Included here are excerpts from the 1997 Strategic Plan for Natural Sciences that are relevant to CODE's planning efforts. The entire document is online at http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~nssp/StratPlan.html.

Specific Recommendations and Actions

3. Generate a supportive environment for effective research in the sciences.

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Divisional staff support for Web development and for recruitment and expanded use of electronic mechanisms (including electronic applications and reference letters) are essential.

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Additional Division-wide and Departmental staff are essential whether these staff needs are met by reallocation of staff, by additional training of current personnel, and/or by creation of new positions. Recommendations are made below for staff support of Web-site development, a venue increasingly valuable in research and in graduate student and postdoctoral recruitment. There is also an increasing need for technical staff support, particularly in computation, information, graphic arts, and instrumentation. As our technical needs and research activities expand, this problem will become even more critical.

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Support for instrumentation is also an area of serious concern. Governmental agencies are providing less and less support for equipment, including that for computers and software. Upgrades of both computational hardware and software are critical. We must develop institutional or Divisional plans for computer replacement and software acquisition on a regularly scheduled basis (e.g., every 4 years). These upgrades are not just for research but also for teaching, particularly the creative development of curriculum (see below). The quality of instrumentation may determine the success of experiments and must be maintained and enhanced to improve the research environment. The Division should establish a privately funded endowment to provide matching funds for new equipment, for continual replacement needs (including computers), for small equipment, and for maintenance of this equipment. A criterion for award of these funds would be evidence of attempts to obtain funding from other sources. Matching funds are particularly critical to allow faculty to seek grants for large pieces of equipment that might not be affordable as an outright purchase from such an endowment. In addition, a central listing of equipment presently available on campus would provide more facile access to potential users.

A final concern in creating a supportive research environment is the Library. Steps should be undertaken to compensate for the inevitable gaps that will persist given Rice's size. Cooperative agreements with other institutions and contracts for overnight delivery of interlibrary loan materials would provide resources necessary for research. The hours for library operation during vacation periods for undergraduate students is a particular problem for faculty and graduate students. The library hours should reflect the needs of this central portion of the university community. These needs include later evening and weekend use, especially during periods when most undergraduates are not on campus. One possibility is to provide 24 hour access to the collection, with more limited times for circulation.

The scientific literature will become electronic more rapidly than in other fields. The library must commit financial resources and personnel to facilitate this shift. A catalog of electronic journals, servers to search and access them centrally, and facilities to print selected documents would be most helpful and will become essential in a short time.

4. Provide resources for effective teaching in the sciences.

Many aspects related to effective teaching are described in our recommendations for undergraduate studies and curriculum (see below). However, a few issues that relate directly to faculty are highlighted in this section. Although Rice can be justifiably proud that the majority of students in Natural Sciences courses, even in the "Big 3," are taught by regular faculty, the burdens on faculty for these "service" courses are high. We believe that these courses would be improved by additional professional support staff to alleviate the burdens not directly related to actual teaching (see also below). Such support in both lecture and laboratory courses could both improve the curriculum and free faculty for direct student interaction and other responsibilities.

In order to incorporate high technology into the classroom, the instructors and teaching assistants must have a working familiarity with these instruments. In particular, we wish to facilitate use and advocate exploration of computer-aided lectures, demonstrations, and exercises for students. As a consequence, faculty and graduate students involved in these courses must be trained in the technology. Workshops or classes should be established on innovative teaching methods utilizing modern technology. Software advancements as well as hardware use should be covered. A frequency of approximately twice per year would allow interested faculty and students to become acquainted with methods that may enhance their teaching effectiveness.

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8. Expand recruitment of graduate students.

Significant effort and funding is already being expended on graduate student recruiting. Establishment of a first-rate recruitment-oriented Web site for Rice, for the Division, for each Department, and for each faculty member would further increase the visibility of Rice graduate programs. A Divisional computer graphics/Web expert to facilitate design of Web sites and consult with Departments and individual faculty and to assist in brochure design is an essential ingredient in the success of such efforts.

12. Expand faculty to improve undergraduate science curriculum.

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Staff support for lectures and course development is also exceptionally important--setting up demonstrations, preparing visual aids, managing Web-pages or news groups, keeping records, grading, finding laboratory and library materials, investigating alternative mechanisms for instruction in specific areas, are among many other tasks that such staff could undertake. Freeing faculty from these activities provides time for direct interaction with students, in particular those that require extensive assistance, and for thoughtful curricular development. Support personnel for finding, creating, maintaining, and updating internet resources are considered to be particularly important. Putting information on the Web provides equivalent access for off-campus as well as on-campus students. Web material can be rapidly updated, and electronic communication provides rapid feedback on student questions. In addition, Web pages can point to resources beyond the borders of the campus.

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15. Improve facilities for undergraduate instruction in the sciences.

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A critical need is to continue recent efforts to bring Rice up to standard in the number and quality of classrooms and in the availability and support of audio-visual and computing equipment. For an institution of our reputation, our present classroom and A/V situation is a source of embarrassment. In particular, the insufficient number of classrooms, especially ones equipped with state-of-the-art electronic facilities, impedes modern curricular development and discourages experimentation with innovative methods of instruction and learning. These problems must be addressed effectively and quickly, an effort that has begun but must be continued apace.

As indicated earlier, equipping faculty and Departments with modern computer hardware and software is as essential to the teaching mission of the University as it is for research. Use of technology has expanded beyond the confines of the research laboratory. It is now an integral and essential element of instruction and learning which must be available for all faculty and students. A Divisional facility should be established to serve as a resource for the development and implementation of multimedia, electronic, and other innovative methods of instruction.

Classroom scheduling is difficult. Coordinating the scheduling of classes within the Division is essential to provide a system that supports learning for the students. We advocate a thoughtful and coordinated system for the scheduling of classrooms.

In addition, timely information on students, tracking their enrollment and relative success, is essential. Information on student interests when admitted, their eventual majors, and where they go should be maintained in a central database to facilitate assessment efforts.

16. Foster a culture conducive to outreach.

Faculty participate in many activities besides research and teaching. These efforts reach beyond Divisional and institutional borders into the community. Given the value to the university, recognition of these efforts is essential. Outreach activities should be recognized as part of the service component of a faculty member's contribution to the University. This service must be recognized at all levels of the administration, including the highest level. We recommend that the Annual Report to the President be modified to include a section for faculty to list outreach activities. Furthermore, major outreach efforts should be reported in our publications, including a regular column on these activities in the Rice News. The Rice homepage on the Web should have links to all existing outreach projects as a way of increasing the visibility for these programs. Our public relations staff should provide connections between those participants and appropriate avenues for disseminating information about these efforts.

Getting started can be one of the most difficult aspects of outreach. Thus, a Web site that provides information on existing outreach programs provides not only visibility but also access to other interested parties. Staff involved in outreach should be prepared to help others make contacts and get started with their own programs, even though these individuals are already over-subscribed. A Divisional Web expert (see above) would provide, as part of the responsibilities assigned, assistance in development of appropriate materials for outreach programs. The Web is a primary source of information for many individuals and improves the public awareness of science. Web pages with scientific content can have high impact and augment both scientific understanding and simultaneously the perception of Rice as a place where excellence in science can be found.

18. Strengthen the relationships between the Wiess School and the other Schools at Rice.

As the borders between disciplines dissolve and interdisciplinary studies increase, we must strengthen the interactions between faculty in different settings within Rice. We should develop interdisciplinary courses and degree programs (see above) that address the needs of students as they move into different career pathways. The small size of Rice and its spirit of collegiality position us uniquely to offer unusual and creative interdisciplinary programs (e.g., Applied Physics, Bioengineering) and courses (e.g., Bioethics, Science & Technology Assessment). Joint appointments of faculty members, including crossover between science and engineering disciplines, are but one mechanism to encourage strong relationships and flexibility in our thinking. Furthermore, enhanced interactions among the Divisions, including Humanities and Social Sciences, provide the opportunity for discussion of societal issues generated by developments in science and technology. The curriculum in the Wiess School should include courses that address ethics and social contract studies, with integration of sciences and humanities and social sciences. The perspectives of our colleagues and students in these disciplines can illuminate our own studies. Close communication between Departments would also enhance our capacity to act in an interdisciplinary mode. We should be aware of activities that can be shared with other Divisions, including Humanities and Social Sciences - colloquia, seminars, lectures, visiting guests, et al. We must ensure that invitations to events are distributed widely. A University-wide events calendar that is easy to access, both for reading and for entry of events, would be extremely valuable. To encourage interaction, we recommend including persons from other Divisions, not just outside the Department, on graduate examining committees. We reiterate earlier recommendations for the development of interdisciplinary courses, majors, and thesis programs. An example at the undergraduate level is the Rice University Scholars Program. We believe that participation in this program should be increased and similar programs developed.

19. Establish mechanisms for increasing public awareness of science and the visibility of the programs in the Wiess School.

As indicated previously, the Web offers a unique opportunity to involve faculty, staff and students in presenting science not only to our colleagues but also to the general public. We encourage all Departments, faculty, and students to develop engaging Web pages. Furthermore, major educational and research activities should have pages that describe their activities. Where possible and appropriate, transcripts of lectures, interviews, and courses should be presented on the Web.

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20. Establish connections with industry, business, and government.

Relatively little interaction occurs between the faculty in the Wiess School and non-academic organizations. Although some faculty are involved in consulting for industry, others serve on government boards and review panels, and still others have involvement with professional organizations, our relative connection to resources outside the academy is low. We see significant opportunities available for such interactions in both our research and education missions; we also see significant problems. Academic researchers frequently have goals fundamentally different from those outside the university. These differences arise from the distinctive organizational missions, and they can cause conflicts. Nonetheless, we believe that collaboration with industry can provide direct benefit to academic research. We therefore encourage faculty in the Wiess School to seek research collaborations outside of academia under conditions where all parties understand and consent to how the results of the research will be used. Departments may wish to form advisory panels that include representatives from industry. Because many of our students may pursue careers in industry, we believe that Departments should strive to establish/increase summer internship opportunities outside of academia for both undergraduate and graduate students. Exposure to industrial settings can facilitate student choices about their careers and provide a firmer basis for their decisions. Another avenue to improve relationships with industry would be Professional Master's degree programs in areas where such efforts are appropriate. Continuing professional education via electronic means is an increasingly important avenue that we should consider carefully.

Departments can also avail themselves of resources in the local industrial community in their regular courses. The experience would provide exposure of students to industrial scientists and the perspective offered by those employed in this sector. Departments might consider offering short courses that draw on the expertise of industrial scientists and that focus on topics that might otherwise not be offered. Because the format for interaction with industry will vary greatly, even among the Departments in the Wiess School, no template can be provided. Nonetheless, we believe that enhanced interactions will promote mutually beneficial outcomes that would become self-sustaining.

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Last updated January 2, 2001 by Lisa Spiro for CODE (Committee on the Digital Environment at Rice University).