story. These programs have directly advanced the educational and research missions of the university, and
continue to serve as a model for the development and maintenance of graduate programs in other
disciplines.
The departmental graduate programs have many strengths that are both tangible and intangible.
Most importantly, the programs are comprised of highly accomplished and competent faculty, graduate
students and staff. The departmental faculty members are university leaders in grant support, which is
essential to support student research assistantships and summer stipends, research supplies and equipment,
and travel to field sites and scientific meetings. The research results that are generated by grant support are
published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at state, regional, national and international meetings by
both faculty members and graduate students. In this area, the Department of Biology and Marine Biology
is one of the most prolific at the university, and many of the departmental faculty and graduate students
have won awards or fellowships for their scholarship. These products of the graduate programs not only
contribute to the advancement of science, but also raise the research profile of the university
internationally. Importantly, the departmental faculty members conduct the research and educational
activities associated with the graduate programs while maintaining a deeply-rooted commitment to
undergraduate education that forms the backbone of our university. In fact, the vibrancy of the graduate
programs promotes a research environment that is easily accessible to undergraduate students, and the
department has a well documented track record and emphasis on encouraging undergraduate research
opportunity.
There are also many less tangible strengths of the graduate programs. New faculty members have
been recruited to the department, in part because of the quality of the graduate programs, and they bring
with them new research approaches that further enhance the opportunities for graduate research. These
newer faculty members, like the rest of the department, share a commitment to both education and research
that is central to our university’s mission. Departmental faculty are also exceedingly collegial, which
fosters an environment of collaboration and sharing that has been critical to the success of our graduate
programs. This positive work environment is particularly evident in the student-centric focus of the
department. The well-being of the graduate students and the quality of their education is an overriding
concern of the faculty, and the department consistently engages in thoughtful analysis and management of
student programs. This attitude extends to the graduate students. The graduate student body is extremely
active and collegial, and the students engage in a number activities, some of which are self-governed,
including fund raisers, the biannual graduate student prospectus symposium, and “TA Boot Camp”, which
promote the success of the graduate programs.
b. WEAKNESSES
While there are many positive features of the graduate programs and their home department, there
are also notable weaknesses that, if not addressed, threaten the sustainability and further development of
these programs.
A first area of weakness, and chief among those listed herein, is insufficient graduate student
support, specifically low stipends for M.S. Teaching Assistants, a low availability of tuition remissions and
scholarships, and a lack of university supported health insurance. The lack of adequate graduate student
support in these areas has led to a condition where our M.S. TAs, upon whom we depend to fulfill part of
our undergraduate teaching obligations, cannot earn a living wage. This situation has been highlighted in
previous program reviews and we emphasize, again, that this must be remedied if the graduate programs
are to sustain the high level status that has been attained over the past several decades. Further, declines in
grant funding, which are critical for graduate support during the summer, also threaten to worsen this
situation. TAs rely on summer stipends from grant funding to continue their professional and project
development through the summer months. In addition, full-time RA stipends during the summer have been
a mechanism to supplement annual student stipends and offset the low TA stipends of the Fall and Spring
semesters. Recent and nationwide declines in funding availability are taking effect in our department, as