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Marilyn Morris is professor of pharmaceutical sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and associate dean for graduate and postgraduate education in the Graduate School.
Describe your new position as associate dean for graduate and postgraduate education.
My responsibilities in this position, which I assumed in May, are two-fold: first, to establish an Office of Postdoctoral Scholars (OPS) and second, to help establish and to direct the activities of the new Office of Comprehensive Program Review (OCPR). Both of these represent new initiatives for the Graduate School. This administrative position in the Graduate School is part-time (50 percent), so I have maintained my research, teaching and administrative activities in the pharmacy school. I should add that I only became interested in working in university administration after my very positive experience as a Faculty Fellow in the UB Faculty in Leadership Program during the past year.
Why were the Graduate School and the university administration interested in establishing an Office of Postdoctoral Scholars?
Maybe I should start by defining who is a postdoctoral scholar—commonly referred to as a postdoctoral fellow or postdoc. A postdoctoral scholar is a person who recently—within five years—has been awarded a Ph.D. or an equivalent doctorate or terminal degree (SC.D., M.D., D.D.S., J.D., etc) in an appropriate field and has accepted a position to obtain further education and training working under the mentorship of a faculty member or senior scholar. A postdoctoral fellowship represents a temporary appointment—generally five years or less—that involves full-time research or scholarship, and is regarded as preparatory for an academic or research career in many fields. An AAU Committee on Postdoctoral Education, chaired by former UB President Steven Sample, and its subsequent Report and Recommendations for Postdoctoral Education issued in 1998 have focused national attention on postdoctoral scholars. Recommendations from the committee included the need for a central administrative officer, core policies and explicit policies for recruitment and appointments. While not the only model, many universities have housed their postdoctoral scholar offices in the Graduate School. This seems like a natural extension of the Graduate School's work with education and training of Ph.D. students. Many research universities have established, or are in the process of establishing, offices to serve the needs and support the activities of postdocs.
What types of services or support will the OPS provide for postdoctoral scholars and their mentors?
The overall purpose of the OPS is to develop structure, culture and programs to enhance the experience of postdocs at UB. We are hoping to create more of a community, as well as provide some services and programs for the postdoctoral scholars on campus. In particular, the OPS goals include promoting and facilitating the recruitment of the highest-quality postdoctoral candidates and developing programs for improving the postdoctoral experience and enhancing career prospects. There currently are about 300 postdoctoral fellows at UB, with about 100 of these fellows located at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. We already have created a listserv to inform postdocs about our office, the seminars and social events that we are sponsoring, and about other events, seminars and workshops on campus that might be of interest to them. In addition, we have information available on our Web site at http://www.grad. buffalo.edu/postdocs, with links to off-campus housing, Buffalo-area events and Web sites and programs targeted to postdoctoral scholars that provide educational and career-oriented materials. We also have formed an advisory committee composed of faculty and postdocs that will provide input to the OPS, including advice on policies, procedures and programming, as well as addressing issues of concern or interest for postdocs at UB. The OPS hopes to assist postdoctoral mentors through educational and research programs, interactions with the National Postdoctoral Association and the availability of letters of offer and posting of postdoctoral positions.
Do you have any programs for postdoctoral scholars coming up?
There will be a seminar and reception from 4-6:30 p.m. on Monday in the Center for Tomorrow, North Campus. Ho-Leung Fung, professor of pharmaceutical sciences, will present an interesting and entertaining seminar on "How to Succeed in Science With or Without Really Trying." This will be followed by a reception and a time to get to meet other postdocs.
Can you describe the new Office of Comprehensive Program Review?
Assessment at the undergraduate program level has been mandated by SUNY administration for several years, but resources were not expended centrally to include the graduate programs in the assessments. As a result, many of the postbaccalaureate programs that do not have mandated accreditation visits have not been systematically evaluated unless the school or college dean has done so independently. The creation of the Office of Comprehensive Program Review has provided the staff and resources to conduct comprehensive program reviews that will incorporate the mandated SUNY assessment of the undergraduate major, along with graduate programs. As a part of the review process, the department in question has the opportunity to perform a self-assessment as it prepares its self-study document. The self-study document is shared with a team of two to three outside evaluators who will spend two days visiting campus and meeting with the department's faculty, staff and students, and learning about its programs and facilities. The evaluators' report, along with the self-study, will provide the appropriate academic dean and the university administration with a comprehensive profile of the department. This will allow for planning for resource allocation as UB moves forward with its comprehensive planning strategy for the future. Comprehensive program review represents an essential component in strengthening the research and teaching missions of the university. This initiative is consistent with President Simpson's institutional goal to be recognized as one of the premier public research universities in the 21st century.
Where are you located and who should be contacted for further information?
My office is located at 546 Capen Hall. Jean Stefanski, assistant dean in the Graduate School who has more than 25 years of university service and 15 years of Graduate School student services experience, provides staff support for this office. Her primary focus will be on the comprehensive program review process, although she also is assisting me with the postdoctoral scholars initiative. In addition, Megan Dishman provides secretarial support for the office and may be contacted at mdishman@buffalo.edu or at 645-3462. I would like to invite any postdoctoral scholars who have not been receiving email through the postdoc listserv to subscribe to the listserv or contact my office.