BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT GOALS

GENERAL GOALS

•  To provide high-quality coursework to meet the diverse educational needs of SUNY Orange students.
• To develop and enhance curricular offerings to align with contemporary educational needs and career/transfer opportunities.
• To cultivate academic articulations to serve the educational enrichment needs of diverse student constituencies.
• To collaborate with internal and external partners to offer interdisciplinary and community-based programming for academic enrichment.
• To provide student support services to insure student retention and success.

 

 GOALS:  Devitt Center/Educational Gardens

•  The department will collaborate on the restoration plans for the greenhouse and interim relocation/care of our Botanical Collection.
•  Once complete, the Biology Department seeks to develop an index of specimens and related educational materials to maximize academic utilization of the collection.
•  A principal goal of the Biology Department is to utilize the Devitt Center Facilities as instructional space for courses in Botany, Ecology, and  General Biology.
•  In keeping with our successful Spring 2013 Garden Workshop Series the department plans to develop additional community programming utilizing the facility.
•  In order to maximize the value of the Devitt Center Botanical Collection and related Educational Gardens we would like to hire a part-time “seasonal, 520 hr.” botanical caretaker (approximately $5,200) to  maintain gardens and collection.

 

GOALS:  Kaplan Hall

 

• The Biology Department seeks to increase the number and diversity of course offerings at Newburgh and to generally build a more visible presence fostering accessibility and student engagement.

 

GOALS:  Science and Engineering Building

 

• Actively engage in developing transition plans relating to moving into the new building.

 

GOALS:  BATCAVERN (Biological Science Learning Laboratory and Tutorial Center)

•  Search, hire, train and mentor FT Technical Assistant to assist in Coordination and Monitoring BATCAVERN activities.
• Replace full complement of computers and printers destroyed by flood (water pipe break) in Summer 2012.
• Acquire additional instructional materials (anatomic models, microscope specimens) to enhance student learning.
•  In addition to the facility-related goals addressed above there are a number of important curricular goals as well:
•  Continue to infuse contemporary issues into departmental course offerings.
•  Integrate information literacy and student research opportunities into departmental course offerings.
•  Continue to look for opportunities to expand interdisciplinary and external collaborative ventures with educational partners.
•  Recruit, mentor, develop and retain quality faculty.  This will be particularly important in light of new restrictions governing the maximum number of hours an adjunct may teach.