Table of Contents Table of Contents Page Introduction 1 Charge to Review Committee Review Team Itinerary Department Snapshot Department Organizational Chart Administrative Organizational Charts- COALS, Texas A&M University Texas A&M University Organizational Chart Campus Map PLPM Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratories Brief History of the Plant Pathology and Microbiology Program 15 Overview and History of the Department Research Subject Focus Areas List of Department Committees Department Bylaws and Committee Responsibilities Results of Last Program Review Affiliated Programs 27 Introduction Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology (IPGB) Program for the Biology of Filamentous Fungi (PBoFF) Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences Center for Phage Technology (CPT) Intercollegiate Faculty of Virology (IFOV) Intercollegiate Faculty of Genetics (FOG) Vision, Mission and Strategic Plan 31 Executive Summary Vision and Mission Statements Goals and Priority Objectives Department Strategic Plan Department Challenges Faculty and Support Personnel 49 On campus Faculty Off campus Faculty Adjunct Faculty Map of Research and Extension Centers Faculty Awards Faculty 2-page Curriculum Vitas Staff Position Descriptions and Duties Comparison of Faculty FTEs and Staff/Faculty Ratios 1 Table of Contents Research and Scholarly Activities 139 Definition and Scope of Research Examples of recent PLPM Faculty Research Impacts Productivity (FY06-FY10) Grant Productivity per FTE Distribution of Faculty PLPM FTEs for FY11 Current Grant Support: Research Faculty Current Grant Support: Extension Faculty Faculty Publications (2006 to Feb 2011) Teaching Undergraduate Program in Bioenvironmental Sciences (BESC) 175 Background BESC majors since 2003 Program Summary and Course Requirements Environmental Studies (ENST) BESC Honors Program Undergraduate Internships/Research Experiences Undergraduate Student Awards Recent BESC Graduates International Education Programs (Study Abroad) ‘Invisible Jungle’ Radio Program Undergraduate Research Opportunities Underrepresented Student Recruitment Efforts PLPM Scholarships Challenges to the BESC program Teaching Graduate Program in Plant Pathology and Microbiology (PLPM) 201 Introduction Course Offerings Graduate Student Enrollment Post-doctoral Students Graduate Student Support Graduate Minority Programs Challenges to the Graduate Program Graduate Student Awards Recent Graduates and Abstracts Post-doctoral Student Mentoring & Development Assessment of Student Learning: Undergraduate and Graduate 215 General Overview of Assessment Assessment of Undergraduate Student Learning: BESC Program Assessment of Graduate Student Learning: PLPM Program Assessment of Faculty Teaching Proficiency Current Faculty Teaching Assignments 2 Table of Contents BESC Senior Exit Survey Results Impediments to Excellence 225 Potential Opportunities 231 Appendices Diskette Appendix A- University Vision 2020 and Action 2015 Plans. Appendix B- COALS Strategic Plan Appendix C-AgriLife Research Strategic Plan Appendix D- AgriLife Extension Service Strategic Plan Appendix E- Faculty Curriculum Vitaes Appendix F- Course Syllabi Appendix G- Graduate Student Handbook Appendix H- Departmental Newsletter Appendix I- Departmental Common Equipment 3 Charge to Review Team Charge to Peer Review Team Plant Pathology and Microbiology Program Review This letter provides you with a brief background on the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Texas A&M University, and explains the expectations for our upcoming departmental review. The Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology was created in 1985 from the Department of Plant Sciences. The department offers an undergraduate B.S. in Bioenvironmental Sciences as well as the M.S. and Ph.D. in Plant Pathology and Microbiology, plus a M.Agr. in Plant Protection or Plant Sciences. Each year, the department awards approximately 60 B.S. degrees in Bioenvironmental Sciences and 2-3 M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in Plant Pathology and Microbiology. This review is part of a periodic review of all Texas A&M University academic programs, and offers an opportunity to assess the standards of the programs and to learn from review team member’s experiences with similar programs. I request that the review team examine the undergraduate, graduate and research programs of the Department using the materials that will be provided, information you gain through personal interactions while visiting Texas A&M, and any additional information that you might request. While evaluating the program, please consider the allocation of resources within the department (both human and fiscal) and the absolute level of support the department receives from the university. Please comment as appropriate on current and potential leveraging of these resources, as well as current and potential interaction with other departments and groups, both on campus and off. Also, please address the issue of learning-based outcomes: Does the Department have ongoing and integrated planning and evaluation processes that assess its programs and services that result in continuing improvement and that demonstrate that the Department is effectively accomplishing its mission? Has the Department identified expected outcomes for its educational programs? Does the Department have evidence of improvement based upon analysis of results? In addition, I ask that you address the impact of the Faculty Reinvestment Program, started by Texas A&M University in 2003. The reinvestment program resulted in the hiring of approximately 450 new faculty members dispersed throughout the University. The goal is to improve the quality of education for Texas A&M students by having more faculty available for mentoring and advising, whether more courses or sections are available, or by simply being more responsive to student needs. Through this review we plan to track and measure real increases and improvements in the quality of the graduate and undergraduate experiences across all dimensions. The Department was allowed to use some of the reinvestment funding from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences for salary and startup for a Director of the Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology (M. Dickman) and one Assistant Professor (L. Shan). We ask that you assess the success of the Department in moving their teaching and research agendas forward with these hires based on information provided to you in the forthcoming self- study. I look forward to meeting with you and the entire committee in April. If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact me. 4 Review Team Itinerary (Tentative) PLPM Review Team Itinerary Sunday, April 17 Team members arrive in College Station and are transported to Rudder Jessup B&B, 115 Lee Avenue, College Station (866-744-2470). 6:00 – 8:00 PM Dinner with Dept. Head Dr. Sandy Pierson, and Associate DHs Dr. David Appel and Dr. Chuck Kenerley. Monday, April 18 7:30 - 8:30 AM Breakfast at B&B with Provost Karan Watson, Vice Provost J. Martyn Gunn, Associate VP Graduate Studies Karen Butley-Purry and Associate Provost Undergraduate Studies Pamela Matthews. 8:45 AM Team is picked up by Dr. Pierson and transported to the new Agricultural Administration Building on west campus. 9:00 – 10:00 AM Meet with Dean’s office. 10:00 AM Pick up by Dr. Pierson, transported to Peterson Building on main campus. 10:30 – 11:30 AM Meet with PLPM administration (Dr. Pierson, Dr. Appel, Dr. Kenerley, and Linda Brochu). 11:30 – 12:30 PM Lunch with PLPM graduate students (Peterson 112). 12:30 – 1:30 PM Tour of Peterson Building and main campus greenhouses. 1:30 – 2:00 PM Meet with a Faculty group (Peterson 103). 2:00 – 3:00 PM Meet with a Faculty group (Peterson 103). 3:00 – 3:15 PM Break. 3:15 – 3:45 PM Refreshments with BESC undergraduate students (Peterson 112). 3:45 – 4:15 PM Meet with a Faculty group (Peterson 103). 4:15 – 5:00 PM Informal department reception (Fox and Hound). 5:00 PM Transport back to B&B. 6:00 – 8:00 PM Dinner. 5 Review Team Itinerary Tuesday, April 19 8:00 – 9:00 AM Breakfast on own at B&B. 9:00 AM Pick up by Dr. Pierson, transported to Peterson Building. 9:30 – 10:00 AM Meet with Undergraduate Program Committee (UPC) (Peterson 103). 10:00 – 10:30 AM Meet with Graduate Program Committee (GPC) (Peterson 103). 10:30 AM Break. 10:45 – 11:15 AM Meet with Student Advising and Assessment Committees (Peterson 103). 12:00 – 1:00 PM Lunch with COALS Department Heads (Rudder Tower University Club). 1:00 PM Transport to Borlaug Center on west campus. 1:30 – 2:00 PM Meet with Faculty at IPGB in Borlaug Center (M. Dickman, Director, L. Shan, J. Yuan, P. de Figueiredo). 2:00 – 2:45 PM Tour of Borlaug Center and greenhouses. 2:45 PM Transport to Peterson. 3:00 – 5:00 PM Review Team’s choice: follow-ups, report discussion, or relax. 5:00 PM Transport to B&B. Working dinner. Wednesday, April 20 7:30 – 9:00 AM Breakfast at B&B with Provost, Vice Provost, and Dean’s office. 9:30 AM Picked up by Dr. Pierson (with baggage). 10:00 – 10:45 AM Report to PLPM administrative team with discussion (Peterson 103). 10:45 – 11:15 AM Time for review team alone. 11:15 – 12:15 PM Open meeting between review team and department members (Evans Library Room 106). 12:15 PM Brunch. Get team members to airport for flights home. 6 Organization Snapshot of Plant Pathology and Microbiology The Department of Plant Pathology & Microbiology (PLPM) is committed to advancing its educational, research and extension programs with the goal of being recognized for excellence