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College of Sciences

Overview

As announced by Chancellor Woodson in April 2012, NC State will replace the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences with a broader, more comprehensive College of Sciences (COS), effective July 1, 2013. The new college will include the physical/chemical sciences, the mathematical and statistical sciences, the biological sciences and the earth system sciences. Dr. Dan Solomon, dean of PAMS, will serve as the inaugural dean of the College of Sciences.

Updates

Timeline

Additional details will be added as they are known.

March 2012

April 2012

  • Provost Arden submitted his recommendations on the administrative structure for academic science programs to Chancellor Woodson, which included the recommendation to replace PAMS with a College of Sciences - 4/16/12
  • Chancellor Woodson announced plans for the new College of Sciences - 4/20/12

May 2012

July/August 2012

  • Steering Committee determines scope of the biological sciences in COS.
  • Steering Committee identifies preliminary list of tenured/tenure track faculty to transition from CALS to COS.
  • Provost and Duane Larick hold meetings held with identified tenured/tenure track faculty and request feedback and input on preliminary list.
  • Three COS Implementation Teams appointed and charged:
    • Academic Programs, Personnel and Policy
    • Budget and Finance
    • Space, Infrastructure  and Shared Resources
  • Finalized list of 44 tenured/tenure track faculty to transition from CALS to COS accepted by provost on 8/22/12.
  • Provost provides a COS update to the campus community on 8/30/12 which includes details on the tenured/tenure track faculty transitioning from CALS to COS.

September 2012

  • Rich Linton, new dean of CALS, arrives.
  • Inaugural Dean of COS Dan Solomon begins strategic discussions with biological sciences faculty joining COS.
  • Student Support and Outreach Implementation Team appointed and charged.
  • With the tenured/tenure track faculty list finalized, Academic Programs, Personnel and Policy Implementation Team works to clarify which academic programs and which non-tenure track faculty, non-faculty EPA staff and SPA staff will transition from CALS to COS. Recommendations presented to Steering Team.
  • Budget and Finance and Space, Infrastructure and Shared Resources Implementation Teams work to identify and address resource issues related to the transition of personnel and programs to COS.

October 2012

  • Lists indicating which academic programs and which personnel would transition to COS and which would remain in CALS were shared with departments of Biology, Microbiology, Genetics, and Environmental and Molecular Toxicology.
  • Provost and Duane Larick hold meetings with the four departments and request feedback. Minor revisions were made to the lists as a result of feedback.
  • Provost provides a COS update to the campus community on 10/12/12 regarding the transition of academic programs and personnel FTEs from CALS to COS.

November 2012

December 2012

January 2013

May 2013

July 2013

Fall 2013 semester

  • Undergraduate biological sciences program fully administered from the College of Sciences. Other academic programs may also come online in COS this semester.

Related Links and Documents

College of Sciences Steering Committee

Members

Provost Warwick Arden, chair

Duane Larick, vice chair and administrative lead of committee
Senior Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives & Dean, Graduate School

Rich Linton, Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Louis Martin-Vega, Dean, College of Engineering

Mary Watzin, Dean, College of Natural Resources

Dan Solomon, Dean, College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences

Blanton Godfrey, Dean, College of Textiles

Paul Lunn, Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine

Meetings

  • Wednesday, May 30, 2012 Notes [pdf]
  • Monday, June 11, 2012 Notes [pdf]
  • Wednesday, June 20, 2012 Notes [pdf]
  • Thursday, July 5, 2012 Notes [pdf]
  • Wednesday, July 18, 2012 Notes [pdf]
  • Wednesday, August 22, 2012 Notes [pdf]
  • Tuesday, September 25, 2012 Notes [pdf]
  • Thursday, October 18, 2012 - canceled
  • Thursday, November 1, 2012

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College of Sciences Implementation Teams

Academic Programs, Personnel & Policy

Duane Larick, chair
Senior Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives & Dean, Graduate School

Budget & Finance

Vicki Pennington, chair
Assistant Vice Provost

Communications, Development & Alumni Relations (Advancement)

Steve Watt, chair
Interim Associate Vice Chancellor of University Development

Space, Infrastructure & Shared Resources

Terri Lomax, chair
Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Economic Development

Student Support & Outreach

Mike Mullen, chair
Vice Chancellor & Dean, Division of Academic & Student Affairs

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Frequently Asked Questions

What disciplines will be included in the College of Sciences?
The new college will include the physical/chemical sciences, the mathematical and statistical sciences, the biological sciences and the earth system sciences. The College of Sciences will replace the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

Why is the new College of Sciences being created? Why now?
This strategic move gets NC State in line with national best practices aligning related physical and life sciences programs in one college allowing better interdisciplinary educational opportunities, improved research collaboration, and more efficient support operations. The recommendation to create a College of Sciences arose out of the work of the Academic Science Program Task Force, which was charged by the provost to determine the best ways to enhance the natural synergies between the science programs at NC State and to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and research. The Task Force delivered their final report to the provost in March 2012.

When will the College of Sciences be implemented?
The effective date of COS is July 1, 2013. See the timeline for more details on the COS planning and implementation process.

Who will lead the new COS?
Dr. Dan Solomon, dean of PAMS, will serve as the inaugural dean of the College of Sciences.

What will the structure of the new COS look like?
The new college will include the physical/chemical sciences, the mathematical and statistical sciences, the biological sciences and the earth system sciences. COS will have six academic departments: 1. Chemistry, 2. Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, 3. Mathematics, 4. Physics, 5. Statistics (joint with CALS) and 6. the new Biological Sciences department, to be established July 1, 2013.

Will CALS change its name?
No. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will retain its name and maintain its life sciences disciplines and programs that best support its mission and focus areas.

What will CALS look like after the new COS has been created?
With the movement of a number of faculty and programs from CALS to COS and the desire to strengthen CALS as a global leader in agriculture and life sciences, CALS has been undergoing a strategic planning process, led by Dean Rich Linton, that began in fall 2012. The strategic plan will be released in early summer 2013. To date, the following changes have been announced and will be effective July 1, 2013: the elimination of the CALS departments of Biology, Microbiology, Genetics and Environmental & Molecular Toxicology; the creation of a new Department of Applied Ecology and the renaming of the existing Department of Plant Biology to the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology. Dr. Margot Daub will be the head of Plant and Microbial Biology and Dr. Harry Daniels will serve as the interim head of Applied Ecology.

Who is on the COS Steering Committee?
The College of Sciences Steering Committee is chaired by Provost Arden with Dr. Duane Larick, Senior Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives, serving as the vice chair and administrative lead of the committee. Other members of the Steering Committee are the deans of the six STEM colleges (Agriculture and Life Sciences, Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Natural Resources, Engineering, Textiles and Veterinary Medicine).

How many COS Implementation Teams will there be and who will be on them?
Implementation Teams will include, but not be limited to, the following focus areas: Academic Programs, Personnel and Policy (to be chaired by Dr. Duane Larick); Budget and Finance; Student Support and Outreach; Space, Infrastructure, and Shared Resources; Communications, Development and Alumni Relations (Advancement). The Implementation Teams will be led out of the provost’s office and will include CALS and PAMS faculty as well as CALS and PAMS budget, human resources, student support and development personnel and other central university personnel.

Are entire departments moving from CALS to COS?
No, the movement of the biological sciences to the College of Sciences is not as simple as moving whole departments from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences as appropriate faculty are found across multiple life science departments within CALS. Movement of faculty has been assessed on an individual level taking into account scholarly alignments, existing and future collaborations and faculty preference. The majority of tenured/tenure track faculty in three CALS departments (Biology, Environmental & Molecular Toxicology, and Genetics) as well as others in the Microbiology Department are joining COS in a new Department of Biological Sciences. A new organizational framework for the life sciences within CALS will be determined as part of a strategic planning effort led by Dean Rich Linton.

How many tenured/tenure-track faculty will be transitioning from CALS to COS and how will they be selected?
Forty-four tenured/tenure-track (T/TT) faculty from four CALS departments (Biology, Environmental & Molecular Toxicology, Genetics, and Microbiology) will be transitioning from CALS to COS. After the Steering Committee clarified the scope of the biological sciences in COS, the roster of T/TT faculty in the four CALS departments was reviewed to determine best fit in CALS or COS. The initial list was shared with the heads and T/TT faculty in the four department and discussions were held between the provost, other Steering Committee members and the departments to help refine the list, with faculty encouraged to provide individual feedback to the provost.

Will faculty from any other colleges be transitioning to COS?
Biological sciences faculty do exist in other colleges, such as the CVM, and it may make sense for individual faculty to move to the COS on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, earth system sciences will be housed in the new COS and may lead to the movement of individual faculty members whose scholarship clearly synergizes with this area.

What funding will follow faculty who transition from CALS to COS?
Many biological sciences faculty within CALS are funded from multiple sources including budget codes intended expressly for benefiting NC agriculture (16031 and 16032 codes). When those faculty move to COS, the funds associated with these budget codes will remain within CALS and be replaced by new academic affairs funds dedicated to COS.

Will any staff or non-tenure track faculty be transitioning to COS from CALS or other colleges?
Several non-faculty EPA staff, SPA staff and non-tenure track faculty associated with academic programs and/or tenured/tenure-track faculty identified to join COS will transition to the new college. Approximately 200 FTEs (full-time equivalents), including tenured/tenure-track faculty, will transition from CALS to COS. See the provost's 10/12/12 memo for more details.

Which academic programs will be transitioning from CALS to COS?
Of the academic programs currently housed in the departments of Biology, Microbiology, Genetics, and Environmental and Molecular Toxicology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences:

Programs to be administratively housed in COS - Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences; Bachelor of Science in Zoology, Master of Science in Zoology, Master of Zoology, and PhD in Zoology; Bachelor of Science in Microbiology; Bachelor of Science in Genetics, Master of Science in Genetics, Master of Genetics, and PhD in Genetics; Master of Science in Toxicology, Master of Toxicology, and PhD in Toxicology.

Programs to be administratively housed in CALS - Master of Microbial Biotechnology.

Joint CALS/COS programs - Master of Science in Microbiology, Master of Microbiology, and PhD in Microbiology. CALS will be the administrative home of these three programs.

More information on academic program affiliations.

How many students will be transitioning from CALS to COS?
Approximately 2,000 undergraduate students and 150 graduate students will transition from CALS to COS.

How will these changes affect current and incoming students in programs transitioning from CALS to COS?
Ultimately, the movement of programs from CALS to COS should appear virtually seamless to students and they should not encounter any major disruptions. Current or incoming students should contact their undergraduate program coordinators directly with any questions. The Student Support and Outreach Implementation Team has been addressing both short and long term issues regarding the transition of students from one college to the other and been working closely with Admissions to make sure the most current information is shared with prospective and incoming students.

Will students participating in the CALS Honors Program who move to the new college be able to transfer into a COS Honors Program?
While the specifics have not been determined yet, it is anticipated that accommodations will be made for students in the CALS Honors program who move to the new College of Sciences to transition into COS honors programs if they wish to, with no loss of work towards requirements completed to date. Currently, honors programs in PAMS are based in departments and not across the college like the CALS Honors Program is. It is not yet known if that model will remain the same in the new College of Sciences.

How will this affect the Faculty Excellence searches and hires currently underway?
This change should not have a significant impact on Faculty Excellence searches and hires. However, the provost is available to talk with cluster search committees and potential hires to address any specific concerns they may have.

Other questions?
This FAQ list will be updated as additional details about the College of Sciences are determined. In the meantime, please feel free to submit questions to provost_web@ncsu.edu.

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