Departmental Mission Statement: The mission of the Department of Chemistry at Central Washington University (CWU) is to send into society thoughtful, creative, and informed people grounded in the principles and applications of chemistry. This mission has not changed over the last three years.
Central Washington University’s mission is to prepare students for responsible citizenship, responsible stewardship of the earth, and enlightened and productive lives. Faculty, staff, students, and alumni serve as an intellectual resource to assist central Washington, the state, and the region in solving human and environmental problems. Scientific literacy allows for responsible citizenship, responsible stewardship of the earth and enlightened and productive lives. The chemistry department provides educational programs that result in scientifically literate graduates. A fundamental knowledge of chemistry is important in developing a scientific philosophy, in understanding the impact that humans have on the earth, and in understanding life and the human body. The department offers courses to all CWU students in the applications of chemistry in their world. Faculty, students, and alumni actively participate in solving human and environmental problems through scientific chemical research.
The goals of the Chemistry Department reflect short term and long term planning efforts on the part of the faculty and staff. The goals are intended to provide the direction necessary to achieve high-quality education for students and a quality working environment for our faculty and staff so that we may effectively carry out our mission. These goals continue to provide the framework for our work. Goal 1. Offer excellent instruction in chemistry to meet the needs of the variety of undergraduate and graduate students the department serves. Goal 2. Maintain and update instrument, equipment and computing resources for the quality instruction of graduate and undergraduate students. Goal 3. Increase the quality and diversity of undergraduate majors in the various chemistry programs. Goal 4. Maintain a high quality graduate program in chemistry. Goal 5. Maintain an enthusiastic, active faculty. Goal 6. Maintain an enthusiastic, active staff. Goal 7. Serve the academic community and the general public through scholarly research and service activities.
We are continually striving to improve our programs to be effecient and at the same time increase student learning. Three recent examples show where we have used the evaluation process to improve our programs. 1.One of the issues facing us has been increasing student body with no additional tenure-track faculty. Our response had been to continue to add one student at a time to already overloaded courses. We discussed student learning and the best way to approach the problem of increasing enrollment while maintaining quality learning environments for our students. Much of the discussion focused on upper division labs. In the end we decided to cap enrollment in our courses. We also have proactively and aggressively looked for funding to support faculty lines in the chemistry department. We were awarded one faculty line from the Provost, supported by the Dean, based on our rationale and high need. A year and a half ago we filled this position. We successfully garnered HECB funding for Organic Chemistry through a High Demand grants. This grant included two faculty lines in Organic chemistry. We are currently in the search process for these positions. 2. Through course assessments and student surveys, we recognized a lack of quantitative skill in our upper division courses, especially Physical Chemistry. We decided to add another math course prerequisite to Physical Chemsitry, requiring a full year of Calculus prior to beginning pchem. This requirement is in line with other institutions across the nation and has resulted in students better prepared to meet the learning outcomes in the Physical Chemistry course. 3. The Chemistry Teaching major and minor must prepare students to meet State competencies for secondary chemistry teachers. We have analyzed student performance on the end of program portfolio and WEST-E (content exit exam)and made modifications to both programs including the addition of one credit to the secondary science methods course and a senior seminar course. Based on these data we also added a course in biochemistry to the minor.
Although we have made significant strides toward meeting our goals, we still have work to do. The external reviewer for our program review suggested that we articulate a vision for the department with specific goals to help us reach our vision. We discussed our vision collectively but we have not outlined specific goals and objectives beyond what was already outlined in our self study document. We will continue to work toward the goals indicated in the self study and to reach a point were each of us can articulate our shared vision. It will be particularly important to do this when we have filled the four currently open faculty postions.
Recommendations: "It is recommended that the Department undertake a proactive planning exercise where its faculty and staff come to a consensus as to what they want their Department to become in the next five to ten years, how they want it to develop. They need to establish goals and measurable objectives as milestones of progress." Department Response: Based on these recommendations, the Chemistry Department dedicated a department retreat to visioning for the future. We particularly noted our external reviewers comment that “it is time for the Department to become proactive in setting its course for development, rather than to react to circumstances that befall it.” While we feel that we have been as proactive as possible given the changes we have undergone as a University and a Department, we decided that we could be more proactive on certain issues. On September 20, 2005 we gathered to discuss our vision. Each faculty member was asked to write a personal vision for the department. These were read by the individuals and discussed as a whole. The staff joined the retreat and shared their thoughts on the future of our department. We will have another discussion about our shared vision during the 2008-2009 academic year when four new faculty are on board. These four represent a quarter of the tenured faculty so it will be important to have their input and buyin.
1. Over the last three years, the Chemistry Department has successfully hired quality faculty for full time tenure-track and non-tenure track positions. We have hired one tenure track faculty member and multiple non-tenure track faculty. We have funding for two additional faculty lines which we are in the process of filling. 2. The chemistry faculty and staff embrace culture and gender diversity. Recently hired faculty members offer a diversity of experience and a global perspective to the department. We have a greater the average percentage of women faculty in the department (~45%). 3. The department has re-examined the program goals for each major and the specific learning outcomes for each course in our undergraduate program. 4. The department has gone a long way toward addressing two of the challenges outlined in our last self-study, increasing FTES and increasing enrollemtns in upper division laboratory courses. We have been able to add 1.5 FTEF since our program review and will add 2 more FTEF in 2008. This faculty resource has provided greater flexibility in scheduling. 5. Over the last decade the department has witnessed explosive growth of students involved in undergraduate research.
1. Growing the graduate program in the face of low graduate stipends. The current graduate student stipend at CWU is the lowest in the state by a considerable amount. 2. Reassigned time for research. Faculty need release time to develop and maintain their laboratory-intensive research programs. 3. Research space for new faculty. While the department believes that it is critically important to add more tenure-track faculty, limited laboratory research space in the science building restricts the ability to recruit new hires. Every room designed for faculty research is in use, and some faculty have reconfigured laboratory-teaching space for their research needs. 4. Maintaining instrumentation. Athough we have hired 1.75 FTE Instrument Technicians shared with Biology and Geology to maintain and repair the sophisticated instrumentation necessary in our laboratory teaching and research, we, as a university, have not committed to a plan of replacement and upgrade as instruments depreciate. Several hundred thousand dollars of equipment purchased when the Science Building was new may be nearing the end of its useful life without upgrade. The deparment continues to work with the administration to put a instument/equipment repair/replacement in place. 5. Insufficient budget allocation for Teaching Assistants. The chemistry department is efficient in offering multiple, concurrent laboratory sections, however, this efficiency depends on hiring teaching assistants (T.A.s). The department’s T.A. budget allocation has been $9,214 for the last dozen years. Over the last three years the Provost has supplemented our TA budget by $10,000 which still does not cover the entire cost. An annual budget increase rather than one-time investments would support our program goals.
Centrality to the University’s Mission: Central Washington University’s mission is to prepare students for responsible citizenship, responsible stewardship of the earth, and enlightened and productive lives. Faculty, staff, students, and alumni serve as an intellectual resource to assist central Washington, the state, and the region in solving human and environmental problems. Scientific literacy allows for responsible citizenship, responsible stewardship of the earth and enlightened and productive lives. The chemistry department provides educational programs that result in scientifically literate graduates. A fundamental knowledge of chemistry is important in developing a scientific philosophy, in understanding the impact that humans have on the earth, and in understanding life and the human body. The department offers courses to all CWU students in the applications of chemistry in their world. Faculty, students, and alumni actively participate in solving human and environmental problems through scientific chemical research.
The Chemistry Department offers four undergraduate degree programs: B.A. in Chemistry, B.A. in Chemistry Teaching, B.S. in Chemistry and a B.S. in Chemistry with Biochemistry specialization. These broad-based chemistry degree programs are designed to effectively generate well-prepared, self-sufficient learners, teachers and problem solvers that are successful in pursuing graduate degrees as well as securing employment in the various fields of chemistry. The department also offers two minors: Chemistry and Chemistry Teaching.
Students completing any of the four undergraduate chemistry major programs will:
·Know the standard technical information and be able to perform experimental techniques of general, organic, analytical and physical chemistry.
·Be able to speak and write clearly in the language and style of the discipline.
·Demonstrate quantitative problem-solving skills. This includes having a firm foundation in the fundamentals and applications of the necessary mathematics, physics and statistics as it applies to experimental design and data analysis.
·Be able to use computers and discipline specific software.
·Be able to retrieve and critically analyze chemical literature.
·Be aware of current health and safety protocols that are an integral part of the discipline.
·Be able to work effectively in group situations.
The field of chemistry is highly structured academically. All programs build on fundamental knowledge through a year-long general chemistry core course sequence followed by two or three quarters (depending on program) of organic chemistry. All programs require one year of general physics and one year of calculus as supporting knowledge integral to upper division chemistry courses. The differences in the programs are how many upper division chemistry courses are required.
BS: Chemistry
The Bachelor of Science major is designed for students who plan a career in chemistry or related fields. The program prepares students for further study in graduate programs, or to enter the workplace directly. The B.S. degree is certified by the American Chemical Society if the nine department-approved electives come from a designated set of upper-division courses within chemistry. Students are exposed to all major subdisciplines within chemistry. Most courses consist of year long sequences that build on one another.
BS: Chemistry, Biochemistry Specialization
This specialization is designed for students who plan a career in biochemistry or a related health science area such as medicine or dentistry. Majors may pursue further graduate studies, a career in biotechnology or a related industry. The program is designed to give students a solid foundation in chemistry and molecular biology. The chemistry and biology departments work closely to ensure course sequences that build on foundational knowledge. For example, the general biology course for majors requires courses in chemistry.
BA: Chemistry
The Bachelor of Arts major is designed to provide breadth, with an emphasis on chemistry, that provides maximum flexibility in career choices. For example, students with this major may pursue careers in the health sciences, industry, environmental sciences and other related areas. Courses taken early in the program (first two years) are year long sequences to prepare students to select from lists of upper division electives that support their learning goals.
BA: Chemistry Teaching
This major satisfies the criteria for an endorsement in chemistry. This major qualifies students to teach chemistry at the high school, middle or junior high levels. Students are encouraged to consider working toward endorsement in a second area, such as biology, general science, earth science, physics, or mathematics. Students taking this major are required to complete the professional education program requirements offered through the education department. Course breadth and depth are aligned with State competencies for chemistry teachers.The B.S. in Chemistry conforms to the recommendations of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the organization that cerifies this degree. The process of ACS certification requires a formal assessment of the curriculum included in a self-study document that was submitted to ACS in spring 2004. The department hosted a formal site visit by Dr. Phil Reid, a representative of the Committee on Professional Training, in November 2004. The department submitted its first annual report to the ACS in August 2007. Chemistry department program currency is ensured through the faculty’s involvement in fundable scholarly activity, through the annual updating of courses to meet modern trends, and through the continuous examination of curricular issues that occur in discussions or workshops at professional meetings (e.g., yearly Washington College Chemistry Teacher’s Association meeting, American Chemical Society National meeting, and Biennial Conference on Chemical Education). American Chemical Society national standardized exams are also used at the close of several courses to assure currency and adherence to national chemistry educational standards. The Chemistry Teaching major reflects national trends and standards prepared by the NSTA, NCATE, and the State of Washington. We get regular feedback from some employers who continue to seek our graduates including Pace International and Unigen Pharmecuticals.
Effectiveness of instruction is measured similarly for all courses and instructors. Effectiveness of methods, both innovative and traditional, used by each faculty member is under continuous self-evaluation. During the last week of every course, including laboratories, each faculty member has a colleague or staff member administer a Student Evaluation of Instruction (SEOI). Each year all department faculty participate in peer evaluation of their teaching. Effectiveness of instruction is also indicated by results of standardized American Chemical Society exams where appropriate. These exams are administered during the final exam period in the following courses: CHEM 183, 251, 363, 381, 432, 452. Students typically perform at the national average on these exams.
Program Effectiveness: The department completes a program review every five years. Each faculty member participates in discussions of and the writing of sections of the self-study. In the end each faculty member signs off on the program review self study. Every three years the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee reviews student portfolio data and reports to the department faculty. This data is ultimately included in the program review self study. The department will begin annual assessment reports to the AVPUGS this year. Teaching Effectiveness: Tenure-track faculty are evaluated annually by the Personnel Committee using material supplied by the faculty member. These materials include course syllabi, exams, assignments, and results of student evaluations. In addition, annual peer evaluation of instruction is conducted for both tenured and tenure-track faculty. At least once a year, each faculty member receives a class visitation by either the Department Chair or another faculty member. The reviewer then writes a letter reporting on a critical analysis of the effectiveness of instruction. Both the SEOI and the visitation letter go into the instructor’s performance review file. Every year, the Department Chair and Personnel Committee review this file and evaluate the faculty member’s teaching as a whole, commenting on the effectiveness of the teaching as well as recommendations for improvement. Tenured faculty are reviewed similarly but on a three year post-tenure review schedule. In each case a letter of evaluation is forwarded to the Dean who makes an independent evaluation which is forwarded to the Provost.
The Undergraduate Committee reports assessment results and analysis to the department faculty and staff at a regularly scheduled meeting. After review and discussion of the data the committee asks for faculty input or thoughts. The committee will use the faculty/staff input to suggest potential curricular changes in response to the data. A similar process is used by the Graduate Committee in reviewing and responding to assessment results of the graduate program. The Science Education Program faculty work with their colleagues to assess the Chemistry Teaching major. Student performance is compared across disciplines. Data is analyzed by the Science Education faculty and reported to the department undergraduate curriculum committee.
The Chemistry Department serves the General Education Program by offering three courses: CHEM 101, 111 and 181. CHEM 101 is an elective in the General Education requirement for Applications of Natural Sciences. This course treats social, ethical, economic, or technological implications of natural phenomena. CHEM 111 and 181, and their associated laboratory courses, meet the General Education requirement for a Fundamental Discipline of Physical and Biological Sciences. These courses provide basic methods for describing and comprehending the natural world. They place a major emphasis on addressing the following general education program goals: Goal 1. Students will become thoughtful and responsible members of society and stewards of the Earth. Goal 4. Students will master the basic principles of logical, mathematical and scientific reasoning. Goal 5. Students will develop an appreciation of the breadth and depth of scientific and humanistic knowledge. Goal 6. Students will develop a sense of the interconnectedness of knowledge. Goal 8. Students will become aware of the manifold ways that knowledge evolves. Goal 9. Students will develop a disposition to ask incisive and insightful questions. and a lesser emphasis on the following general education program goals: Goal 2. Students will respect diversity of background, experience and belief, and will value the different perspectives that this diversity brings. Goal 3. Students will achieve fluency in reading, writing, oral communication and information technology. Goal 7. Students will integrate knowledge from diverse fields of study in order to solve real-world problems. The major assessments in place are course exams and laboratory reports.
The department does not currently expressly assess general education student learning goals as part of the major; however, many of our program goals align well with general education including: ·Know the standard technical information and be able to perform experimental techniques of general, organic, analytical and physical chemistry. ·Be able to speak and write clearly in the language and style of the discipline. ·Demonstrate quantitative problem-solving skills. This includes having a firm foundation in the fundamentals and applications of the necessary mathematics, physics and statistics as it applies to experimental design and data analysis. These goals are assessed through course grades, end-of-major portfolio, ACS standardized exams, and graduate exit surveys. The chemistry Undergraduate Committee considers all issues related to chemistry undergraduate programs including General Education curricula. The committee discusses and brings to the Committee of the Whole proposals related to curricula, program goals, and assessments. The committee reviews and reports the results of program assessments including ACS standardized exams, end-of-major portfolios and alumni surveys.
The graduate program in chemistry is tailored to satisfy individual student aspirations and is designed to provide knowledge, skills and discovery within the chemical sciences. The program prepares candidates for professional employment in chemistry careers including industry, consulting, and government, and for teaching at the community college or secondary level. Additionally, the program provides a foundation for further graduate studies beyond the M.S. level in chemistry and related fields. Chemistry graduate students may focus their studies in any of these major areas: biochemistry; organic, physical, analytical or inorganic chemistry; and chemistry education. Emphasis in a specific area is achieved through graduate research and enhanced by appropriate course work and seminars. The department utilizes state-of-the-art laboratory facilities with an array of modern instrumentation and computational capabilities. The graduate program is relatively new and small but growing. The department will articulate program goals and student outcomes during Winter 2008 to be incorporated into this self study.
The graduate program provides focused research culminating in a thesis and allows greater flexibility for the students in customizing their degree, even across disciplines in different departments.
-Molecular Modeling of Four Aspartic Protease Enzymes and Their Inhibitors (Catharine Collar, grad spring 2006) -Measurement of Highly Reactive Oxygen Species in a Mitochondrial Model (Amy Diaz, grad summer 2006) -Investigation of Potential Boronated HIV-1 Protease Inhibitory Compounds (Yinshan Jia, grad summer 2006) -The Investigation of Non-Radiative Host-to-Activator Energy Transfer in Luminescent Materials (Tracy Watrous-Kelley, grad spring 2006)
The department offers distance education courses in organic chemistry using our Science Building facilities for the benefit of students at regional community colleges. One section of a year-long lecture sequence is offered each year.
CHEM 361, 362, and 363 have been delivered by ITV annually to Wenatchee and Yakima. Less than 10 students have been enrolled at each site.
No classes were taught completely online.
Department faculty regularly utilize a range of information technologies to foster student learning. Due to the abstract nature of our discipline, information technology is particularly important for faculty to convey chemical concepts and ideas. The resources that are routinely used in the department are: PowerPoint presentations; web pages with course information, activities, practice tests and supplementary links and materials; CDs accompanying textbooks; educational videos; and the campus-wide Blackboard program for course structuring and tests. Blackboard Courses: CHEM 181LAB, 182, 182LAB, 183LAB, 431, 432, 492/592, UNIV 101 Internet Supported Courses: CHEM 181, 182 and 183 CHEM 361, 361Lab, 362, and 363Lab
The delivery of organic chemistry to regional community colleges (YVCC and WCC) has provided access for students who would otherwise transfer to CWU behind in their studies. This course is typically taken in the second year of study and is not offered at YVCC or WCC. A study done by one of the faculty (Kurtz) when the course was first implemented DE showed through analysis of exam scores that students at the off-campus locations learned organic chemistry as effectively as on-campus students through the ITV modality. Student surveys showed that off-campus students felt that they learned, were happy to have access, but were concerned about the consistency of the technology. Subsequent offerings have had fewer technological problems though they are still a concern.
The chemistry department does not deliver any programs off campus.
All tenured and tenure-track faculty take part in undergraduate advising. In some cases, the department secretary who has initial contact with students, directs students looking for an advisor to a faculty member. Students must select an official department advisor when they apply to the major. The department secretary keeps records on students and their advisors. Faculty typically advise students who are interested in their area of expertise. Students must meet with an advisor prior to being admitted to the major. The department also serves students by advising for professional programs including pharmacy, medical school and teaching. A student handbook is available through an advisor or in the department office. Graduate student advising is carried out by the student’s faculty mentor, members of their thesis committee, and by the Graduate Program Coordinator. All faculty serve as members of thesis committees. Faculty are given a list of advisees each quarter by the department secretary. They are trained on the use of SAFARI by the secretary. They are trained on advising by an experienced advisor. All new faculty attend a department orientation before they begin teaching which contains some advising information.
The department chair reviews all transfer equivalancies for the Table of Course Equivalency. Courses from institutions not on this list are approved by the advisor of the transfer student. The advisor compares catalog course descriptions, syllabi, and textbook use to our courses to determine whether or not we have an equivalent course. The chair approves all of the course equivalencies.
Our undergraduate programs are promoted internally through campus fairs and an undergraduate student handbook which is available in the department office. The BS: Chemistry degree is ACS certified. The ACS publicizes all certified programs in a book and on their website. All department promotion materials contain the fact that students can earn an ACS Certified degree at CWU. We have significantly increased our recruiting efforts for the graduate program. These efforts include a program brochure, site visits to regional institutions of higher education, and graduate program fairs at professional conferences. The majority of students who choose not to attend CWU state that it is because of the low graduate stipends. We are currently working with the Graduate Office to look at ways to improve the situation. For chemistry it is clear that fewer large stipends is a more effective recruiting tool than more small stipends. In the meantime, we also recognize the importance of obtaining external funding for research, especially funding that provides graduate student support. In addition, we are working to develop nationally recognized research programs through publication and presentation at local and national conferences.
Faculty advisors guide students to remedial and support services when they determine it to be the best course of action after discussions with the student. Students who discuss with instructors issues related to performance that can be addressed through remedial or support services are advised by the faculty to the appropriate resource.
The Chemistry Club is a service provided through the department by the students. The Chemistry Club, a Student Affiliates Chapter of the American Chemical Society, continues to grow in member numbers and enthusiasm. Students direct the club with guidance from a chemistry department faculty advisor. The club has received national recognition each year from the ACS for its service and educational efforts. The club offers students experiences apart from their traditional academic activities, such as field trips, educational outreach, fund raising, and promotional events (for the club and for chemistry in general). (www.cwu.edu/~chemclub) The Pre-Pharmacy club is advised by a chemistry faculty member and supports students in any major working toward admission to a Pharmacy school. (http://www.cwu.edu/~biology/biologyClub/prepharmacyClub.html)
The accomplishments of our students are a source of great pride in the Chemistry Department. Students annually present at SOURCE and regularly win presentation awards. Students have also presented at regional and national meetings including the ACS National Meeting, Northwest Regional ACS Meeting, Murdock College Science Conference, ACS Puget Sound Section Undergraduate Research Symposium, Council on Undergraduate Research conference and the Pacific Northwest Association of Toxicologists annual meeting. In the last three years students presented 29 oral and 24 poster presentations at SOURCE. They have won one honorable mention, one first place, and two outstanding oral presentations and one honorable mention and one first place poster presentation awards. Twelve students have been selected for the Science Honors Program. Five students have been nominated and received alumni association scholarships. The chemistry club received an honorable mention award for two of the last three years (150 of 950 chapters are recognized). Thirty-four students recieved internal undergraduate research grants. Nine graduate students received thesis grants. Chemistry Department graduates have been successful in obtaining industrial positions, teaching positions, admittance to graduate school, and acceptance to professional programs. Students who have matriculated with baccalaureate degrees from the Chemistry Department in the past have entered Ph.D. programs at the following institutions: University of Illinois, Indiana University, University of Montana, University of Oregon, Ohio State University, University of Washington, and Washington State University. The Chemistry Department also sends high quality students to professional schools of medicine, pharmacy, optometry and dentistry and to Ph.D. programs in the health sciences. Most of these students have been undergraduate researchers in chemistry faculty laboratories. The pre-pharmacy students of CWU require a separate note to describe their unique circumstance. Pre-pharmacy students need only to complete prerequisites to enter Doctorate of Pharmacy programs. No degree is required. Dawn (Sanderlin) Ipsen is an example of a student who never graduated from CWU. Yet she spent several years in the chemistry department acquiring her prerequisites for pharmacy school, participating in undergraduate research, and serving as a teaching assistant. Such students are not counted in the measures of quantity included in this report. They are nevertheless our loyal alumni and the Chemistry Department is proud of their accomplishments.
The department offers several professional growth opportunities for students through student employment. Each quarter approximately 20 students are hired to serve as teaching assistants (T.A.s) in the undergraduate laboratories or as stockroom assistants. These students gain valuable experience in applying the knowledge they have gained in our programs. Students receive credit the first quarter they T.A., and minimum wage hourly pay for subsequent quarters, with a fifty-cent hourly raise after three quarters of service. Many students return to T.A. for four to six quarters. Students in the capstone course, CHEM 488, prepare a resume for professional employment which is reviewed by the instructor.
The department is pleased with the overall effectiveness of our student programs and services. Award winning presentations and success after graduation reflect only a piece of Chemistry Department student achievements. Dozens of students have received undergraduate research grants from the Office of Undergraduate Research or the College of the Sciences. Each year at least one and sometimes three students have been awarded CWU Alumni Association Departmental Scholarships. The Chemistry Club regularly receives recognition from the ACS for the service they provide. Table 11 A. Chemistry Department Graduate Placement Industry Graduate School Teaching Professional Programs Other Unknown Undergraduate Students 13 17 6 2 3 15 Graduate Students 3 1 2 Table 11 B. Specific placement for Chemistry Department Graduate Students Student Name Year Placement Brenda Broers 2002 Teaching: Wenatchee Comm. College Tony Brown 2002 Industry: Central Washington University Marie Dunn 2002 Teaching: Yakima Valley Comm. College Manshun Lai 2001 Industry: Cell Therapeutics Melissa Mackey 2003 PhD Program: University of Cincinnati Marc Walker 2001 Industry: Novartis
The Chemistry Department has nine tenure track faculty who are highly dynamic individuals representing all basic sub-disciplines within the field of chemistry: analytical, biochemistry, chemical education, environmental, inorganic, organic, and physical. The faculty are dedicated to excellence in teaching, superior scholarly work, and extensive, broadly applied service. Two faculty in the department currently have half-time assignments in chemistry with the other half-time assigned in the Science Education Program. In addition, the department routinely employs several adjuncts and, for 2006-2007 we employed two full-time non tenure-track lines. As a group, the Chemistry Department faculty are also gender and ethnically diverse. According to data from the CWU Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO), the CWU Chemistry faculty cohort meets and exceeds gender and minority diversity requirements. The department boasts 45% female and 22% Hispanic faculty (OEO data target 30% and 3%, respectively). In addition, several of the department faculty are bilingual. The department has experienced a large growth unaccompanied by growth in the faculty. Although grant funding to our base budget has allowed additional tenure track lines, we have been unsuccessful in hiring. There are three reasons for this: 1) we have been later than the rest of our field in advertising due to late approvals, 2) the salary market is difficult to compete with at CWU's faculty salary, 3) significant startup money is required to outfit a research lab in chemistry. Currently there are three open faculty lines: two grant funded and one resignation. These are filled with full time non-tenure track faculty. The department is uncomfortable with the ratio of tenure track to non-tenure tract faculty in our department. A large percentage of the FTES is taught by non-tenure track faculty since they are typically assigned to the large enrollment introductory chemistry courses. With four faculty to be hired to start in Fall 2008, we expect to reduce the number of courses and students taught by non-tenure track faculty.
The department devotes summer revenues to professional development. The revenues are divided equally among the faculty. Typically faculty use this money for travel to professional meetings especially as match to the Graduate Office support for presentations at professional meetings. Other uses include books and memberships in professional organizations. For example, faculty have presented at the American Chemical Society National Meeting, the Northwest Regional American Chemical Society Meeting, Pacific Northwest Association of Toxicologists (PANWAT) Regional Meeting, National Science Teachers Association Annual Meeting, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, among many others. Chemistry faculty participate in many development activities including grant writing workshops, advising workshops, information technology workshops (e.g Blackboard, LiveText, Dreamweaver), and effective communication workshops. Department chairs have attended both internal and external chair traingings. Each faculty member participates in peer review of their teaching and is required to submit a self-reflection each review period that demonstrates how the results of the peer review (and SEOI) have been addressed. As of this date all faculty members have taken part in development opportunities because they are personally interested in improving themselves in all three areas of faculty work. No faculty member has been asked to participate in development activities as a result of identified deficiencies.
The faculty are evaluated in accordance with university, college, and department policies. Probationary faculty are reviewed annually by both the personnel committee and the chair. Tenured faculty are reviewed every three years by the personnel committee and the chair. Full time non-tenure track faculty are reviewed prior to reappointment. The personnel committee consists of three tenured faculty excluding the Department Chair and may contain non-voting non-tenured faculty. The committee reviews faculty performance for reappointment, promotion, tenure, merit, and post-tenure review and makes recommendations to the Dean of COTS. The department is currently in the process of getting approval on standards for RTP that align with COTS and University standards.
The chemistry department believes in the teacher/scholar model. We believe it is important for all faculty to participate in all three areas of faculty work but understand that the balance among the three endeavors will not be the same for all faculty. Our policy states that no faculty member should have less than half time teaching when averaged over any given year. Recognizing that the teaching loads are high for carrying out publishable laboratory-based research with graduate and undergraduate students, we encourage faculty to write grants that will support reassigned time to scholarship. We know that to meet Goal 5: Maintain an enthusiastic, active faculty, we must allow flexibility in faculty workload. Scholarship: Chemistry Department faculty consider scholarship of paramount importance as evidenced by their record in measures such as mentored student research, peer-review publication, and grant writing. Faculty have presented at national and international conferences, authored peer-reviewed publications including papers with CWU student co-authors, and received external funding. Considering the turnover in faculty and the youth of the department in general, this record is substantial. Over the last three years the faculty have garnered over 3 million dollars in external funding. Chemistry faculty have also received support from CWU internal granting mechanisms. The department values inquiry-driven research that involves CWU students and recognizes that such work may result in longer timeframes between publications, especially when most of the work is done in conjunction with undergraduate students. Service: The Chemistry Department faculty participate fully in service activities at all levels including department, college, university, local, and state. Committee service for the department has remained high throughout the review period, despite the fact that the department was often working with high percentages of non tenure-track faculty. Department faculty have been willing to serve the university in administration with one serving as COTS Associate Dean for Resource Development (Thomas) and one as the Science Education Program Director (Kurtz). Recently Dr. Kurtz was promoted to Interim Dean of COTS. In addition to service within the university, the department faculty serve in the local Kittitas County community and on state and national committees and boards. One member of the department served as the Treasurer of PANWAT (Pacific Northwest Association of Toxicologists), one is the Treasurer of the local chapter of the honor society Phi Kappa Phi, one has consulted with local residents about their water quality, one has served on the Ellensburg School District Science Adoption committee, and one serves on the dissertation committee of a student at the University of Washington. The majority of tenured and tenure-track faculty have either given invited seminars, reviewed journal or textbook manuscripts, or reviewed grant proposals.
The Chemistry Department measures teaching effectiveness in three ways: Student Evaluation of Instruction (SEOI) results, self-reflection on teaching and peer review. Student Evaluation of Instruction – SEOI scores for the Chemistry Department as a whole, College of the Sciences as a whole, and University as a whole, as provided by the Office of Institutional Research, are used as one measure of the effectiveness of the instructor. Both qualitative and quatitative data are reviewed. Chemistry course content is rigorous and requires substantial quantitative reasoning skills of students. Despite the demanding nature of chemistry course content and potential for student dissatisfaction due to the course difficulty, the SEOI data indicate that chemistry faculty as a whole are delivering effective instruction. Chemistry values are consistently at or above a value of 4, on a 1 – 5 scale in which 5 is rated “most” effective. This is particularly impressive given the number of assisant professors and non-tenure track faculty. Faculty are expected to use SEOI data in their self-reflection on teaching effectiveness. Self-Reflection on Teaching - Faculty are expected to reflect at least annually on their teaching effectiveness. These reflections are reviewed when faculty are evaluated. Self-reflections should show that faculty are maintaining currency in the area they teach in and that they are using student and peer evaluation data to improve their teaching. Peer Review – Tenured and tenure-track faculty are expected to undergo annual peer review of their instruction as a means to document effectiveness and to gain ideas for improvement. The review generally consists of a class visitation and follow-up conversation, but may also include extensive evaluation of course materials (e.g., syllabi, exams, textbook).
Overall, the chemistry faculty are well prepared to teach in their area of expertise. Student and peer evaluations reflect positively on the effectiveness of instruction in the chemistry department. Some non-tenure track faculty have struggled early on to meet CWU student needs and to understand the prior knowledge our students come with. These faculty have been mentored by the Chair and other faculty in their area of expertise. The percentage of non-tenure track faculty is too high. In Fall 2008, the department hopes to have four new assistant professors on board. This will bring the percentage of tenure-track faculty back to an acceptable level.
Data provided by Instructional Research and other appropriate offices.
The CWU Library represents an important piece in the success of the Chemistry Department’s educational and research objectives. One of the department’s program goals relates to information literacy, i.e., students must be able to retrieve and critically analyze chemical literature. The department holds American Chemical Society (ACS) certification of our B.S. program. The ACS requires that (1) Chemical Abstracts must be available, either in print or electronically. Electronic access is currently available after 5 pm; (2) the library must provide ready access to at least 20 refereed journals, in print or electronically. With the library’s ACS publications subscription and current print holdings this requirement is satisfied. The following library services are critical support to chemistry programs: 1. Interlibrary loan office 2. Journal holdings in Chemistry 3. Shared non-journal library collections with Oregon and Washington (Summit) 4. Online database access (Web of Science, etc.)
The library has reasonable holdings for course work. The department would benefit greatly from a subscription to SciFinder, which is a more up-to-date and user-friendly electronic searching service. It is currently held by most of our peer institutions. The following journals, not currently subscribed to, would also enhance our programs and our faculty work: 1. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 2. Journal of Chemical Education 3. Methods in Enzymology 4. Journal of Luminescence 5. Journal of Solid State Chemistry 6. Surface Science 7. Surface Science Reports 8. Applied Surface Science 9. Surface and Interface Analysis 10. Journal of Computer-Aided Molecular Design 11. European Journal of Organic Chemistry 12. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters 13. Synlett
CHEM 388 and CHEM 488 are colloquium courses in which students perform an extensive literature study on a topic of their choosing. At the end of the term they present either a poster (CHEM 388) or an oral seminar (CHEM 488) to the faculty as well as their peers in chemistry. They are instructed in the use of library resources, the use of the various electronic search engines used by scientists, the difference between peer reviewed and non-peer reviewed literature, and proper citation of the literature. They are also taught the importance of obtaining information on a topic from a variety of different sources. Students involved in undergraduate research projects (CHEM 495) must also familiarize themselves with the peer-reviewed literature related to their work.
One faculty member in the department serves as the Library Representative. This person is responsible for communication with the library staff about chemistry department needs. The Library Representative brings information to the department meetings about new information resources and services. Individual faculty needs are brought to the Library Representative who brings them collectively to the department for discussion if necessary. The department discusses current and future needs each time a program review is done and when new faculty join the department.
The department maintains a reading room that houses a few shared journal subscriptions. The reading room is the department conference room so faculty, staff, and students can use the room for reading when meetings and courses are not scheduled.
The Chemistry Department consists of eight full-time equivalent faculty (9 headcount), several adjunct faculty, and 4.83 classified staff (8 headcount). The Department Chair oversees all of the department personnel. The Stockroom Technician is supervised by the Stockroom Manager and the Fiscal Technician (shared by biology, chemistry, and geology) is supervised by the Geology department chair. The department employs many students as research assistants, teaching assistants, stockroom assistants, and office assistants who are supervised by faculty and staff.
Department Committee of the Whole – All Chemistry faculty and staff meet at least twice a month to discuss department business. These meetings consist of information items, reports from department representatives (e.g., Faculty Senate), committee reports, and action items. Business includes strategic planning, curricular improvements, resource use, student scholarships, department policy, and prioritization of work. Committee recommendations are discussed and approved or sent back to committee. The faculty feel strongly that the staff should participate in appropriate decisions of the department. Staff do not vote on faculty issues or curricular issues and they do not participate in chair elections. Chemistry faculty are highly engaged in institutional governance. Currently faculty are serving on the Faculty Senate, Academic Appeals Board, General Education Committee, Academic Advising Committee, Ad Hoc Health Careers Education and Resource Committee, Center for Teaching and Learning Advisory Council, among others. Faculty also serve at the college level on numerous faculty evaluation and professional development committees.
The department faculty are highly visible on some of the most important governance committees including Faculty Senate, General Education, Academic Advising, and CTL Advisory Council. Faculty are encouraged to serve on university level committees beginning in their second year and to take leadership roles as their career develops, particulary at the Associate Professor rank.
The Chemistry Department was fortunate to be the recipient of high demand funding from the HECB. This funding has allowed the addition of two faculty lines and roughly $10K in goods and services. While this goes a long way to supporting teaching, scholarship, and service, it does not cover all costs.
The biggest financial concern of the department is maintenance and repair of instruments and equipment necessary for state-of-the-art education in the chemical sciences. The university needs to establish a repair and maintenance fund for analytical equipment used in the curriculum and in scholarship. Several other finance issues exit:
Insufficient budget allocation for Teaching Assistants. The chemistry department is efficient in offering multiple, concurrent laboratory sections, however, this efficiency depends on hiring teaching assistants (T.A.s). The department’s T.A. budget allocation has been $9,214 for the last decade. Over that decade the U.S. has witnessed 7 minimum wage increases and the Chemistry Department has grown in FTES served and lab sections offered. The department has overspent the T.A. allocation by 72% to 100% for the last 5 years. This challenge has been met annually by using the department’s Goods and Services budget and by requesting supplements from the Dean and the Provost to pay T.A. salaries.
Increasing costs of laboratory chemicals and supplies. Market increases in chemicals and laboratory supplies strain the chemistry stockroom budget. The department has met this challenge by increasing student laboratory and breakage fees twice over the last five years.
In addition, with more resources the department would like to:
1. Maintain a faculty load allocation to encourage and reward scholarly productivity.
2. Recognize excellent teaching with a reward structure.
3. Encourage continued attendance of scholarly conferences that focus on teaching excellence and modern pedagogies such as WCCTA.
4. Increase funding for faculty development.
5. Establish development funding for staff. Chemistry Department staff are one of our greatest assets. Investing in their development equates to an investment in CWU.
The department sends an annual alumni news letter that includes a call for donations. This has resulted in several small donations to student scholarship and department descretionary funds. The department has worked with the COTS Development Officer to identify development priorities and is currently working to identify a suitable departmental representative on the COTS Development Council.
The chemistry department is housed in a 10-year old building with excellent facilities. As the department grows, space is becoming a larger and larger issue. Scholarly work in chemistry requires dedicated laboratory space. With the renovation of two Science Building spaces into research labs, so far the department has been able to support its faculty in accomplishing their scholarly work. The department expects four tenure-track faculty to begin Fall 2008. As new faculty join the department, research laboratory space has become a pressing issue. Depending on the area of expertise of these faculty, more renovations may be required. Office space is also at a premium for faculty and staff. The department no longer has space to assign offices to all graduate students. It is imperative that graduate students be given a desk when they are working on their thesis.
Chemistry Department faculty, staff, and students are dependent on sophisticated computer software and equipment in order to carry out the work of the discipline. Since chemistry practice is linked to laboratory work, the department is necessarily resource intensive. Ten years ago when we moved in to the Science Building, our instruments and equipment were state-of-the-art. Now we are facing increasing upgrade, repair, and maintenance costs as these instruments age. It is essential to our program to keep our existing equipment functional and to plan for replacements in the future.
Department faculty incorporate the modern instrucitonal technology available in Science Building classrooms into their curricula and research programs. All modern instrumentation is driven by computer software. Over the last five years the department has worked with university computer and engineering technicians to setup and maintain the instrumentation. Student access to instrumentation data is facilitated through storage on university servers.
Faculty and staff meet at least annually to discuss facilities. Space and instrumentation needs are assessed and a plan is developed for at least the upcoming year. Long term planning has been general as we have tried to plan for faculty with unknown areas of expertise.
A copy of the American Chemical Society recommendations on teaching professional ethics can be found at http://portal.acs.org/portal/fileFetch/C/CTP_005588/pdf/CTP_005588.pdf