Strategic Plan 1.0

2019 - 2024
Botany & Plant Pathology

Strategic Goals

  1. Be a premier department for training and professional development in 21st century plant sciences.
  2. Grow and integrate departmental research programs to meet state, national and global grand challenges in the plant sciences.
  3. Amplify our broader impact to enrich the lives of our stakeholders and promote resilient environments.
  4. Promote an inclusive and equitable environment that advances departmental excellence.

Strategic Goal #1

Be a premier department for training and professional development in 21st century plant sciences.

  1. Objective: Advance recruitment to BPP undergraduate and graduate programs as measured by an increase in applications and enrollment.
  2. Objective:  Strengthen the BPP undergraduate and graduate programs as measured by increased retention and graduation rates.
  3. Objective: Increase the number of Professional Development opportunities across the department – from student to faculty.

View our Objectives, Strategies and Actions Items in full detail below.

 

Objective:

Advance recruitment to BPP undergraduate and graduate programs as measured by an increase in applications and enrollment.
Strategy 1: Actively recruit at Oregon High Schools with existing plant science and environmental sciences education.
  1. Action item: Identify existing Oregon High Schools with plant science and environmental science education.
  2. Action item: Develop recruitment material for high school students.
  3. Action item: Develop BPP UG Ambassador program to participate in high school recruitment.
Strategy 2: Actively recruit transfer students from Oregon Community Colleges.
  1. Action item: Prepare recruitment material for OSU Admissions to distribute at College Fairs (Oregon Transfer Days at all 17 Oregon Community Colleges).
  2. Action item: Prepare transfer guides specific to each of the 17 Oregon Community Colleges and send to their Biology advisors with recruitment materials.
  3. Action item: Invite Biology advisors from Community Colleges to relationship building events.
Strategy 3: Deliver appealing introductory undergraduate courses that focus on contemporary issues and that are attractive to OSU undergraduates.
  1. Action item: Market BOT 101 and BOT 220 to Exploratory Study Undergraduate Students as part of their first-year experience.
  2. Action item: Add a focus on recruitment in BOT101 and BOT220, e.g. careers in botany, botanical contributions to biology, etc.
  3. Action item: Identify additional first-year Botany courses for non-majors. 
Strategy 4: Deliver the Botany B.S. degree online through OSU Ecampus.
  1. Action item: Develop and implement a Memorandum of Understanding with OSU Ecampus for a Botany B.S. major.
  2. Action item: Develop and implement a robust and sustainable instruction and course delivery model.
  3. Action item: Develop and implement a robust marketing and recruitment model.
  4. Action item: Assess the development of Ecampus courses for additional options within the BOT major.
Strategy 5: Develop a proactive recruitment plan for the BPP graduate program.
  1. Action item: Identify universities with plant science, environmental science, and related undergraduate programs.
  2. Action item: Develop targeted recruitment material for undergraduate and graduate students in plant sciences and related programs around the country.
  3. Action item: Develop online recruitment material.
  4. Action item: Develop BPP Graduate Student Ambassador program to participate in recruitment.
Strategy 6: Enhance the BPP web presence to recruit interest in undergraduate and graduate programs, both on-campus and Ecampus.
  1. Action item: Add recruitment information, especially videos, to the BPP webpage, as well as YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
  2. Action item: Search engine optimization for the BPP webpage to improve information access for potential recruits.
  3. Action item: Prepare a grid format 4-year example plan of undergraduate study.
  4. Action item: Prepare a grid format of M.S. and Ph.D. plans of study.

 

Objective:

Strengthen the BPP undergraduate and graduate programs as measured by increased retention and graduation rates.
Strategy 1: Foster a greater sense of community among BPP undergraduate students.
  1. Action item: Develop an orientation course for incoming students that introduces them to OSU and professional botanists, and that includes field trips to field and labs.
  2. Action item: Bio 200 and Chem 200 series study group for BPP majors.
  3. Action item: Develop online communities for BPP, e.g. Instagram, Facebook, Canvas.
  4. Action item: Establish a Cordley Hall Botany Undergraduate Learning Center.
  5. Action item: Continue and improve BUDS program.
Strategy 2: Strengthen undergraduate and graduate advising.
  1. Action item: Establish training program for undergraduate advisors to maximize effectiveness.
  2. Action item: Provide undergraduate advisors assistance from BPP front office.
  3. Action item: Incorporate graduate advising into faculty mentoring to maximize effectiveness.
Strategy 3: Maintain robust and contemporary BOT undergraduate and BPP graduate curricula.
  1. Action item: Perform a review of undergraduate and graduate curricula to assess course relevance and sustainability, and to insure articulation of course content and learning outcomes.
  2. Action item: Perform a review of course scheduling to maximize student access.
  3. Action item: Redevelop and rebrand existing courses where necessary.
  4. Action item: Identify and develop new courses to address deficiencies and build from strengths.
Strategy 4: Advance the use of quantitative skills through the Biological Data Sciences undergraduate major.
  1. Action item: Develop and submit the category I proposal for the Biological Data Sciences (BDS) major.
  2. Action item: Develop and submit the category II proposal for remaining BDS coursework.
  3. Action item: Continue to liaison with other departments to develop a robust and interdisciplinary curriculum.
  4. Action item: Aggressively market the new BDS major.
  5. Action item: Launch the BDS major in Fall of 2020.
Strategy 5: Establish more transparent graduate program requirements and policies.
  1. Action item: Update the departmental graduate handbook and promote ease of access.
  2. Action item: Review graduate program stage gates and produce updated and personalized departmental checkoff sheets.
  3. Action item: Review departmental policies to maximize utility of graduate committees and graduate committee meetings.

 

Objective:

Increase the number of Professional Development opportunities across the department – from student to faculty.
Strategy 1: Demystify career paths and postgraduate education for undergraduate and graduate students.
  1. Action item: Develop an online archive of internships and job opportunities.
  2. Action item: Identify and promote on-campus resources available at career resources office.
  3. Action item: Feature the careers of alumni (Bsc, Msc. PhD, post-doc) on the BPP website.
  4. Action item: Add links on the BPP website to plant science societies with career info.
  5. Action item: Implement BOT407 - Senior Seminar
  6. Action item: Mentor undergraduate students on the graduate school application process.
  7. Action item: Create an industry panel/career fair to assist undergraduate and graduate students in learning about non-academic employment paths.
Strategy 2: Advance soft skills (e.g., speaking, writing, etc.) training for BPP undergraduate and graduate students.
  1. Action item: Examine the BPP curriculum and identify soft skills taught in each course, and make these visible to students.
  2. Action item: As part of curricular review develop writing course for BPP graduate students.
  3. Action item: Develop additional and diverse speaking opportunities within the department (e.g., lunch chalk talks, micro-thesis, etc.).
  4. Action item: Examine other curricula at OSU and identify soft skills education and make these visible to students.
  5. Action item: Encourage and incentivize participation and presentations at national and international scientific conferences.
Strategy 3: Develop a robust TA training program.
  1. Action item: Survey graduate students for feedback on TA experience to determine what additional TA training and support they require.
  2. Action item: Update TA training course based on above survey results and assign faculty member to organize and implement course.
  3. Action item: Explore a one term TA requirement for M.S. students.
Strategy 4: Develop a departmental training program for Postdocs and FRAs.
  1. Action item: Form departmental postdoc/FRA association to maximize integration into the department.
  2. Action item: Provide guest lecture opportunities in BOT classes that include professor and student feedback.
  3. Action item: Require PostDoc departmental research seminar including meeting with faculty members and graduate students to simulate interview experience.
  4. Action item: Establish structured mentoring process that includes professional development goals.
  5. Action item: Encourage participation at national and international meetings and incentivize when possible.
Strategy 5: Enhance departmental mentoring of Instructors, Assistant and Associate Professors.
  1. Action item: Conduct departmental review of mentoring process.
  2. Action item: Modify departmental mentoring process as needed to maximize professional development.
  3. Action item: Add a Professional Development section that documents professional development activities to annual reviews of instructors and faculty.
  4. Action item: Encourage instructor participation in national meetings and incentivize when possible.

STRATEGIC GOAL #2

Grow and integrate departmental research programs to meet state, national and global grand challenges in the plant sciences.

  1. Objective: Raise the profile of BPP as measured by national, institutional, and departmental metrics of productivity, impact and funding.
  2. Objective: Integrate research programs as measured by an increase in faculty interactions, collaborative research proposals, and cross-training activities.

View our Objectives, Strategies and Actions Items in full detail below.

 

Objective:

Raise the profile of BPP as measured by national, institutional, and departmental metrics of productivity, impact and funding.
Strategy 1: Establish Centers of Excellence with focus on research central to BPP.
  1. Action Item: Develop centers of excellence within – but not limited to – BPP.
  2. Action Item: Self assignment of BPP faculty to centers of excellence
  3. Action Item: Recruit faculty from other units to participate in centers of excellence
  4. Action Item: Engage with university, state, federal stakeholders to build and support centers of excellence with the goal of unifying faculty across OSU.
  5. Action Item:  Execute marketing strategies to increase the prominence of the centers of excellence.
Strategy 2: Incentivize a more efficient and resilient environment of extramural funding.
  1. Action Item: Develop workshops/courses for grant writing for graduate students and postdocs.
  2. Action Item: Expand faculty mentoring process to include proposal reviews.
  3. Action Item: Coordinate with CAS and OSU to communicate a clearinghouse of funding opportunities for BPP.
  4. Action Item: Establish policies that give early career faculty relief from service in lieu of grant proposal submission.
  5. Action Item: Support faculty visits to national program headquarters to engage with program officers of funding agencies.
Strategy 3: Develop a plan for maximizing departmental support of research.
  1. Action Item: Develop standard policies that maximize returned overhead to BPP.
  2. Action Item: Develop a more transparent budget model for BPP that details departmental support for research.
  3. Action Item: Have annual beginning-of-the-academic-year discussions on departmental needs and goals related to research.
  4. Action Item: Investigate development of a plan that allows a fraction of returned overhead to flow back to research programs that generate them.
  5. Action Item: Develop a method of documenting financial and in-kind contributions to the department.
  6. Action Item: Leverage university and departmental resources to defray publication costs for manuscripts that report findings derived from high-impact work.
Strategy 4: Leverage departmental and PI resources to acquire state-of-the-art research equipment.
  1. Action Item: Establish a department equipment fund to be used for maintaining and purchasing multiuser equipment.
  2. Action Item: Establish a departmental structure for identifying equipment needs and disbursement of multiuser equipment funds.
  3. Action Item: Develop policies on cost matching, sharing, and managing equipment.

 

Objective:

Integrate research programs as measured by an increase in faculty interactions, collaborative research proposals, and cross-training activities.
Strategy 1: Develop a 5-year strategy for priority staffing.
  1. Action Item: Use grand challenges and centers of excellence as criteria to evaluate current research programs and identify competitively synergistic activities.
  2. Action Item: Identify “diversify from strengths” priorities in expertise that are necessary to effectively integrate across research programs to meet the grand challenges in plant sciences.
  3. Action Item: Have annual assessments and discussions on priority staffing.
  4. Action Item: Align departmental development goals for endowed chair positions with centers of excellence.
Strategy 2: Promote inter/transdisciplinary collaborations to meet the grand challenges.
  1. Action Item: Articulate departmental priorities in state, national and global grand challenges in the plant sciences
  2. Action Item: Establish formal and informal mechanisms for BPP research programs to promote cross-training.
  3. Action Item: Organize departmental seminars around centers of excellence
  4. Action Item: Establish expertise/resources to assist with coordinating the development and submission of large collaborative proposals.
  5. Action Item: Establish a system of “lab open houses”.
  6. Action Item: Populate relevant departmental committees with members from all centers of excellence
  7. Action Item: Develop an assessment plan to document collaborative efforts.
Strategy 3: Stimulate inter/transdisciplinary education and training.
  1. Action Item: Establish optional rotation program for graduate students.
  2. Action Item: Initiate journal clubs associated with centers of excellence.
  3. Action Item: Leverage centers of excellence in the review and revision of undergraduate and graduate curricula and postdoc training programs.
  4. Action Item: Charge centers of excellence with the development of experiential learning opportunities for undergraduates.
Strategy 4: Highlight the research accomplishments of BPP research programs.
  1. Action Item: Establish annual awards for graduate students and postdocs.
  2. Action Item: Highlight BPP research accomplishments on the BPP website and newsletter.
  3. Action Item: Coordinate with Extension and Experiment Station Communications.
  4. Action Item: Develop stronger and more effective use of social media outlets to advertise accomplishments of BPP researchers.
  5. Action Item: Develop short videos of research programs for the website.
  6. Action Item: Nominate colleagues to give presentations at national and international meetings.
  7. Action Item: Nominate colleagues for university and national awards.
  8. Action Item: Highlight publishing of opinion articles and serving on national/international “visionary” committees.

Strategic goal #3

Amplify our broader impact to enrich the lives of our stakeholders and promote resilient environments.

  1. Objective: Increase public relevance of departmental extension, outreach and research programs through increased engagement with stakeholders.
  2. Objective: Increase the department’s public impact by expanding the number and types of extension and outreach activities.
  3. Objective: Commit to under-served, minority and K-14 populations through expansion of outreach programming.

View our Objectives, Strategies and Actions Items in full detail below.

 

Objective:

Increase public relevance of departmental extension, outreach and research programs through increased engagement with stakeholders.
Strategy 1: Grow and strengthen departmental relationships with stakeholders.
  1. Action Item: Host annual stakeholder event in Corvallis designed to build and strengthen relationships with BPP.
  2. Action Item: Identify and participate in off-campus and branch station engagement opportunities with stakeholders.
  3. Action Item: Survey stakeholder communities to accurately assess their extension and outreach needs.
  4. Action Item: Develop student–stakeholder interaction opportunities. 
Strategy 2: Develop enhanced web-based tools to increase communication of BPP extension and outreach resources.
  1. Action Item: Create “front page visible” extension and outreach resources on the BPP website.
  2. Action Item: Highlight existing BPP extension & outreach activities.
  3. Action Item: Create “Ask an Expert” link to promote dialogue between the public and BPP faculty and students.
  4. Action Item: Develop explicit social media campaign for extension and outreach activities.
  5. Action Item: Develop an Extension and Outreach events calendar.
  6. Action Item: Develop Extension and Outreach videos.
Strategy 3: Strengthen connections between branch station and main campus faculty to enhance the departmental understanding of statewide challenges, interests, and opportunities faced by Oregon communities.
  1. Action Item: Develop calendar of branch station events on the BPP website, including seminar announcements, field days, workshops, grower education events, etc. 
  2. Action Item: Encourage and incentivize the participation of campus faculty at branch station field days and grower education events.
  3. Action Item: Continued inclusion of off-campus faculty in faculty meetings, BPP seminars, committees, and other Departmental activities.
  4. Action Item: Promote branch station opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.
  5. Action Item: Develop intra-departmental newsletter to inform department on extension and outreach opportunities and functions.
  6. Action Item: Document collaboration/interaction with branch stations.

 

Objective:

Increase the department’s public impact by expanding the number and types of extension and outreach activities.
Strategy 1: Review and refine departmental extension and outreach programs and align departmental strengths with stakeholder needs.
  1. Action Item: Perform an annual assessment of stakeholder input and needs.
  2. Action Item: Refine and develop list of annual extension and outreach activities to be hosted on and off campus.
  3. Action Item: Develop an evaluation survey to measure effectiveness of extension and outreach programs.
Strategy 2: Leverage departmental, college and university resources to deliver departmental extension and outreach activities.
  1. Action Item: Include an Outreach Coordinator in departmental Priority Staffing request.
  2. Action Item: Investigate creation of a departmental Graduate Extension and Outreach Assistantship.
  3. Action Item: Maximize functionality of the Cordley Extension and Outreach Room.
  4. Action Item: Leverage existing OSU infrastructure (e.g., Open Campus, the SMILE program, BMCC at OSU-HAREC, and OSU-Cascades) for expanded programming.
  5. Action Item: Engage other units at OSU to develop joint programming.
Strategy 3: Develop citizen science projects that engage the public in the contribution of new knowledge.
  1. Action item: Charge departmental centers of excellence to develop citizen science projects.
  2. Action item: Encourage other department-based citizen science projects (e.g., Herbarium, Oregon Flora Project, Plant Clinic, etc.).
  3. Action Item: Publicize citizen science on BPP, OSU and local media outlets.

 

Objective:

Commit to under-served, minority and K-14 populations through expansion of outreach programming.
Strategy 1: Develop long-lasting relationships with K-14 educators in Oregon.
  1. Action Item: Reach out to school districts and partner with them to find ways to incorporate plant sciences into their teaching plans
  2. Action Item: Create “shadow a scientist” program for middle school students.
  3. Action Item: Create student directed “what a scientist is/does” videos.
  4. Action Item: Work with Graduate Student Association and Botany undergraduate club to help with/contribute to their outreach events.
Strategy 2: Champion departmental workshops and internships that promote plant sciences.
  1. Action Item: Support existing departmental programming (e.g., DNA Summer Camp, REEU Big Data in Agriculture).
  2. Action Item: Develop extension and outreach content in Botany undergraduate and BPP graduate curricula.
  3. Action Item: Create departmental undergraduate BOT 40X credit for extension and outreach.
  4. Action Item: Encourage departmental centers of excellence to develop workshops and internships.
  5. Action Item: Develop a clearinghouse of departmental extension and outreach activities to facilitate alignment with faculty broader impact activities.
Strategy 3: Develop outreach programming targeted to minority and under-served populations.
  1. Action Item: Coordinate with campus resources (e.g., LSAMP, CAMP, SACNOS, cultural centers, etc.).
  2. Action Item: Coordinate activities with professional societies (e.g., APS)
  3. Action Item: Develop a communication and collaboration strategy with minority serving institutions.
  4. Action Item: Investigate the demand for outreach programming in Spanish.

Strategic goal #4

Promote an inclusive and equitable environment that advances departmental excellence.

  1. Objective: Create a departmental infrastructure that allows for annual assessment and monitoring of advancements in diversity, equity and inclusion.
  2. Objective: Improve the climate of the departmental and greater community to be more inclusive and egalitarian, based on metrics utilized by the OSU Office of Institutional Diversity.
  3. Objective: Increase diversity and equity in our departmental community, based on metrics utilized by the OSU Office of Institutional Diversity and national rankings.

View our Objectives, Strategies and Actions Items in full detail below.

 

Objective:

Create a departmental infrastructure that allows for annual assessment and monitoring of advancements in diversity, equity and inclusion.
Strategy 1: Establish a transparent administrative framework in which processes and policies promote improvements in diversity, equity and inclusivity.
  1. Action item: Reinvigorate the departmental Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee, and charge the Committee with oversight and implementation of this strategic goal.
  2. Action Item: Establish appropriate methodology and conduct a baseline assessment of the Departmental climate, and use these data to inform the development and implementation of a department DEI plan.
  3. Action Item: Establish a practical and enforceable schedule for periodic review and information gathering regarding diversity, equity and inclusion.
  4. Action Item: Review and recommend revisions to Departmental policies and guidelines to insure alignment with Departmental Core Values, Mission and Vision.
  5. Action Item: Require periodic reporting to the Department on progress on DEI goals from the DEI Committee.
Strategy 2: Support ongoing messaging and information dissemination, both internally and externally, to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
  1. Action Item: Assemble current Departmental policies and guidelines in a coherent and searchable format, and make this available to the BPP community via the web.
  2. Action Item: Create a highly visible webpage that informs department members regarding DEI policies and practices, and promotes DEI goals.
  3. Action Item: Modify the Departmental exit survey for students and trainees (undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs) to assess the success of departmental DEI plan at OSU.

 

Objective:

Improve the climate of the departmental and greater community to be more inclusive and egalitarian, based on metrics utilized by the OSU Office of Institutional Diversity.
Strategy 1: Promote direct interaction among departmental community members across all levels (faculty, FRA’s, postdocs, students, staff) and research areas.
  1. Action Item: Initiate a welcoming committee for new staff, students, and postdocs.
  2. Action Item: Institute a monthly informal gathering for discussion of science, skills and experiences.
  3. Action Item: Provide opportunities and space for regular informal interaction (e.g., coffee, picnic, lunch room).
Strategy 2: Sponsor activities that promote community pride.
  1. Action item: Regularly recognize community achievements in an annual reception or other Department-wide event.
  2. Action item: Reinstate the BPP Newsletter and start a BPP Blog to highlight achievements and relevant news.
  3. Action item: Enhance the BPP webpage and social media presence to promote the Department mission, vision and achievements.
Strategy 3: Create broader impacts in the Corvallis community and beyond via outreach efforts.
  1. Action item: Create a “BPP Community Day” to engage with and educate the local community about BPP’s mission and achievements.
  2. Action item: Track, acknowledge and promote K-14 STEM volunteering by department members.
  3. Action item: Create a web-accessible clearinghouse of BPP Broader Impact activities.
  4. Action item: Establish partnerships with OSU organizations (e.g. SACNAS, BGSA) and external centers (Casa Latinos Unidos) to facilitate outreach to under-represented groups.
  5. Action item: Track former BPP members with annual updates, and maintain communication to enhance recruitment and highlight successes.

 

Objective:

Increase diversity and equity in our departmental community, based on metrics utilized by the OSU Office of Institutional Diversity and national rankings.
Strategy 1: Reinforce recruitment practices that diversify our undergraduate and graduate student body.
  1. Action item: Establish a dedicated departmental budget line for the BPP Diversity Advancement Graduate Assistantship.
  2. Action item: Actively promote the BPP department and majors within science-oriented organizations of marginalized and underrepresented groups on campus.
  3. Action item: Engage high schools that educate underserved rural and urban communities about undergraduate education and careers in plant sciences.
  4. Action item: Engage minority-serving institutions of higher education about graduate education and careers in plant sciences.
  5. Action item: Provide assistance with graduate and undergraduate student applications, where such assistance would address inequities affecting underserved population access to admission.
Strategy 2: Advance hiring practices that promote diversification of departmental faculty and staff.
  1. Action item: Require all Associate and Full Professors in BPP to receive OSU Search Advocate training.
  2. Action item: Codify best practices and processes associated with faculty and staff search committees for dissemination through the BPP DEI webpage.
  3. Action item: Work with the college, university and foundation to advance diversity at senior levels of faculty ranks and leadership.
Strategy 3: Create a supportive, inclusive environment that maintains diversity.
  1. Action item: Increase resources to support retention of students and departmental employees hired from diverse backgrounds.
  2. Action item: Promote diversity in invited BPP seminar speakers.
  3. Action item: Conduct a preliminary diversity survey in partnership with the Office of Institutional Diversity and commit to resurveying every five years.
  4. Action item: Require all members of our departmental community to attend implicit bias and social justice trainings.