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1 Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences Texas A&M University MEPS academic program review 2014 Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences Texas A&M University External Review Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences Graduate Program Self Study March 2014 Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences 1 MEPS academic program review 2014 Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences Texas A&M University Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences Graduate Program Self Study March 2014 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences College of Geosciences College of Science Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences 2 MEPS academic program review 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 1. INTRODUCTION 8 1.1 Welcome 1.2 Charge to the Review Team 2. TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM 10 2.1 Texas A&M University 2.2 The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (COALS) 2.3 Aggie Traditions 2.4 Graduate Interdisciplinary Programs 3. MEPS PROGRAM STRUCTURE 18 3.1 Program History 3.2 Program Description 3.3 University Administration of MEPS Program 3.4 Administrative Structure of the MEPS Program 3.4.1 Executive Committee and Chair 3.4.2 Program Coordinator 3.4.3 Admissions Committee 3.4.4 Symposium Committee 3.4.5 Nomination and Awards Committee 3.5 Budget Allocations and Program Expenditures 3.5.1 Funding for current graduate students 4. THE MEPS GRADUATE PROGRAM 31 4.1 Admission Requirements and Procedures 4.2 The Curriculum 4.2.1 Master of Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences 4.2.2 Doctoral Degree 4.2.3 Degree Plan 4.2.4 Advisory Committee 4.2.5 Designated MEPS Courses 4.2.6 MEPS funded Assistantships 4.2.7 MEPS Graduate Student Engagement 5. MEPS STUDENTS 39 5.1 New MEPS Student Enrollment Trends 5.2 MEPS Student Enrollment Trends and Retention 5.2.1 Country of Origin of MEPS Students 5.3 Student Publications and Presentations 5.4 MEPS Student Graduation 6. MEPS FACULTY 45 6.1 Faculty Teaching in MEPS Program 6.2 Faculty Advising 6.3 Research Funding for MEPS Program Faculty 6.4 Faculty Publications 6.5 Demographics of MEPS Faculty 7. VISION, GOALS, AND ASSESSMENT 51 Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences 3 MEPS academic program review 2014 7.1 Texas A&M University Vision 2020 7.2 College of Agriculture and Life Sciences- Grand Challenges 7.3 Strategic Plan/Program Assessment 7.3.1 MEPS Program Vision 7.3.2 MEPS Program Mission 7.3.3 MEPS Program Goals 7.4 Learning Outcomes 8. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES 55 8.1 Program Strengths 8.1.1 Value of an Interdisciplinary degree 8.1.2 Flexible Degree 8.1.3 Faculty Diversity and Research Expertise 8.1.4 Affiliated Scientists 8.1.5 Faculty Recruiting 8.1.6 Plant Science Community 8.1.7 Participation of New Faculty 8.1.8 Annual MEPS Spring Symposium 8.1.9 Excellent Students 8.1.10 Facilities, Equipment, etc 8.1.11 Student Placement 8.2 Program Weaknesses 8.2.1 External Program Visibility 8.2.2 Lack of Physical Program Office Space 8.2.3 Curriculum Weaknesses 8.2.4 Internal Program Identity 8.2.5 Recruiting Activities 8.2.6 Loss of Critical Faculty Expertise 8.2.7 Critical mass 8.2.8 Informal Learning Opportunities 8.2.9 Lack of Plant Growth and Greenhouse Facilities 9. PLANS FOR THE NEXT 1-3 YEARS 60 9.1 Establish a MEPS External Advisory Committee 9.2 Seek to Establish Additional MEPS Endowed Scholarships 9.3 Establish a MEPS journal club. 9.4 Establish Remote Sensing Focus 9.5 Establish On-Going Internships for MEPS students 10. APPENDICES 61 APPENDIX A Short Biographies of MEPS Faculty APPENDIX B MEPS Symposium APPENDIX C Characteristics of Texas Doctoral Programs Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences 4 MEPS academic program review 2014 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This is the third external review of the Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences (MEPS) program, and this document was prepared specifically for this purpose. Texas A&M University established the interdisciplinary MEPS graduate degree program in 1989. At present there are 10 university approved interdisciplinary programs (IDP) at Texas A&M University. One new IDP, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is in the process of being approved by the University and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). Interdisciplinary faculty act through an executive committee and a program chair who guide the program. The MEPS program currently comprises 54 faculty in 8 departments in the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Science, and Geosciences. Not all of the 54 members of the MEPS faculty are counted as active. At present, 42 faculty are active members in terms of functioning as a MEPS student chair since the last review in 2006. Faculty who participate in MEPS supervise and fund students in their respective departments, but they also supervise and fund students in the MEPS program. The MEPS program is structured to provide interdisciplinary breadth. Courses offered through the program provide students with an understanding of molecular and biochemical mechanisms that regulate plant function at the cellular, whole plant and community scale. The program offers two degrees: a Master of Science and a Ph.D. The Master of Science is a research-based thesis degree designed as a base of core disciplinary knowledge in basic plant sciences that provides structural flexibility to accommodate students working at the basic or applied cellular, whole plant or plant environmental community interaction level. The Ph.D. is a dissertation-based research degree designed to give students a comprehensive knowledge of basic molecular and whole plant function while again providing flexibility outside of the core curriculum to accommodate the broad level of disciplinary training afforded by the individual MEPS faculty. Both degrees are designed to prepare students for academic, government or industry research careers. Enrollment in the program has fluctuated between approximately 25 to 40 students. Due to funding limitations, the program admits 4-9 students per year. Two to three of these students are offered initial 9-month MEPS rotational assistantships prior to being recruited and supported by MEPS faculty. Other MEPS students are self supported by home country scholarships, recruited on competitive Texas A&M University fellowships, or recruited directly into MEPS faculty programs. All rotational MEPS students are supported with a full stipend and coverage of tuition, fees and healthcare costs. Overall, about 13% of the students have pursued a master’s degree and about 87% the doctorate. The student demographic is roughly 30% of domestic origin and 70% international. There are slightly more female than male MEPS students. The enrollment of under-represented minority students averages 10%. The master’s students are largely U.S. citizens. The doctoral program has a 1:3 ratio between domestic and international students. The population of international students is diverse, comprising students from numerous countries. Of the 21 students who have graduated from the program, all but 2 are employed in plant science disciplines. Doctoral degree graduates are working in academic or industry and government research positions. The core MEPS faculty have excelled in publication and external funding. MEPS faculty members have generated approximately $43 million in external funding between 2007 and 2012. These funds have supported dynamic research programs and contributed to MEPS graduate student support. Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences 5 MEPS academic program review 2014 Funding from the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies (OGAPS) has been steady, and as such our student enrollment has been level. Current MEPS funding is calculated on a complex but fair formula that multiplies the number of MEPS students by the number of unique MEPS student faculty Chairs or Co-Chairs by weight student credit hour. The funding comes from a $1 million dollar pool of OGAPS funds that is split between the 12 current IDP at TAMU. This pool of funds is understood to be independent of the funds TAMU Colleges and their departments. However, during the recent economic downturn, financial resources became limited for departments and their faculty and their student graduation dropped to the point where the home departments of several MEPS faculty were in danger of losing degree programs through the THECB. As such, some departments justifiably increased the pressure on faculty to recruit students through their departmental rather the MEPS or other IDP programs. This issue may continue to significantly impact the viability of the MEPS program. Despite the financial limitations, the MEPS program has been aggressive in seeking University and external fellowship and scholarship support to help faculty recruit students. These efforts will need to continue and increase for the sake of current faculty who based on the student skill and interest find it easier to attract the graduate students through the MEPS program than through their home department. The dilemma revolving around struggling departments with low graduation rates, IDP that form successful interdisciplinary faculty and graduate student recruiting communities, and the perception that IDPs are draining resources, and contributing departmental decline needs to be solved between Texas A&M University, college and departmental level administration in consultation with the THECB. Leaving the dilemma to a confrontation between IDP faculty and their home department supervisors is dysfunctional for all of Texas A&M University leading to poor student and faculty retention. Modern basic research laboratory equipment is adequate and available for MEPS faculty and student use on the TAMU campus. Additionally, there are13 Texas A&M University AgriLife Research and Extension Centers along with satellite research stations available throughout the state for agricultural and ecological research. However, modern plant growth facilities are completely inadequate. Modern facilities containing temperature controlled greenhouses and growth chambers are available in the Borlaug Center, which houses the Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology (IPGB)(http://ipgb.tamu.edu/ipgb).
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