Strategies for Growth in a Young Earth Sciences Department

1. Strategies for Growth in a Young Earth Sciences Department • Brad Clement, current chairperson • Rosemary Hickey-Vargas, past chairperson • Grenville Draper, past chairperson

2. Florida International University • FIU is part of the University of Florida System • Opened in 1972 • Initial enrollment of 5600 • Enrollment in Fall 2005 exceeded 35,000 students • Predominantly minority • 80% minority students

3. The Department of Earth Sciences at FIU • Founded as a department in 1984 • Grew out of a Physical Sciences Dept. • The department currently has 14 faculty members. • The department offers the BA, BS, MS, and PhD degrees • FIU invested in the department based on our faculty’s research accomplishments • 2nd science department to obtain a doctoral program

4. Challenges in attracting majors • Many minority students see college as a vocational endeavor • They are attracted to majors leading to “high-paying jobs”.

5. Challenges in attracting majors • South Florida is not noted for its “in your face geology” • The majority of our undergraduates have never left Florida • - many have not left Miami Topographically challenged!

6. Full Complement of Faculty (graduate programs in place)

7. Two Strategies for Growth • Hiring faculty with joint positions • Closely collaborate with research centers on campus • Develop a strong offering of courses for non-majors. • Meet the needs of the University’s Common Curriculum (core requirements)

8. Doctoral Program Master’s Program Department established

9. Joint Faculty • Of our 14 faculty members 4 are half-time in the department. • Two have half-time appointments in the Southeastern Environmental Research Center • One has a half-time appointment in the Biology Department • One is the Director of a Research Center

10. Joint Faculty • The half-lines allow us to cover a broader range of expertise than would otherwise be possible. • Given our number of majors • This was particularly important for developing a new doctoral program.

11. Courses for non-majors • Courses must be approved as part of the University Common Curriculum in order to generate enrollment • Most majors do not allow room for students to take electives that do not satisfy the UCC.

12. Courses for non-majors(in addition to Intro to Earth Science) • Physical Oceanography • Natural Disasters • Environmental Geology • Earth Resources • Plus web-based sections of these courses

13. Courses for non-majors • The University Common Curriculum requires that every FIU student take a life science course with a lab. • In 2001 we began offering a “History of Life” course that satisfies this requirement.

15. Getting “History of Life” approved as part of the UCC: • Was a very political process • We argued that our paleontologists have the necessary background to cover evolution, genetics… • It helped that one of our faculty has a half-time appointment in the Biology Department. • It helped that the Biology Department is severely stretched in trying to meet the requirements of teaching life science courses to every FIU student.

16. History of Life • We offer one section each semester. • We have acquired new teaching lab space to handle the increased enrollment. • This Fall it capped at 250 students. • Enrollment in this course has not caused a decrease in our other lower division courses. • New students that otherwise would not be exposed to the Earth Sciences

17. History of Life

18. Challenges for the Future • Surviving as a department that does not graduate lots of students, but as one that educates a large number of students • Particularly challenging in a “business-based funding model” used within FIU • Possible merger with the Environmental Studies Department • Growing our number of Majors: • NSF-funded Geoscope project