05-01-07 Research

Dear Friend:

 The extraordinary amount of research and scholarly work that emerges from America’s best universities is one reason for the world-wide acclaim accorded to higher education in America.  In this letter, I will share with you some of the exciting ways that the College of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University contributes to that work and how it impacts our students’ education.

 At the broadest level, research and scholarship generate new knowledge, and the research and scholarship at the department and college level contribute a great deal to the national standing of an institution.  This happens through the career profile of an individual faculty member, publications in leading journals, high-impact books, and other creative activities.  As departments at Texas A&M gain national prominence, we move closer to the goal of being a top 10 public institution by 2020. 

 But equally important, this research and scholarship also serves to enhance the undergraduate experience, which is at the heart of our mission as a university.  Faculty whose research helps to set the national agenda for their disciplines, are also in the classroom, in most cases teaching courses directly related to their research specialization.  Students therefore have the opportunity to learn about research results before it gets into the textbooks.  Undergraduates may also have the opportunity to participate directly in funded research projects.  Before graduating last May, psychology major Jessica Harrison worked in Psychology Professor Mary Meagher’s lab on a project to study how stress affects an animal model of multiple sclerosis.  The project is part of a larger project funded by National Institute of Mental Health.  You may recall that Jessica’s project is profiled in the 2004 issue of Pathways to Discovery, our annual magazine. 

 Departments and research centers also support undergraduates who want to pursue their own research projects.  For example, the Glasscock Humanities Research Center makes small grants to undergraduates students to offset their research expenses (materials, conference or research travel) and includes them in academic colloquia.  One such grant allowed Hannah Peterson, as a sophomore American Studies and history double major, to travel to Louisiana during the 2002-2003 academic year to begin research the story about two murders by the Klu Klux Klan in Louisiana in the early 1920s.  She continued the project as an Honors Undergraduate Research Fellow this past year.  Hannah’s project is also profiled in the 2004 issue of Pathways to Discovery.

 Faculty with stellar research and scholarly reputations not only help provide a strong undergraduate experience, they also help build strong departments and graduate programs.  It is simply easier to attract outstanding new faculty members to a department where the faculty is already known to be highly productive.  Recently, our Department of Sociology recruited Joe Feagin away from the University of Florida.  Dr. Feagin is internationally recognized for his scholarship on race and ethnicity and was elected president of the prestigious American Sociological Association in 2000.  He was attracted to our sociology department because of the caliber of similar work being conducted here.  

And, he has already prompted interest by several potential faculty hires this year.  By way of another example, last year the Department of Psychology hired two faculty members as they completed post-doctoral training at Johns Hopkins; they were by all accounts the strongest behavioral neuroscience candidates on the market nationally.  They came only because of our established strengths in behavioral neuroscience. 

 Research active faculties also attract strong graduate student applicants who weigh that research reputation when considering where to pursue their graduate degree. Political science and communication have had success recruiting stellar graduate students from all across the country because the students want to study with Political Science Professor Ken Meier or with Communication Professors Linda Putnam and Kathy Miller.  

 Where appropriate, we encourage and support faculty seeking external funding for their research.  These grants typically provide support for work that is likely to have a high impact in a particular field and move our faculty into the national spotlight as leaders in a field.  At Texas A&M, researchers in the College typically attract about $6,000,000 in external funding annually. 

 As the College’s research programs grow, gifts from friends of the College to establish faculty Chairs and Professorships will become even more important.  These endowments allow faculty to develop scholarly initiatives which may not otherwise be possible and often directly support students and academic symposia.  They are very important to our research mission. 

 I appreciate your sharing my enthusiasm for the research and scholarship found in the College of Liberal Arts.  In addition to the faculty and students mentioned in this letter, I’ve enclosed a one-page summary that briefly tells you about the research efforts of three professors, one graduate student, and one undergraduate student.  These briefs are just a snapshot of the myriad research activities one will find throughout the College.  Please let me know if you have questions.  Thank you, once again, for your interest in the College of Liberal Arts.

Sincerely,

Charles A. Johnson

Dean