Annual Report June 2002-July 2003
Department of Biological Sciences
Old Dominion University

Introduction

This is a general summary of activities during the past academic year. Most faculty have responded to my request for information but I alone am responsible for the content of the report and any omissions.

Lytton John Musselman, Chair
18 July 2003

The ongoing productivity of the department in teaching and research is a source of pride. Much of this is not readily quantifiable yet represents essence of our mission. Listed below, not in any particular order of priority, are identifiable accomplishments.

1. Continued high level of grant funding (see numbers).

2. Establishment of a one million dollar endowed professorship in horticulture and botany.

3. Recognition of outstanding faculty (Virginia Scientist of the Year Award, State Council of Higher Education of Virginia Outstanding Faculty nominee).

4. Recognition of outstanding graduate students at numerous professional meetings.

5. Faculty service on international, national, regional, and state organizations including review panels for NSF.

6. Consolidation of a biochemistry curriculum with the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

7. Establishment of a mediated seminar room, shared with the Department of Psychology.

8. Much needed expansion and renovation of department office facilities.

9. Redesigned introductory course for non-majors.

Undergraduate students:
Biology majors-130
Graduates-28 (summer 2002), 46 (fall 2002), 45 (spring 2003)

Graduate students currently enrolled:
Master’s program-78
PhD Biomed-50
PhD Ecology-26

Publications (this includes archival journals, invited book chapters, and reviews): approximately 60 and four books.

Current grants and contracts: During this period, our faculty (including emeritus) had about $3.7 million in grants including several from highly competitive sources such as NSF and NIH.

Faculty and Staff
Department Leadership

Lytton John Musselman, Chair
Mark J. Butler, Assistant Chair
Wayne L. Hynes, Master’s Graduate Program Director
Kneeland K. Nesius, Assistant Chair and Chief Departmental Advisor
Alan H. Savitzky, Ecological Sciences Doctoral Graduate Program Director
R. James Swanson, Biomedical Sciences Doctoral Graduate Program Director

Tenured Faculty

Butler, Mark Professor
Carpenter, Kent Associate Professor
Carson, Keith Associate Professor
Dauer, Daniel. Professor
Day, Frank Professor
Gordon, Andrew Professor
Hargrave, Barbara Associate Professor
Holsinger, John Professor
Hynes, Wayne Associate Professor
Jones, Cynthia Professor
Musselman, Lytton Professor
Nesius, Kneeland Associate Professor
Osgood, Chris Associate Professor
Ratzlaff, Robert Associate Professor
Resetarits, William Associate Professor
Savitzky, Alan Associate Professor (on leave fall semester 2003)
Stevens, Ralph Associate Professor
Swanson, Jim Professor
Wade, Nancy Associate Professor
Waller, Deborah Associate Professor

Non-Tenure Track

Cooper, Roland Visiting assistant professor
Dyer, Brian Instructor (part time)
Kilburn, Kerry Senior lecturer

Active Emeritus Faculty

Marshall, Harold
Rose, Robert
Sonenshine, Daniel

Harvey, Marla Office specialist
Rosenblum, Jo Office specialist
Story, Milissa Fiscal and Office Manger

Technical Support

Hayward, Mary Laboratory supervisor
Proctor, Kelly Animal Facility
Saucer, Carmel Laboratory specialist
Sliter, Denise Electron microscopy
Smith, Kelly Laboratory specialist

Faculty and Staff Changes

In the past several years we have lost five tenure track faculty members. Two of these positions have been canceled, two approved for hire, and one request for hire is pending. After a national search and four on-campus interviews, Ian K. Bartol will join our department this fall as our first tenure track assistant professor in several years. This fall we will craft the position description for our next hire (see Initiative, below). Our office staff has had a complete turnover. We are privileged to have Milissa Story to be our new fiscal and office manager. She replaces Gail Stenberg who retired in June after long and dedicated service to the university. The Biological Sciences Support Facility (BSSF) filled a vacancy in the summer of 2002. We are still short one BSSF staff, in the area of ecology and field research.

Initiatives

Clearly, the strongest part of our department is that dealing with ecology and environmental issues (see honors, below). We would like to build on that by creating a world class group in quantitative ecology. In addition, we are developing strength in the area of infectious diseases. One of the goals for the next year is to develop department consensus on our goals.

An active program of development for the department was started. To date we have the following projects:

1. J. Robert Stiffler Distinguished Professor of Horticulture and Botany. This has been funded at slightly more than $1 million dollars. Before the end of the year, we hope to augment this with another $0.5 million to enable us to advertise in Spring 2004.

2. Endowed Natural History Seminar. One of our alumni has agreed to raise $100 000 to fund an annual lecture in natural history, reflecting the departments long-standing expertise in this area. The first lecture will be in April 2004 as part of the President’s Lecture Series.

3. Natural History Museum. One of the strengths of the department is in the quality and extent of its museum holdings. It is anticipated that the endowed seminar series (see above) will be linked with a program to raise funds for a museum, perhaps connected to the new science building.

4. Organization of Tropical Studies (OTS). It would benefit the department and the university’s international programs if we jointed OTS. This project is in the “silent phase” of development.

5. Urban garden. Discussions are underway with the administration for an urban garden to be part of the new science building. This would include native plants suitable for lawns and gardens in Tidewater, demonstrations for school children, and similar displays.

Awards, Honors, and Recognition

We did very well during the past year in being recognized for our accomplishments. Numerous articles in the local, regional, and national media highlighted faculty and student activities. For example, the Pfeisteria program at ODU was featured in SCIENCE, the Blackwater Ecologic Preserve in CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION. Some specific honors are noted below (there are undoubtably more):

1. Virginia Scientist of the Year-Cynthia M. Jones

2. State Council of Higher Education of Virginia Outstanding Faculty nominee-Alan H Savitzky

3. Most Inspiring Teacher-Nancy L. Wade. In addition, Ralph Stevens received his 11th Most Inspiring Teacher award, more than anyone in the entire university!!

4. Debbie Hutchinson, a PhD student in ecology, received two awards at the annual Association of Southeastern Biologists meeting in April.

5. Mary Hayward received the Hourly and Classified Employee, Most Valuable Employee Award.

Space and Facilities

We are out of space in Mills Godwin Building. The Center for Quantitative Fisheries will have to be moved from Technology. We have yet to identify space for future hires. The department has put together a detailed plan for space, much of it shared with other departments, in the new science building. But even this additional space will not alleviate many needs for lab and office space.

Budget

While the budget picture is gloomy at best, faculty and staff in the department have worked hard to carry out excellent teaching and service under severe restraints. Several thousand dollars have been added to the budget for supplies in three courses. The augmentation of graduate assistantships has enabled us to recruit one of the best classes of PhD students in several years. We need increased lab fees in some courses if we are to train students in modern biology.

While faculty have committed to courses and instruction with reduced resources, the matter of salaries looms as one of the most serious problems in morale. Like most departments at ODU and other universities, salary compression is a very serious problem. Our classified employees suffer from the effects of low salaries and no raises.

Future Goals

As chair, I have the following goals for the next year.

1. Development of a three or five-year plan for the department. So much has changed just in the past year alone that we need to give serious thought to where we are and where we want to go.

2. Undergraduate curriculum reform. This is one of my highest priorities and also one of the most difficult tasks. Presently, it is abated pending possible College of Sciences undergraduate initiatives.

3. Increased work at recruiting and retaining excellent graduate students.

4. Mentoring faculty for tenure and promotion.

5. Identifying sources of space and funding. Though daunting, this is an essential activity especially in light of the productivity of our department.