MISSION
The mission of the School of Biological Sciences is to advance and convey fundamental biological knowledge about how organisms function, interact, and evolve in a changing world – information that is critical to confront pressing problems facing our society.
VISION
Research:
- SBS will enhance its local, national, and
international recognition as a center for research
excellence and for engaging undergraduate, graduate, and
postdoctoral students in advanced research at the
frontiers of modern biology.
- SBS seeks to increase its role in solving important
societal problems by helping bridge basic and applied
research in the biological sciences.
- SBS is a university leader in multidisciplinary biological research and intends to substantially strengthen our interactions with other academic units, centers, and programs across WSU campuses as well as forge strong links with universities and research institutions in the nation and worldwide.
Education:
- SBS will train graduate and post-graduate
scientists for international leadership in
cutting-edge, interdisciplinary biological research and
scholarship.• SBS seeks to prepare
undergraduate majors in biology for
nationally and internationally competitive professional
careers in the biological sciences and related
fields.
- SBS aims to communicate knowledge and facilitate critical thinking among our non-biology majors in order to foster a scientifically well-informed citizenry in Washington.
Service:
- SBS aspires to be a university leader in public
outreach and informed public policy for issues that
depend on knowledge of how organisms function, interact,
and evolve in a changing world.
- SBS will further advance the core facilities and
resources directed and used by SBS faculty, such as the
Franceschi Electron Microscopy and Imaging Center, the
Conner Museum, the Ownbey Herbarium, the Smoot Hill
Reserve, Aquaculture and Plant Transformation Core
laboratories, the Human Anatomy lab, and the stable
isotope and plant growth facilities that contribute to
the shared mission of WSU.
- SBS will continue to foster science here in Washington, nationally, and worldwide by encouraging SBS faculty service and leadership in professional societies, scientific funding agencies, review panels, and editorial boards.
STRATEGIC PLAN
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We must further emphasize outreach to promote the visibility of SBS. This will enhance our ability to recruit students and faculty, secure additional funding support, and establish the collaborations and partnerships vital to realizing our vision.
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The continued excellence of SBS in research, teaching, and service demands that we focus on our mission and vision. Not only must SBS be introspective but it must also be flexible and responsive to established and emerging opportunities, novel uses of our resources, and innovative paths of creative activity. The physical, financial, and technical resources of SBS, as well as its faculty and staff, must be energized toward its goals effectively and efficiently.
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SBS recognizes that strong academic units must augment resources from the university by actively seeking external grant support and by soliciting support via philanthropy. Our unit has been successful in these endeavors, but we will expand our efforts to attract extramural and development funds in support of our goals.
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SBS's interdisciplinary strengths result from crosscutting research conducted by our highly collaborative faculty. These strengths can be bolstered substantially by hiring new faculty with strong focused research programs that are also multidisciplinary and collaborative, by vigorously fostering national and international research collaborations, and by pursuing opportunities to promote multidisciplinary education and training.
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Our vision for education and training within the biological sciences includes outstanding instruction for introductory core and non-majors biology courses and an increased commitment to upper-division and graduate courses. Restructuring current curricula and teaching arrangements will be essential for achieving our objectives.
- SBS will be proactive in promoting diversity among its faculty, staff, and students.