MEMORANDUM
Date:December 20, 2007
To:Dr. Mary Finn
Associate Provost
From:H. Richard Miller, Chair
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Re:Physics and Astronomy Self Study
The self-study report has succinctly summarized the present state and quality of the academic programs of the department, documented the excellence and productivity of the departmental faculty, and identified areas of critical needs.
At the undergraduate level, the enrollment in the physics major program is small, and the number of degrees awarded each year is between 5 and 10. The quality of the program is excellent with all students participating in a meaningful research experience. The department is committed to increasing the graduation rate in this program to 10 within the next 5 years. To that end, we are presently discussing collaborative degree programs with IIT in India and IFS in Sri Lanka whereby students at those institutions could receive B.S. degrees from GSU in 2:2 programs.
The graduate programs, in both Physics and Astronomy, are vibrant, healthy programs providing state-of-the-art preparation for graduate students seeking careers in Physics and Astronomy. Research facilities available within the department, e.g., the CHARA Array, the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) system, etc., are state-of-the-art. They provide our students with unique opportunities in their research programs, and the faculty is internationally recognized for their research efforts.
The department has increased its credit hour production by 11% over the past 3 years. The majority of the credit hours taught by the department are in the introductory-level laboratory courses in Physics and Astronomy. These courses are primarily taught by permanent faculty (including both Lecturers and tenure-track faculty) with graduate laboratory assistants teaching the majority of the laboratories. The department is committed to improving the educational experience for those students enrolled in these courses.
The departmental faculty members are extremely productive with a total of 237 unique refereed publications appearing from 2004 to 2006. In addition, external funding has increased substantially since the last self study. Also, several members of the faculty have been recipients of awards from national/international professional organizations which recognize their major contribution in their research fields.
The self study report focused on a number of critical needs which must be addressed if the department is allowed to grow and reach its full potential. These needs and objectives are: (1) Increase both the quality and number of graduate students and the stipends paid those students, (2) Obtain sufficient office/laboratory space to house current personnel and allow for future departmental growth, (3) add four additional faculty to achieve a critical mass in identified research areas and promptly replace any faculty which depart from the program, (4) increase the number of undergraduate majors to 10 or more, and (5) increase the number of support staff by adding an IT person and another staff member in the shop. Meeting the above identified critical needs will provide the solid foundation necessary for the successful future of the department and its programs.