Rename Graduate Degree Proposal:
M.S., Ph.D. and minor in Zoology
to
M.S., Ph.D. and minor in Integrative Biology
Oregon State University
College of Science
June 2015
Proposed Effective Term: Fall Term 2016 (201701)
CPS Tracking # 93583
CPS Tracking #: 87166
A. Title of the proposed instructional, research, or public service unit. For name changes, give both the current and proposed names. Describe the reason(s) for the proposed change.
We propose to change the name of the current graduate major and minor in Zoology to Integrative Biology, offering an MS, PhD and minor. The undergraduate major in Zoology will remain unchanged. This change is parallel to our earlier change from the Department of Zoology to the Department of Integrative Biology. We made that change to reflect the actual nature of faculty research (for many years we have had faculty that did not restrict their studies to animals), as well as to reflect modern trends in Biology. The proposed change will also increase the visibility of our program to graduate applicants. During the period of transition in name for our graduate program, students that matriculate under the Zoology name will have the option of graduating with degree named Zoology or Integrative Biology.
Why not terminate the BS in Zoology degree program? We still see value in a Zoology degree at the undergraduate level and have decided to keep the degree after substantially altering its curriculum. Upon the formation of the School of Life Sciences, all three SLS departments engaged in a process of curriculum examination and redesign aimed at reducing overlap and enhancing complementarity of the degrees offered within the SLS. That examination showed that the undergraduate Zoology degree did have significant overlap with the Biology degree. Furthermore, our analyses revealed that some Biology and Zoology students struggled to succeed in these majors and dropped out of those majors because of poor performance, especially in some of the quantitative prerequisites. We did consider eliminating the degree. In the end however, we recognized a strong desire for undergraduates for a degree that focused on the biology of animals. Consequently, we decided to overhaul the Zoology major to differentiate it from Biology and to create a major that would appeal to students interested in animals but not going onto health professions (including Vet School). Changes to the major were approved in 2014. We believe that the changes made to the Zoology degree have diversified the degree offerings in the SLS, improved student success and retention and eliminated redundancy between Biology and Zoology degrees.
Nationally and abroad, former Zoology Departments have increasingly shifted their names to ‘Integrative Biology’ or ‘Biology’ (e.g., renowned universities such as UC Berkeley and the University of Texas, Austin). These departments do not include all of the life sciences research and instruction on their campuses; for example, UT Austin’s Integrative Biology does not include Microbiology, Molecular Biology or Cell Biology. These Integrative Biology units are home to faculty who study biological questions and systems currently under investigation in our department, including physiology, ecology, and evolution. Another illustration of the value of this change is that in 1996, the former national professional society American Society of Zoologists changed its name to The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (‘SICB:’ Link: http://www.sicb.org/index.php3 ). SICB holds a large annual meeting that many of our faculty and students attend and it runs the journal Integrative and Comparative Biology. According to its website, SICB changed its name “to reflect the scientific breadth, integrative approaches, and interests of its membership across all disciplines of biology.” This is what we achieved in changing our Departmental name, and also hope to achieve with the proposed name change for our Graduate Program.
The term ‘Zoology’ is antiquated. Though there is a rich history of graduate programs with the name ‘Zoology’ in the United States and other parts of the Western world, the current drive for research that transcends taxonomic boundaries makes the term ‘Zoology’ out of step with modern research at the leading edge of biological investigation. As life science units with the name ‘Zoology’ increasingly disappear, our program will be increasingly misaligned with current trends in the life sciences. ‘Integrative Biology’ would be the opposite – an easy-to-understand and instantly recognizable name that accurately reflects the types of research undertaken by departmental faculty.
Table 1: Proposal Summary
Rename: Graduate Degree ProgramProgram Title:
MA, MS, PhD, and Graduate Minor in Zoology to MS, PhD, and Graduate Minor in Integrative Biology
· Degree Types: Master of Science (MS), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
· Program Level: Graduate
· Master of Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS) Participant: No
· Imbedded Proposals:
o Terminate – MA in Zoology (Degree Type)
o Terminate – MS, PhD in Zoology (Program Title)
o Terminate – Graduate Minor in Zoology
· Proposal Type: Abbreviated Category I
· Academic Home:
College of Science
School of Life Sciences
Department of Integrative Biology
· Contact: Virginia Weis (7-5338; )
· Option(s):
o Undergraduate Option(s): NA
o Graduate Options: NA
· Areas of Concentration: No Change to the Existing 14 Areas of Concentration
· Minors:
o Undergraduate: No Change: Existing title is Biology
o Graduate: Change title from Zoology to Integrative Biology
· CPS #: 93583
https://secure.oregonstate.edu/ap/cps/proposals/view/93583
· CIP #: 26.0101 / Title: Biology/Biological Sciences, General
(Change CIP from 26.0701)
· SIS #: XXX - To be assigned by the Registrar’s Office
· College Code: 08
· Course Designator: IB (Note: The Z course designator will be changed to IB for graduate courses via separate Category II proposals following approval of this Abbreviate Category I proposal. The BS in Zoology and Z course designator will remain.)
· Courses: Graduate course designator will be changed following rename approval.
· Program Total Credit Hours: NA
· Pre-Professional/Professional Model: NA
· Thesis or Non-Thesis: NA
· Delivery Mode(s): OSU On-Campus (Face-To-Face)
· Location(s): OSU-Main (Corvallis)
· Enrollment (Anticipated): NA
· Graduates (Anticipated): NA
· Accreditation: There is no accrediting body
· Program Unique to Public Higher Education Institutions in Oregon: Yes
· Proposed Effective Term: Fall Term 2016 (Banner: 201701)
B. Location within the institution's organizational structure. Include "before" and "after" organizational charts (show reporting lines all the way up to the Provost).
The name change will not require or create any changes in the organizational chart of the College of Science at OSU. The current administrative structure is attached.
C. Objectives, functions (e.g., instruction, research, public service), and activities of the proposed unit.
1. The current MS, PhD degrees and minor in Zoology will remain completely unchanged by the name change to Integrative Biology. The MA degree program in Zoology will be discontinued.
2. Outcomes for the MS and PhD degrees are assessed utilizing a series of rubrics, exams and surveys. Please see Appendix A for the assessment plans for the current MS and PhD degrees in Zoology. They will remain the same for the proposed change to MS, PhD in Integrative Biology.
D. Resources needed, if any: personnel, FTE academic, FTE classified, facilities and equipment.
1. Staffing, resources and budgets will remain the same with the name change. As the College of Science and Integrative Biology websites are regularly updated, the name change will be reflected on informational pages. Current recruitment literature utilizes the department name “Integrative Biology”, not the degree name of “Zoology” and thus will not need to be updated. We have estimated $1,500 to account for costs associated with reprinting posters, post cards, and other recruitment materials (see the attached budget table).
2. All faculty in the Department of Integrative Biology were queried via email and then through discussion at department meetings regarding their support for the proposed name change. All faculty were supportive of the change.
3. This proposed change will not require additional space, facilities or the remodeling of existing facilities.
E. Funding sources: state sources (institutional funds - state general fund, tuition and fees, indirect cost recoveries), federal funds, other funds as specified.
1. No new revenue will be required
2. No new resources will be required
3. The minor costs associated with the proposed name change will come from internal reallocation.
F. Relationship of the proposed unit to the institutional mission.
1. The proposed name change does not change the relationship of the degree programs to the mission of OSU. The mission of the Department of Zoology was:
To engage students in creative scholarship and critical thinking with emphasis on biological literacy, to support and maintain vigorous research programs at all levels of biological organization, and to model good citizenship by example through our service to the Department, the University, and our greater society.
The mission of the Department of Zoology advanced the mission of Oregon State University in at least two of three areas: Advancing the Science of Sustainable Earth Ecosystems and Improving Human Health and Wellness. The MS and PhD degrees in Zoology are integral to the Department’s mission of conducting cutting-edge research, to engage students in scholarship and critical thinking, and providing training and role models for future members of society. Renaming the degree will not change this relationship in any way.
2. The positive impact of the proposed change will be that the purposes of the different advanced degrees offered by the Department of Zoology (MS, PhD) will be more clearly defined by the name change of the MS and PhD degrees to Integrative Biology. The degree name of “Zoology” suggests a professional trained in research and teaching of animals only, whereas the actual focus is on training professionals competent to investigate integrated biological systems across multiple levels of organization. The name change should help with recruiting in terms of providing more clarity to interested applicants.
3. We do not anticipate any negative impacts from the name change. As a department in the School of Life Sciences, in the Division of Arts and Sciences, it is appropriate to have our research degrees renamed to “Integrative Biology.” In fact, the proposed name change should provide more clarity for students seeking programs focused on biological, as opposed to zoological topics, and thus have a positive effect on our efforts to recruit top applicants.
G. Long-range goals and plans for the unit (including a statement as to anticipated funding sources for any projected growth in funding needs).
The graduate program in the Department of Integrative Biology is expected to continue to expand over the next decade in numbers of students. Expansion will be incremental and funded completely through internal redistribution of funds or extramural grants.
Items specified in our current strategic plan relating to graduate studies include completing a critical evaluation of the graduate curriculum to identify gaps with regard to relevance, future trends and needs, and innovation.
H. Relationship of the proposed unit to programs at other institutions in the state.
1. There are no other degrees in Integrative Biology in the Oregon University System. Consequently, we anticipate no impact on our relationships with any other state institutions.
2. We know of no other private institutions in the state offering MS or PhD degrees in Integrative Biology. The University of Oregon has a Biology Department, which includes expertise in biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology, which at OSU primarily are housed in the Departments of Microbiology and Biochemistry/Biophysics. Portland State University’s expertise in their Biology Department is similar to that of the University of Oregon.
I. If the program is professionally accredited, identify the accrediting body and discuss how the proposed change may affect accreditation.
There is no accrediting body.
Appendices:
· Change of Designation
· Appendix A – Graduate Program Assessment and Evaluation Tables.
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