Stages of Science Evolution Part II

I wrote yesterday about Alexander Shneider's "Four stages of a scientific discipline;  four types of scientists" article.  Just as Shneider cautions us about the effects of mismatch in stage of scientist and stage of reviewer, should we not also consider the possible disconnection between the expectations of those who support our departments and the faculty that do the work of the department?

I have been thinking about my department's "Friends of the Chemistry and Biochemistry" group.  This group is made up of alumni and regional industry representatives who advise us on direction and curriculum.  Our friends of the department (FODs) group frequently chastises us for not training our students in the specific topics they feel students need to succeed in industry.  Many blogs written by industry types mirror the same sentiments.  If industry scientist are generally stage four types, while faculty are in stage one through three, the disconnect is understandable.

At RO1 institutions there is an expectation from those on the outside that faculty be at stage one, two or three, but at PUI and MCU campuses the expectations often differ.  In some cases, by State mandate MCU and PUI campuses are discouraged from research in the first three stages.  Our mission to train students to meet the needs of the community places emphasis on stage four thinking.  At the same time, the expectations of granting and publication activities overseen by stage three scientists demand that faculty be in the stage three.

In trying to envision how a forward looking university administration might deal with this problem the answer might be to develop faculty hiring to ensure that faculty who represent all stages of scientists are employed.  In this fashion there are representatives in the program for all constituencies.  Then one must encourage and enforce a collegial respect among the faculty at different stages so that they respect the value each person brings to the department as a whole.

I think I just went a bridge too far.  Perhaps I should have mentioned that I have been thinking about all of this while plowing though exam grading.  It makes one crazy.

T.S. Hall