EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Department of Plant Pathology is one of nine academic units in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) at The Ohio State University, and is the sole academic unit dedicated to plant-microbe interactions in Ohio's Higher Education system. The department consists of faculty, students, post-docs, and staff located on the Columbus and Wooster campuses of OSU. Funding comes from the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) and Ohio State University Extension (OSUE) line items, and from OSU Academic Programs; higher levels of financial support are obtained from external grants, contracts and gifts.
Research programs in the department encompass basic investigations of plant-microbe interactions at the molecular level to studies of epidemics at the population level, and, in parallel, mission-oriented investigations of management tactics for diseases of major crops and forest trees. Graduate education is one of the foundations of the department. Currently, there are about 2.5 graduate students per faculty advisor; 217 students have enrolled in our graduate program over the last two decades, and many of our graduates have gone on to leadership roles in academia, government and private industry. The department is fully committed to undergraduate education, with a major in Plant Health Management, a minor in Plant Pathology, a new Plant Pathology major, and courses designed for non-majors. Although our UG enrollment in our major is small, our students are very successful, and 70% ultimately enroll in graduate school. Through the use of oral, printed, and electronic media, we are at the forefront in the college in outreach and engagement efforts, primarily through our Extension education programming. Furthermore, the department is engaged globally, with leadership in international research and development projects. Planning and self- assessment are continually utilized as we develop new initiatives in research, education, and outreach. For example, we have developed a new professional master’s degree in plant health management, and are pioneering eLearning initiatives in the college in classroom and Extension education.
Our vision is to be the most credible source of unbiased, science-based information on plant diseases and plant health management in the U.S. Based on success indicators described herein, and our ongoing self-study, we strongly believe that we are one of the leading Departments of Plant Pathology in the country. We have built and maintained this prominent role despite continuing budget cuts from OARDC and OSUE, resulting most notably in the decline in the number of regular faculty members from 19 to 13 since 2000. We see many opportunities to continue our leadership role, and grow further in prominence, by making careful investments in faculty, students, staff, and in infrastructure. But we are now at a critical stage in our future. We are understaffed at the faculty level: to address new initiatives in education and outreach; to address research needs in food security, environmental quality and sustainability, and biobased products; and to take advantage of new interdisciplinary funding opportunities. Therefore, our highest and most immediate priority is to fill two faculty vacancies in basic and mission-oriented programs. We must also repair and upgrade our greenhouses on both campuses and the phytotron (growth-chamber) facility in Columbus. These targeted investments are critical to maintain and grow our leadership role in plant health science and serve our stakeholders at all levels.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 1
OVERVIEW OF THE DEPARTMENT ...... 9 Background, Mission, and Vision ...... 9 Departmental Status and Reputation ...... 11 Strategic Planning and Self-Study ...... 13 Historical Synopsis ...... 15
FACULTY IN PLANT PATHOLOGY ...... 17 Trends ...... 17 Position Priorities, Recruitment, and Hiring ...... 18 Diversity ...... 20 Retention of Faculty ...... 20 Mentoring and Incorporation of Faculty into the Workings of the Department ...... 21
RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP ...... 27 Research Foci and Diversity of Faculty Programs ...... 28 Plant Pathology Research in Relation to the College’s Signature Areas ...... 30 Research Impact ...... 36 Funding for Research ...... 36 A Sampling of Selected Impact Statements ...... 39 Conclusion ...... 48
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND STUDENTS ...... 49 Undergraduate Programs ...... 50 Undergraduate Major ...... 50 Curriculum for the PHM Major ...... 50 Semester Changes ...... 51 Plant Pathology Minor ...... 51 Numbers, Trends, and Impact ...... 51 Attrition ...... 52 Scholarships ...... 52 Undergraduate Student Organization ...... 53 Outreach and Recruitment ...... 53 Recruitment Challenges ...... 54 Recruitment Strategies ...... 55 Interns and Student Assistants ...... 56 Undergraduate Credit Hours ...... 57 Graduate Program ...... 58 Overview and Administration ...... 58 Degrees and Degree Requirements ...... 59
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Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Program (PMBB) ...... 60 Trends and Demographics ...... 60 Graduate Credit Hours ...... 61 Financial Support for Graduate Students ...... 61 Graduate Recruitment ...... 63 Plant Pathology Graduate Students Association (PPGSA) ...... 63 Quality of the Graduate Program ...... 64 NRC Study ...... 64 Ohio State’s Doctoral Assessment – 2007 ...... 66 Some Statistics on our Graduate Students (2000-present) ...... 68 MS Program ...... 68 PhD Program ...... 68 Attrition ...... 69 Diversity ...... 69 Graduate Students – Publications and Invited Presentations ...... 69 Graduate Students – C. C. Allison Award ...... 70 Students Taking an Active Role in National Initiatives ...... 70 Postdoctoral Scientists and Visiting Scholars ...... 71 Plant Pathology Curriculum ...... 71 Courses ...... 71 Quarters to Semesters Conversion ...... 71 Quality of Instruction ...... 72 Communication and Role of Technology in Support of Academic Programs ...... 73 Website and Social Media ...... 73 News, Announcements, Publicity ...... 73 Videoconferencing ...... 74 Online Course Management – “Carmen” ...... 75 Staffing Support for Academic Programs ...... 75 eLearning in Teaching and Extension ...... 76 Online Courses ...... 76 New Online Courses ...... 76 Online Extension Resources ...... 77 Challenges ...... 78 eLearning Committees ...... 78 Conclusion ...... 79 Supplemental Tables TA-TK ...... 81
OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT ...... 95 Overview ...... 95 Outreach and Engagement through Extension Educational Programming (OSUE) ...... 95 Extension Program Emphasis Areas ...... 98 Field Crops Disease Management ...... 98 Vegetable Crops Disease Management ...... 99 Fruit Crops Disease Management ...... 99
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Turfgrass Disease Management ...... 100 Disease Management in Ornamentals ...... 100 Diagnostics ...... 101 The C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic ...... 101 Ohio Plant Diagnostic Network (OPDN) ...... 102 Participation on Commodity Teams and Contributions to Newsletters ...... 103 Regionalization in Extension Programming ...... 104 Outreach through eLearning ...... 106 Evaluation and Current Status of Plant Pathology Extension ...... 106 Surveys of Internal and External Stakeholders ...... 106 Input from the Department’s Extension Advisory Committee ...... 106 Recognition of Faculty with National Awards ...... 107 Recognition of Published Materials with National Awards ...... 107 Frequent Invitations for our Extension Specialists to Speak Locally, Regionally, and Nationally ...... 108 A Sampling of Selected Impact Statements (Extension) ...... 108 Future Planning and Objectives ...... 113 Conclusion ...... 114
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING ...... 115 Overview ...... 115 Participation in Organized International Programs ...... 116 World Class University Program – South Korea ...... 116 Integrated Pest Management Collaborative Research Support Program (IPM CRSP) .. 116 International Diagnostic Training ...... 117 Department of Energy - EARTH University ...... 118 Horticulture CRSP ...... 118 Africa Food Security Initiative ...... 118 NSF PIRE Project on Rhizosphere Biology in the Sahel Region – Senegal ...... 118 USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Faculty Exchange Program ...... 119 Plant Disease Epidemiology: US-UK ...... 119 Interdisciplinary OSU/ARS Research on Maize Viruses and Phytoplasmas ...... 119 Students, Post-Docs, and Visiting Scholars ...... 120 International Awards, Honors, and Recognition ...... 121 Faculty ...... 121 International Alumni ...... 121 Selected Publications from International Projects ...... 122 Conclusion ...... 124
INFRASTRUCTURE ...... 125 Columbus Campus ...... 126 Laboratory Space ...... 126 Diagnostic Clinic and Ohio Department of Agriculture Facilities ...... 127 Teaching Space ...... 127 Office and Meeting Space ...... 128 5
Equipment ...... 128 Plant Growth Facilities ...... 129 Field Research Facilities (Waterman Farm) ...... 129 Staffing and Office Support for Kottman Hall (Columbus) ...... 129 Wooster Campus ...... 130 Laboratory Space ...... 130 Teaching Space ...... 131 Office and Meeting Space ...... 131 Equipment ...... 131 Greenhouses and Plant Growth Facilities ...... 132 Field Research Facilities (Snyder Farm) ...... 133 Staffing and Office Support for Selby Hall (Wooster) ...... 133 OARDC Outlying Research Stations ...... 134 General Office Staffing to Support Departmental Operations (across campuses) ...... 135 Conclusion ...... 136
DEPARTMENTAL LEADERSHIP AND GENERAL OPERATING PROCEDURES ...... 137 Departmental Administration ...... 137 General Operating Procedures and Committees ...... 138 Conclusion ...... 140
SUMMARY: REQUEST FOR INPUT ...... 141
LIST OF APPENDICES ...... 143 A. Short CVs of faculty and senior staff in Plant Pathology B. Peer-reviewed journal articles since 2006 C. Strategic Plan (2009) D. Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure document E. Pattern of Administration document F. Graduate Student Handbook G. Course Requirements
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GLOSSARY OF TERMS
AA Committee – Academic Affairs Committee APS – American Phytopathological Society, the premiere professional society for plant pathologists APT – Appointments, Promotion and Tenure document that details criteria and procedures regarding faculty appointments ATI – Agricultural Technical Institute, two-year technical college on the campus of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster, part of CFAES Carmen – Ohio State’s course management system (web template for OSU courses) CFAES – College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences C.O.R.N. – Crop Observation and Recommendation Network, timely recommendations provided by the OSU Extension Agronomic Crops Team (corn.osu.edu) DPT – Departmental Promotion and Tenure Committee (also referred to as P&T) ENLTT – Extension Nursery Landscape and Turf Team FAHRP – Food Animal Health Research Program (OARDC program with food safety and animal health focus) GSC – Graduate Studies Committee HCS – OSU Department of Horticulture and Crop Science IPM CRSP – Integrated Pest Management Collaborative Research Support Program (funded by USAID) NRC – National Research Council MCIC – Molecular and Cellular Imaging Center; OARDC center that provides equipment and services for microscopy, genomics and molecular biology OARDC – Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center ODA – Ohio Department of Agriculture OFFER – Organic Food and Farm Educational Research program, part of OARDC and CFAES OSC - Ohio Soybean Council, which manages Ohio’s soybean checkoff funds research, promotion and communication initiatives OSU – a common abbreviation for The Ohio State University (not to be confused with Oregon State University or Oklahoma State University) OSU:pro – OSU database system in which faculty accomplishments (publications, courses, presentations, grants, etc.) are entered and catalogued for college annual reporting, promotion and tenure processes, and streamlining information sharing across campus OSUE – OSU Extension OSU GF – OSU General Funds, synonymous with Academic Programs POA – Pattern Of Administration, a document describing a unit or department’s policies and procedures 7 for governance
PHARM – Plant Health and Resource Management Forum, Plant Pathology’s undergraduate student organization PHM – Plant Health Management, the undergraduate major in the Department of Plant Pathology PMBB – an inter-disciplinary group with faculty in Plant Pathology, Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology, and Horticulture and Crop Science PPDC – C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic PPGSA – Plant Pathology Graduate Students Organization RBB – Responsibility Based Budgeting, formula-based budget model for the OSU General Funds allocation to university departments (pertaining to academic programs) SAC – Student Advisory Committee Semester Transition – OSU is changing from a quarter to a semester term calendar starting Summer 2012 (affectionately known as Q2S, for Quarters to Semesters) SENR – OSU School of Environment and Natural Resources, part of CFAES USB – United Soybean Board - administers soybean checkoff activities for research and market development USAID – independent federal agency that provide U.S. economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide USDA – U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA AFRI – USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (competitive grants program) USDA NIFA – USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture USDA ARS – USDA Agricultural Research Service; research arm of this agency USDA FAS – USDA Foreign Agricultural Service; this branch develops U.S.-global linkages to enhance export opportunities and global food security
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OVERVIEW OF THE DEPARTMENT