plant Sciences, Sustainable Plant Systems, Microbiology) Graduated substantive number of doctoral and Master's students Recruited outstanding students, including a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow Participated in numerous undergraduate recruiting/outreach activities, including: Meet Your Major and the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology/School of Plant Sciences joint Vision to the Future/Tucson Festival of Books Publicized SPLS undergraduate courses during the spring and fall registration periods Promoted PLS and Sustainable Plant Systems majors in area high schools and within UA and in Yuma 25
School of Plant Sciences Activities since June 2012: Expanding Instruction/Recruitment/Outreach Activities Encouraged community outreach by faculty at a new level, with significant participation in events that collectively reached thousands of citizens (FunFest, BioBlitz, Plant Sciences Family Night, Southern Arizona Regional Science and Engineering Fair) Expanded role of graduate student club to increase camaraderie among students and between students and faculty Exploring joint degree programs with international partners 26
2013 Ag Summit 2013 SPLS Research Retreat 27