Seminars Part III: Hosting

For the last part of this series on developing a seminar program I have reserved the most commonly overlooked part of the program; hosting seminar speakers.  While often overlooked it may be the most important if you want your program to thrive.

If your program is going to succeed you must have something to offer to the speakers.  If the experience is excruciating for the speaker the word will get around to the detriment of your department's reputation and your seminar program.  You want them to find your faculty and students engaged and excited about the field.  If they are not, the speaker will be wondering why you invited them in the first place.

A successful seminar program requires buy-in from your faculty and your students.  Student buy-in could be provided by requiring attendance, but keep in mind that just as you can tell when you have lost your students interest in class, a speaker can tell when the audience comes in disinterested.  If your students are going to impress potential graduate programs and employers they should be available to have lunch with the speaker and should ask a question or two at the seminar.  They should be able to talk about their research and see the interaction with the speakers as something that will be of value to them in their careers.  Make sure every student thinking about graduate school at least looks at the campuses who have visited you.  This positive attitude in students must be developed by the faculty in talking up the speakers, the program and the value to students.  Ask some questions of the speaker during or after the talk.  If you can connect to work being done on your campus the students will see what shared ideas can produce.

If the faculty are engaged in expanding their perspectives on chemistry and biochemistry a seminar program will not work.  A sure sign of a weak PUI/MCU department and a weak seminar program is when only the faculty within the sub-discipline of the talk speak to the guest or come to the talk.  This also sends a message to students that they can narrow their focus to the point of ignoring any chemistry but that of the lab they are working in.  Putting such blinders on early in a career limits the intellectual flexibility of the student, and their career prospects.

Face time with speakers should be about a half to three-quarters of an hour.  The faculty should have something other than the weather to talk to the speaker about.  Research active faculty don't generally want to talk about the merits of intro-organic books in the half hour they might have with you.  Talk about students and courses can be reserved for casual conversation over dinner.  Talk about your scholarship.  Talk about the successes and the places where there might be overlap with the speakers work or facilities.  You don't have to be publishing in Science, you need to be trying to move science forward with a clear plan to answer a question.  Opportunities to collaborate will enhance the guests funding potential and will give you the chance to get access to facilities you lack.

When I speak at another institution I want to hear about what they are doing and how it might relate to what I do, or what my colleagues do.  I want to see my hosts as scientists engaged in a thoughtful exploration of their field.  It may not be exactly my field and but if the question and research plan seem to have been thought out, and show signs of some progress I am happy.   I also want them to bounce their ideas off me and I want to bounce ideas off them.  If there is potential for collaboration I want to know I can contact them for collaboration opportunities in the future.

Lastly, after the formality of the day is over, schedule some time to relax and have a friendly conversation over a drink and/or dinner.  Make sure a couple of faculty attend and participate in the conversation.  If the seminar was the last thing on the days events bring up those collaboration ideas then.

Hosting faculty should want the speakers to walk away thinking about the potential of the students and faculty at your institution and do everything they can to make it happen.

T.S. Hall