Recently in University of Connecticut Category

Peter Nicholls is stepping down as Provost at the end of this month. On May 10th, there was a very nice reception in his honor in the North Reading Room of Wilbur Cross. There were many wonderful things said about Peter, including remarks by his children.¹But the highlight for most of us was a performance of a piece written by Jeremy Teitelbaum, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, modeled on Gilbert and Sullivan.



The complete lyrics are also available, if you'd like to read them.

Kent Holsinger has been a field biologist, a mathematical modeler, an expert on plant mating systems, and a national advocate for teaching the theory of evolution.

He has been a leader in the University Senate, president of three national biological societies, and, recently, interim vice provost for graduate education and dean of the graduate school.

And now, he is a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Holsinger was one of two professors chosen this year for the University's highest faculty honor (the other is Lynne Healy, professor of social work), and the 28th faculty member in CLAS chosen for the honor.

You might say that, like the subject he teaches, he has evolved a lot.

If for some reason you want to read the whole article. Head over to CLAS today. There's another photo of me, that I like better than the one in UConn Today -- not so many bumps and wrinkles.

Related articles

• Distinguished Professorship (darwin.eeb.uconn.edu)

I mentioned yesterday that the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees honored Lynn Healy (School of Social Work) and me with designation as Board of Trustees Distinguished Professors. Today, there's a short article about us in UConn Today. The article is very complimentary, but I have to say that the Nikon D300 Peter Morenus used for the photo shows all of the wrinkles and bumps that 55 years have left in my face.

The University of Connecticut Board of Trustees met earlier today. Every year the Board designates a few faculty members as University of Connecticut Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor. Here's how the designation is described in President Herbst's letter to the Board:

Pursuant to the By-Laws of the University of Connecticut, the Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor award is reserved exclusively to recognize faculty who have achieved exceptional distinction in scholarship, teaching, and service while at the University of Connecticut. Faculty chosen must have distinguished themselves in all three of these categories. The designation process occurs annually, as a result of a peer review process.

Why do I mention all of this? Because Lynn Healy (School of Social Work) and I were honored with that designation today, and I felt the need to brag a little.

The University of Connecticut Board of Trustees held a special meeting yesterday. At that meeting, the Board not only adopted tuition rates for 2012/2013, it laid out a plan for tuition rates through 2015/2016, with the proviso that "[i]f the State appropriation decreases or the current fiscal climate worsens, the University may revisit the approved tuition increase amounts."¹

For in-state undergraduates that will mean their tuition and fees will climb to $11,290 next fall -- $620 more than this year's charge of $10,670. By 2016, the charge will be $2,676 more than this year, or $13,346.

That's assuming the state does not increase funding to the university; if the state does boost funding by 0.5 percent in each of the next four years, the board approved a slightly scaled-back series of tuition hikes, starting with 5.5 percent next year and ending in 2016 with 6.3 percent. ("UConn trustees approve 6% tuition hike," Kathleen Megan, The Hartford Courant, 19 December 2011)

Under this plan, the University will hire approximately 290 new tenured or tenure track faculty, reducing the student:faculty ratio from 18:1, where it stands now, to 15:1. Not only will the additional faculty help the University ensure that students can enroll in the courses they need, but they will further enhance the University's contributions research, economic development, and creative activities. By laying out a plan for four years, the University can plan its course strategically. Most importantly, students and their families can plan their own finances to ensure that every student who wants to attend the University of Connecticut can afford to do so.

Click through to read the statement I presented at the meeting on behalf of the University Senate Executive Commitee.

On the 13th of January I take up a new position, Interim Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Connecticut. Our Provost, Peter Nicholls, asked me to serve when the person for whom I am serving suffered a serious illness. The most difficult part of agreeing to serve was reconciling myself to the awful circumstances that made my service necessary. I am very, very grateful that in spite of his serious illness, the person for whom I am serving is in good spirits, and he is his usual helpful self. He's even volunteered to chat on the phone once or twice a week about issues facing the Graduate School. Knowing that he's so willing to help is an enormous relief, even though I will bother him as little as I possibly can.

Some of you know that about 5 years ago I served as Acting Head of the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. When the dean decided it was time for a permanent head to be appointed, I was one of two candidates for the position. He selected the other candidate on the basis of the search committee's recommendation and the recommendation of my department. That decision was very painful for me.

As I've told a few close friends, I think of myself as mediocre in research. My record of external funding is pitiful compared to those I regard as leaders in evolutionary biology, and my intellectual contributions have occurred at the margins of important topics, not at the center. In contrast, I think of myself as a talented and effective leader. Others in organizations for which I've served as president (the American Genetics Association, the American Institute of Biological Sciences, and the Botanical Society of America) or in board leadership positions (the Connecticut Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, BioOne) seem to have greatly valued my service. It cut me to the quick when my closest colleagues didn't agree.

Now I have an opportunity to redeem myself and serve a broader set of colleagues at the University of Connecticut. I hope I do not disappoint them.