What is the key to building a successful research-intensive Department? This is a perennial question faced by Department Chairs. Of course we need the support and confidence of the university administration in order to open up new positions and fund infrastructure projects. This is always facilitated by a Department that works unitedly to make a strong case for its future goals.
In the end however, a surprisingly large amount of power rests within Departments themselves. Sorry Deans, Provosts, and Presidents! After all, we control the two most important aspects of university life.
We have the power to make decisions on faculty hires and to set the curriculum. I believe the answer to the question posed at the beginning of this article is quite simple:
1. Hire the most outstanding researchers available and provide them the maximum freedom to achieve their goals;
2.Make sure the curriculum is challenging and illuminating enough to train students to succeed and also to earn the Department a reputation as a serious place to get a degree.
Students are definitely willing to work hard (or even harder) if they feel they are getting a quality degree that will give them a leg up in the competition for jobs. The first point above means that Departments sometimes have to make the tough choice to not necessarily perpetuate the existing research foci, and also to keep teaching and service loads under control – like tuition, these have a tendency to grow faster than inflation!
I have no doubt that the above principles lead to a world-class Department, although it clearly can be a multi-year project. A diversity of backgrounds and experiences amongst the faculty and students also contributes to a rich atmosphere. Are we meeting these goals in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at The University of Western Ontario? I would like to think so. We are currently in the process of hiring two new faculty members, and our curricula at the upper-year and graduate levels are expanding to meet our ambitions. We are in this for the long term, to create one of the outstanding centres for physics and astronomy research and education in Canada. Our facilities will also be top-notch once the current Physics and Astronomy Building renovation is completed by September 2012.
An outstanding Department is one that functions with a common purpose, with
strong researchers committed to teaching excellence, with minimal interference
from administration in the key areas of hiring and curriculum, and that maintains a culture of celebrating each other’s successes and helping each other when obstacles are encountered.
Are we there yet? I think the outlook is very good.
Shantanu Basu
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