College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences
ACADEMIC REPORT FOR 2006-2007
1. 2006-2007 Highlights
a. Programmatic achievements
 Initiatives in support of student engagement and success
o Dr. Jessica White of OSU’s College of Education presented her findings on
how students in the sciences meet the challenges of completing their graduate
programs and discussed the Three Stage Model of Graduate Student
Development which illustrates some of the commonly encountered challenges
facing graduate students today.
o Carrie Coplan, Career Services Advisor at OSU presented several careers
planning seminars on resume writing, cover letters, and the interview
process.
o COAS faculty continue to expand their engagement with the OSU Honors
College through new courses and research opportunities.
 Major research/scholarship initiatives
o COAS hired two new faculty members last year.
o A Science and Technology Center for Coastal Margin Observation and
Prediction, funded by NSF. Partners and led by OHSU/OGI (director)
continues to support science and technology development as well as
education. Initial funding is for five years, with a possible renewal for a
second five years.
o COAS partnered with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and
Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) on a proposal to lead the
implementation of the coastal and global components of NSF’s Ocean
Observatories Initiative. COAS deployed the first component of the Oregon
Coastal Ocean Observing System (OrCOOS), which provides products and
services for a wide range of science, educational, management, and
commercial users.
o The Cooperative Institute for Oceanographic Satellite Studies (CIOSS, a joint
enterprise between OSU/COAS and NOAA) continues to lead the
development of science requirements for the next-generation of satellites to
study ocean and coastal processes and spearheading the transition of spacebased ocean measurements from research to operations. An external review
was held in August 2006, and the team gave CIOSS an “outstanding” rating in
its evaluation.
o COAS led the development of a concept for an Oregon Climate Research
Institute that was presented as an OUS budget initiative in partnership with
the Institute for Natural Resources and the Governor’s Natural Resources
Policy Director. The Institute was successfully included in legislation, and
partial funding begins this biennium.
o COAS faculty coordinated an OSU-wide workshop on climate research to
identify new partnerships and possible future opportunities.
o COAS faculty led the first seagoing expedition by the US to the coastal waters
off Indonesia in over 20 years. Research was focused on the major earthquake
that led to the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2005.
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o An extensive area of low oxygen water formed off the Oregon coast in summer
2006, and OSU/COAS faculty played an important role in its study.
o COAS researchers used new analytical tools to document the importance of
Pacific Northwest rivers in supplying iron to Oregon’s coastal ocean, which in
turn supports a productive ecosystem.
o COAS faculty continue to develop new tools for studying the Earth system,
including a moored instrument to measure ocean mixing, in-water sensors to
measure trace nutrients and dissolved gases, and a profiling current meter.
Major outreach/engagement initiatives
o Maintained a strong working relationship with the OSU News and
Communications office and the OSU research magazine which continues to
feature COAS scientific achievements. Several COAS faculty (including the
dean and associate dean) have participated in the media training course
offered by University Advancement.
o The COAS Publishing and Outreach Office created an online magazine “Ocean
and Air, a magazine of Innovation in Earth Systems Science” which highlights
COAS research and is written for the general public, prospective students,
donors and peers in oceanography and atmospheric science. The magazine is
updated monthly, and subscribers receive free monthly e-mail. Currently,
Ocean and Air has more than 50 articles, illustrated with photos from the
field and supplemented with links to other resources.
o To improve the College’s marketing abilities, the Publishing and Outreach
Office created mailing and e-mail lists for targeted audiences. The College’s
annual report was mailed to more than 200 this year, and fundraising efforts
with the OSU Foundation will benefit especially. Mailing lists include: OSU
stakeholders, (Advancement, Foundation, Administration, marine sciences),
fisheries, environmental advocates and nonprofits, science writers,
government, adult educators, alumni, deans/directors of earth sciences, state
legislators and others. An example of targeted marketing is the Educators ENews, which contains links to resources for classroom use and is sent each
month to 36 adult educators and the president of the Oregon Science
Teachers Association.
o COAS faculty delivered many lectures to the public, including the Earth Day
celebration at HMSC as well as SeaFest 2007.
o Two MRM students are working with the Oregon’s Ocean Policy Advisory
Council (OPAC) on the proposed National Marine Sanctuary (NMS) off
Oregon.
o The MRM program continues to strengthen its partnership with the Oregon
Coast Aquarium; one student recently defended a needs assessment project,
two students are participating in internships, and a recent graduate was hired
in the OCA Marine Education program.
o The Student Programs and the Publications and Outreach offices continue to
support and arrange for students to participate in K-12 marine education and
outreach requests. On average, COAS receives three requests a term.
Students can select from five different suitcase lessons entitled Air and
Weather, Earth Materials, Icebergs and Sea Ice, Mixtures and Solutions and
Salt in the Ocean. Suitcase lessons contain education material which can
easily be reviewed and delivered by a volunteer instructor.
National/International impact of programs and initiatives
o COAS faculty received over $24M in competitive research awards.
o COAS faculty are leading the development of new initiatives in ocean
observing systems, including both field and satellite systems.
o COAS faculty continue to participate in many national committees on a wide
range of issues on the Nation’s research agenda, including ecosystem
approaches to ocean management, decadal strategies for Earth remote
sensing, atmospheric science facilities, ocean observatories, climate
processes, paleoceanography, and many more.
b. Faculty recognition and awards
 Robert Holman was named to the Ocean Studies Board of the National Research
Council.
 Mark Abbott was nominated to the National Science Board by President George W.
Bush and confirmed by the US Senate.
 Robert Duncan, Evelyn Sherr, and Bernd Simoneit were listed by the ISI as among
the 250 most cited authors in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
 Rob Holman was named OSU Alumni Association Distinguished Professor.
 Ron Zaneveld (professor emeritus) received the Jerlov Award from the
Oceanography Society which honors scientific and technical contributions to optical
oceanography.
 Kelly Benoit-Bird received a Presidential Early Career Award from ONR.
 Andreas Schmittner received an early career award from the American Geophysical
Union.
c. Student recognition and awards
 Oregon Laurels Scholarships – 4 1st year students and 5 supplemental
 MRM graduate Andy Lanier received a NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship
working with the Oregon Coastal Management Program on the Oregon Coastal Atlas.
 Bronwen Rice and Chris Holmes, MS candidates in MRM, received 2007 Knauss
Fellowships. The program matches highly qualified graduate students with “hosts” in
the legislative and executive branch of government located in Washington, D.C. for a
one-year paid internship.
 Incoming MRM student John Stevenson was awarded an Oregon Sports Lottery
Scholarship totaling $4,500.
 Pam Archer, MS Candidate in MRM, received a Markham Award administered by
Hatfield Marine Science Center.
 Wiley Evans, PhD, candidate in biological oceanography, received renewal of a NASA
Fellowship through 2008
 Rachel Mueller, PhD candidate in physical oceanography and Maria Kavanaugh, PhD
candidate in biological oceanography received a NASA Earth and Space Science
Fellowships (NESSF).
 Student Professional Development
 Several COAS students participated in scientific meetings and presented
papers.
 Julie Kiester, PhD candidate was selected to the steering committee for a
PICES/ICES Early Career Scientist conference held in Baltimore, MD.
 Carrie Newell, PhD candidate was filmed by Jean Michel Cousteau’s Ocean
Futures Society for her research on grey whales.
 Rachel Mueller, PhD candidate, was selected to be the Physical
Oceanography Sub-Discipline Coordinator for the Association of Polar
Early Career Scientists (APECS)
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Pam Archer attended the Pacific Estuarine Research Society annual
meeting in Vancouver, received award for runner-up best student
presentation, February, 2007
2. Strategic Plan Implementation
a. Focus for 2006-2007: Enhancing student success, increasing research and outreach, and
enhancing diversity and community.
Enhancing Student Success
(Actions from 2006/2007 Plan)
We proposed to develop a plan for a new College of Earth and
Environmental System Science in partnership with the Department of
Geosciences. Eventually, this new College could embrace other elements of OSU as
we seek to develop a unique set of educational programs at OSU. This proposal was
delayed until after the report of the OSU President’s Commission on Oceans, Coastal,
and Earth Systems Futures as well as an overall realignment of University programs.
However, we did pursue many of the elements proposed last year:
 Expand our offerings in the Honors College
o Two new HC courses were offered: OC332 (Coastal Oceanography)
Honors and OC333 (People, Coasts and Oceans).
o Four HC seniors worked with COAS faculty as part of their senior thesis.
o A concept for a fifth-year MS option for HC students was developed in
partnership with Geosciences.
 Develop additional cross-listed COAS courses in Geosciences and Engineering
o No progress was made on this goal because of the request to wait until
university realignment could begin.
o An increasing number of Geosciences and COAS students have joint
advisors from the two units.
 Develop and submit an expanded summer REU program in collaboration with
Geosciences and HMSC.
o A joint proposal with HMSC was submitted to NSF, and it was selected for
funding. Ten summer REU students are now working with COAS
mentors.
 Rely on our new E-campus/REU coordinator (joint with Geosciences) to expand
our E-campus courses offerings and manage REU offerings
o Yalcin Kaplan was hired as the coordinator for these activities.
 Expand our mentoring and career development program by further
development of our alumni relations program and a formal orientation
program.
o Developed and executed a COAS Alumni Outreach Plan designed to
update contact information, receive feedback about their experience with
COAS, and to identify alumni interested in being a mentor for current
graduate students. The plan includes an on-going online survey, an
alumni section on the website, and a monthly alumni newsletter. In
addition, the Student Programs office, with assistance from the Student
Advisory Committee continues to arrange an Alumni Speaker series each
term.
 Institute a new colloquium program that will bring world-class researchers in
Earth system science for both lectures and meetings with students.
o Our assistant professors organized a committee and invited three
internationally-recognized speakers to campus for lectures and seminars.
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(Additional opportunities)
The MRM Program received approval for changes in the curriculum, making a
clear delineation of a thesis and professional track. The results will improve
learning outcomes, student recruitment, and funding.
The MRM Program submitted two certificate proposals, 1) Graduate Certificate in
MRM and a 2) Graduate Certificate in Fisheries Management. Both certificates
will appeal to a wide range of graduate students enrolled in other marine-related
programs at OSU.
Increasing Research and Outreach
(Actions from 2006/2007 Plan)
We proposed to develop a plan for a privately-held Institute for the Earth
System, Inc. in partnership with the Department of Geosciences. As with the
new College, the Institute could embrace other elements of Earth system research at
OSU. The development of this plan will need the full support of OSU as well as extensive
support by external experts who will develop a business plan, including the evaluation of
various options, identify key issues and decision points, governance structure, the
relationship to OSU, and a timeline for implementation. This proposal was also delayed
until after the report of the OSU President’s Commission on Oceans, Coastal, and Earth
Systems Futures as well as an overall realignment of University programs. However, we
did pursue many of the elements proposed last year.
 Refine and disseminate our message for our external constituents in
collaboration with University Advancement
o Several COAS faculty have been featured by University Advancement in a
variety of media outlets.
o COAS Publications and Outreach have identified newsworthy items and
brought them forward to University News and Communications.
o We will meet with OSU Foundation staff to develop a “case statement” for
the college during summer 2007.
 Restructure our College governance, creating a Dean’s Advisory Council (DAC)
with faculty, student, and staff representation.
o The DAC was established and worked fairly well. We will continue it for
one more year on a trial basis.
 Develop an integrated program of coastal science, education, and outreach,
building on the NSF Science and Technology Center and OrCOOS, developing
proposals to host the NSF Coastal Ocean Observatory Implementing
Organization and to design and operate a regional-class (140 foot) research
vessel, and support for the Expedition Support Center (XSC).
o The Consortium for Ocean Leadership, which operates the Ocean
Observatories Initiative through a cooperative agreement with NSF, has
entered into negotiations with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as
the lead partner on a proposal to be the implementing organization for
the coastal/global observatory components of the OOI. OSU/COAS and
Scripps are partners with WHOI.
o OrCOOS was deployed successfully last summer and continues to deliver
data in real time.
o Upon reviewing federal plans for renewal of the academic research fleet,
we decided not to pursue a regional class ship, which would be smaller
than the R/V Wecoma. We did develop an analysis of the benefits of
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obtaining a replacement to the Wecoma (an oceans-class ship) to both our
science and to the local economy. We also analyzed our competitive
position relative to other institutions, and we delivered a report to the
Provost regarding an approach to demonstrate the need for support from
the State of Oregon.
o The Expedition Support Center continues to be fully utilized, but we have
not been successful yet in identifying a funding method to construct the
needed facilities. Presently, we are relying on seagoing refrigerated vans
to store valuable cores from the ocean floor. We have developed a phased
implementation plan in partnership with Geosciences.
Sustain our investments in state-of-the-art facilities and IT infrastructure,
including upgrades of individual labs and major building subsystems.
o Began a significant upgrade to the networking infrastructure in Burt Hall,
but other needed IT upgrades were deferred at the request of the VP for
Finance and Administration. Some modest lab remodels were completed,
and one major remodel was started.
(Additional opportunities)
Continued to defer the implementation of the second phase of the faculty hiring
plan because of continued uncertainties regarding the COAS budget and lack of
action on the part of the university to resolve these issues.
Did not pursue faculty hiring opportunities in atmospheric science or in MRM
because of budget uncertainties.
Did not expand space in Weniger Hall because of delayed implementation of
faculty hiring.
In partnership with Institute for Natural Resources, COAS developed the concept
for the Oregon Climate Research Institute. This was eventually funded by the
Oregon legislature.
The Dean of COAS co-chairs the Governor’s Climate Change Integration Group.
COAS is creating a new web presence to highlight its involvement in climate
research.
Created an online magazine (Ocean and Air) to provide information about the
College to an international audience of prospective students, alumni, educators,
news media, partners/donors, general public and peers in the academic/science
world.
Updated our branding exercise to help identify what makes COAS distinctive.
Translated the information into messages that portray who we are and that can
be used for fundraising. Published a new viewbook, called “Wonders of the
Earth.”
Developed an on-line guidebook for proposal preparation.
Enhancing Diversity and Community, including International Dimensions
(Actions from 2006/2007 Plan)
We partnered with other OSU Colleges and the OSU Foundation to develop a
business model for an expanded NAMSS program. The program would build on
the successes of NAMSS but would broadly focus on environmental science and
engineering, not just the marine and space sciences and it would not be focused solely on
Native Americans. Using this model, we developed proposals to NSF and private
foundations for ongoing support. Ultimately, this proposal was not successful and the
Native Americans in Science, Engineering, and Natural Resources (NASENR) program is
coming to an end. Other actions included:
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Actively recruit students from underrepresented groups.
o Over the last three years, our incoming graduate students consist of about
10% from underrepresented groups (self-identified) which is a substantial
increase from previous years.
o The percentage of international students has stabilized at about 10%,
down from its long term average of about 16%.
Develop partnerships at the national level as programs are developed to
address “pipeline” issues.
o No programs have yet been developed at the national level.
Develop sustained relationships with undergraduate advisers at colleges
around the Pacific Northwest.
o Several faculty have visited some of the local colleges and universities.
Sustain our partnerships with SMILE and community college-based adult
education programs.
o SMILE is an active partner in both CIOSS and the Science and Technology
Center (CMOP). At the CIOSS external review, SMILE was identified as a
national model for science partnerships.
(Additional opportunities)
COAS prepared a survey as part of our Diversity and Community Action Plan to
(1) canvas awareness of and participation in current diversity-enhancing and
community-building activities, and (2) solicit ideas for improvements in the
important areas of college life. The results reveal two issues; 1) COAS needs to
improve communication about diversity-enhancing and community-building
activities and 2) COAS staff, students, and faculty, as a whole, feel respected and
secure with their work environment. The results of the survey will be used to
improve the COAS Diversity and Community Action Plan. A summary will also
be reported in our College "self-study" portion of the Graduate School review of
our academic programs, scheduled for late 2007-early 2008.
Maintained our community offerings through regular social gatherings on
Fridays, summer barbecues, and formal social events to honor faculty and staff.
Supported several faculty and staff in obtaining visas or permanent residency in
the US.
Received a Graduate Diversity Recruitment Bonus from the Graduate School for
Sutara Suanda, an incoming physical oceanography student of Indonesian
heritage.
Improved the orientation of international students by strengthening our
relationship with OSU’s English Language Institute through faculty and student
education and new student orientation.
Incoming MRM student Laure Dover, from the United Kingdom, has been
selected as the Graduate Research Assistant responsible for coordinating and
developing the annual oceanography challenge in collaboration with the OSU
SMILE Program.
b. Provide a brief self-assessment of the unit efforts in the three areas: what worked; areas
that need improvement; major barriers
The College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences continues to build the
opportunities for OSU undergraduates to participate in COAS courses and research.
More than 650 students enroll in COAS courses, either on campus or through Ecampus. The partnership with the University Honors College is a great success, with
several senior theses and several students who have enrolled in COAS graduate
programs. Our REU program should also increase our visibility nationwide. Our
programs to provide support and mentoring for graduate students are just beginning,
but they should greatly enhance student success. It is unfortunate that we had to
scale back drastically on our teaching assistantships, which were important both for
the students enrolled our courses and for our students who could gain valuable
teaching experience. We need to continue to work to provide first-year funds for our
best applicants and to recruit more aggressively into atmospheric science and
physical oceanography. A new approach was implemented this past year (frequent
and early contact with prospective students), and both physical oceanography and
atmospheric science have their largest incoming class of graduate students in many
years.
Increasing research continues to be hampered by our inability to implement the
faculty hiring plan and to pursue hiring opportunities in both atmospheric science
and MRM. Our reluctance to hire results from concerns about the long-term budget
environment for OSU and COAS, and the Research Office’s limited ability to support
startup packages. Budget issues have hampered our ability to invest in new research
facilities, and more of our infrastructure is at risk. For example, our UPS system is in
urgent need of replacement in order to ensure continued operations of several major
labs and our IT systems. However, this year’s budget looks much better, so we are
optimistic that we have turned the corner.
Outreach and engagement activities continue to be successful, especially through our
partnership with University Advancement staff. We have placed more stories in
national media outlets, including both print and television. Although the OSU
Foundation was slow in creating and implementing a development plan for COAS, we
are now on the right track. We expect to continue to be successful in the coming
years.
Long-term funding of the Native Americans REU program was not obtained from
NSF. We still believe such a program could be successful, but at this point, we have
no plans to resubmit a proposal. The barriers within the funding agencies appear to
be too high.
c. Summarize major unit activities during 2006-2007 that helped promote one or more of
the five thematic areas
Although we hired only two faculty this past year, both are engaged in aspects of
Earth System processes. One (Vincent) works in the area of satellite remote sensing
of solid earth processes. The other (Koppers) is a leading young researcher in
seafloor processes, particularly volcanism and geochemistry. We continue to expand
our research in climate processes and their interactions with ocean and terrestrial
ecosystems. Several faculty are studying watershed and estuarine processes as well as
global carbon cycling.
COAS faculty continue to develop new technology that may have commercial
applications in support of technological change and innovation. These include an
aircraft-based sensor for observing cloud/aerosol properties, a moored sensor to
make long-term measurements of ocean mixing, advanced web services for data
sharing and collaboration, and modular approaches to seafloor sensing systems.
COAS faculty are engaged in the development of new analytical techniques, data
management and visualization systems, and ocean/atmosphere models that have
broad usage in the science community.
Our newly-installed real-time mooring is the first component of OrCOOS, which will
provide a broad array of unique data products and services to help manage the
natural resources of our coastal ocean. We have established a “fisheries experience”
program with MRM, Sea Grant, and F&W. Our new faculty member in fisheries
oceanography is building strong links with researchers and students in Fisheries and
Wildlife.
More than 650 undergraduates completed an oceanic or atmospheric science course.
Many undergraduates are participating directly in COAS research programs,
including several Honors College students. We are expanding our offerings of honors
sections of COAS undergraduate courses. These opportunities are part of a strong
curriculum and basic inquiry in the arts and sciences.
d. Summarize major accomplishments for 2006-2007 in support of the OSU Capital
Campaign
A development officer for the Ocean and Earth theme was identified in late spring
2007, and Jennifer Niedermeyer has just begun to work with COAS. She has briefed
the DAC on “fundraising 101,” and we have planned a schedule to develop the COAS
case statement as well as training for a few key faculty. We received two significant
commitments of funding for the Dean’s Innovation Fund, and we also received a
large donation from an individual who had no previous connection to COAS or OSU;
he simply wanted to support graduate students in oceanography.
3. Other initiatives and their outcomes [e.g., Faculty/Staff Professional
Development Activities]
The dean continues to meet quarterly with new faculty as a group as part of college
mentoring. For some faculty, more formal mentoring relationships have been
established. The Center for Teaching and Learning has provided some valuable
workshops for new faculty, but there needs to be more attention given to graduate
education by the CTL. Graduate advising is far different from in-class teaching, and
many of our new faculty are asking for such mentoring. Our new program of faculty
assessment and review is continuing to have an impact. We expanded the facultyprovided annual activity reports to include a section on supervision as well as teaching,
research, and service. Most of our faculty supervise either a graduate student or a
technician, and this type of supervision and mentoring is critical for the success of our
research and teaching.
4. Scorecard
a. Performance on college-level metrics
 The College continues to meet its targets in the level of its research grants awarded
and expenditures. With nearly $400,000 in grants per faculty member, it is unlikely
that this can be increased substantially. Moreover, grants are becoming increasingly
competitive, with success rates approaching 10% or less.
 Our minority enrollment rate has increased to about 6% over the last three years,
which is higher than many other Earth science programs. We expect this value to
increase as our rate among entering students has been about 10% for the last three
years. Our international enrollment is about 10%.
 We awarded 33 graduate degrees last year and student/faculty ratios are relatively
low and constant, reflecting the research-intensive nature of our College.
 Private giving has increased, and we expect this growth to continue.
b. Leveraging resources
 Initiatives to leverage state resources
 We continue to leverage about $10 in grants and contracts for every $1 in
State funding. Our new Oregon Climate Research Institute will build on the
same model, with State support providing a foundation for increased
competitiveness for Federal and private funding.
 Initiatives to improve administrative efficiencies
 We continue to work with the Sponsored Programs Office to ensure that
COAS proposals can move efficiently through the system. As the Federal
agencies come to rely more heavily on electronic submission, it has been
challenging to bring faculty and staff up to speed on these new processes.
Our Publications office and accounting staff have been working together to
ensure that the COAS processes work well, and COAS has hosted meetings
between COAS and OSU Office of Sponsored Programs personnel to share
insights and experiences.
 Student Programs has streamlined the student application process to
ensure that faculty review proceeds in a timely manner.
 In many areas (notably facilities and accounting), we have reduced staff in
order to save money. This has resulted in a noticeable decline in service,
manifested primarily as slower service.
5. Assessment of your 2006-2007 Priorities
Provide a brief assessment of your 2006-2007 priorities, including a self-assessment of what
worked and what did not, and lessons learned.
Enhancing student success
Our partnership with the Honors College has been enormously successful, with our first
honors students now enrolling in COAS graduate programs. With more honors sections
of COAS courses, this continues to be a bright spot. Encouraging faculty to bring
students into their labs has been a good strategy as well. More consistent tracking and
mentoring of our graduate students should also maintain our high success rate.
Increasing research and outreach
Our faculty hiring plan has maintained COAS as one of the most sought-after places in
the country for oceanic and atmospheric research. Effective and regular communications
with University Advancement have worked well at increasing the visibility of the College.
Stronger working relationships with the State on coastal oceans and climate change have
been developed and will benefit the College in the long run. New revenue sources
(increased returned overhead, non-government funding, etc.) are needed for investment
in people and facilities.
Enhancing diversity and community, including international dimensions
The successor to the NAMSS program worked well, but administrative hurdles within
NSF have prevented this model from moving forward. More effective recruiting practices
have increased enrollment from underrepresented groups. Regular social gatherings
(both formal and informal) have strengthened the sense of community in the College.
6. Proposed Priorities for 2007-2008
Please provide me in no more than two pages what your 4-5 priorities are for 2007-2008.
Keep in perspective the outcome of our June retreat—a greater emphasis on student
engagement and success, as well as other areas important to our success:
research/scholarship and outreach, diversity and community and the capital campaign
1. Enhancing student engagement and success
If approved as part of university realignment, we hope to develop our plan for a new
College of Earth System Science in partnership with the Department of
Geosciences. Eventually, this new College could embrace other elements of OSU as we
seek to develop a unique set of educational programs at OSU. To begin this process:
 develop a five-year MS program in collaboration with the University Honors
College and Geosciences, modeled after the 5-year MS program in UHC and
Engineering,
 restore teaching assistantships in the College,
 develop first-year funding opportunities for graduate recruiting,
 develop additional cross-listed COAS courses in Geosciences and Engineering,
 maintain an expanded summer REU program in collaboration with Geosciences
and HMSC,
 continue to expand our E-campus courses offerings,
 expand our mentoring and career development program,
 maintain the colloquium program that brings world-class researchers in Earth
system science for both lectures and meetings with students.
2. Increasing research and outreach
If approved by the Provost, we will develop our plan for a new approach to Earth
system science in partnership with the Department of Geosciences. This new
approach could embrace other elements of Earth system research at OSU. The
development of this plan will need the full support of OSU as well as extensive support
by external experts who will develop a business plan, including the evaluation of various
options, identify key issues and decision points, governance structure, the relationship to
OSU, and a timeline for implementation. As part of this process, we will:
 initiate the second phase of our faculty hiring plan, building on an assessment of
College-wide needs with an eye toward an Earth system approach,
 develop a platform-based model for research on the Earth system that will be
structured to deliver new capabilities in a flexible manner, based on the OSU
commission report,
 explore opportunities for university-wide initiatives in climate research,
building on the recent climate workshop and the new Oregon Climate Research
Institute,
 continue to refine and disseminate our message for our external constituents in
collaboration with University Advancement,
 restructure our Publications and Outreach Office to support innovation in realtime delivery of knowledge and data through web services for new models of
collaboration and engagement,
 sustain our investments in state-of-the-art facilities and IT infrastructure,
including upgrades of individual labs and major building subsystems.
3. Enhancing community and diversity
We will explore new opportunities at the national and agency level to create
research opportunities for students from underrepresented groups. We will
also continue to:
 continue to actively recruit students from underrepresented groups,
 enhance our efforts at communications within the College to increase awareness
of community and diversity activities,
 maintain our relationships with undergraduate advisers at colleges around the
Pacific Northwest,
 sustain our partnerships with SMILE and community college-based adult
education programs.
4. OSU University Campaign
We will work with Jennifer Niedermeyer at the OSU Foundation to develop and
implement a fundraising strategy for the College, focusing on innovation
and education. We will develop and refine our case statement in collaboration with
OSUF staff, engaging our faculty in these discussions. The message is that COAS engages
in fundamental research on the Earth system, using new tools and approaches to
explore our planet, to increase our understanding, and to predict and ameliorate the
impacts of natural and human-induced changes in our environment. Our campaign
approach is based on investments in people (new faculty, graduate students), ideas
(seed funds for new research) and things (new equipment, facilities). We will
restructure our College advisory board to help us meet our campaign objectives.
5. OSU Presidential Commission on Ocean, Coastal and Earth System
Futures
We will work closely with OSU colleagues to begin to implement the recommendations of
the Commission. These include the idea of 1) forming a new “OSU Enterprise for
Environment and Resources” to develop new models of research and development in
academia, 2) expand partnerships with the University Honors College, and 3) invest in
critical research facilities. Some of these concepts are discussed earlier, but in addition
we will:
 work with OSU and OUS leadership to develop an approach to develop state
support for a replacement for the R/V Wecoma
 develop a funding model to build the first phase of the Expedition Support
Center; the first phase will focus on the Earth Reference Collection, which
will move existing Earth archives and samples out of the campus core.