[Corebotanyfaculty] Announcement of new CNAS Divisional Deans

[April M Meinzer]

Good morning,

We would like to take the time to congratulate, Dr. Springer, our Dept Chair, who will be moving on to serve as the Divisional Dean of Agricultural for the College.  She has served as our Dept Chair, for the past 8 years and has truly made a lasting impact on the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences.  A leader like her is hard to find, "our fearless leader" which is how we all like to address her in the offices.  Dr. Springer has served as a major contributor to our renovations, amongst so many other items within the department that has assisted in our growth.

We are so proud of all her accomplishments and dedication to our department.  She will be deeply missed but can guarantee she will be doing great things for our college in her new role.

Congratulations Dr. Springer.



April Meinzer
Financial Administrative Officer
Botany and Plant Sciences, #2106
Phone:  951-827-3839
Fax:        951-827-4437
april.meinzer at ucr.edu<mailto:april.meinzer at ucr.edu>

In-person office hours:  Wednesday, Thursday & Friday from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Virtual office hours:  Monday & Tuesday from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm



From: Cnas_staff <cnas_staff-bounces at lists.ucr.edu> On Behalf Of CNAS Dean
Sent: Friday, March 22, 2024 2:20 PM
To: 'science_faculty_all at lists.ucr.edu' <science_faculty_all at lists.ucr.edu>; cnas_staff at lists.ucr.edu
Cc: PHYSCIdean <physcidean at ucr.edu>; Agdean <agdean at ucr.edu>; LifeSciDean <lifescidean at ucr.edu>; CNAS Dean <CNAS_DEAN at ucr.edu>; Studentdeancnas <studentdeancnas at ucr.edu>
Subject: [Cnas_staff] Announcement of new CNAS Divisional Deans

Dear CNAS colleagues,

Before we enter Spring Break, I would like to announce the new CNAS Divisional Dean.

Professor Patricia (Patty) Springer from the Department of Botany & Plant Sciences will serve as  Divisional Dean of Agriculture.

Professor Morris Maduro from the Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology will serve as Divisional Dean of Life Sciences.

Professor Stephanie Dingwall from the Department of Biochemistry will serve as CNAS Divisional Dean of Student Academic Affairs.

All will commence their 3-year terms on July 1, 2024.   Later in Spring quarter, Assistant Dean of Communications and Strategic Initiatives  Joann Young will write and publish full profiles for our new incoming Divisional Deans.

Professor Stefano Vidussi from the Department of Mathematics will continue his term as CNAS Divisional Dean of Physical Sciences and Mathematics.

I want to again thank Divisional Deans Kathy Borkovich and Isgouhi Kaloshian and Connie Nugent for their leadership and service during their terms in the CNAS Deans Office, which end on June 30, 2024.    The impacts of their service on CNAS and the campus is, I hope, captured below in my sincere notes of gratitude and thanks to them.   I hope you can spare a moment to read of their accomplishments during their terms.

Professor Kathy Borkovich's service as Life Science Dean commenced  in summer of 2021.  The start of her tenure in the office came during the COVID-19 pandemic with the array of challenges this presented.  Kathy was a member of the team that established the COVID-19 testing laboratory on campus in Summer 2020 and Kathy continued to serve as the faculty director of the facility until June 2023, overseeing testing, reporting, data recording during this time of extraordinary stress for all.   Within CNAS, Kathy acted as faculty chair of the long-awaited and much needed (we hope for more to follow!) Plant Research Building #1 committee, she highlighted  the urgent need for the renovation of Biochemistry Instructional Laboratories in Pierce Hall, and in establishing and fitting out of the Microbiology and Plant Pathology Teaching Laboratory, also in Pierce Hall.  Her efforts addressed long-standing needs for instructional space in the life sciences.  Indeed, aging space across the life sciences has presented many Divisional Deans with significant challenges.  The uphill climb related to quality space was made more challenging with the diaspora of the Botany & Plant Science faculty from Batchelor Hall these past few years.   Kathy has been very creative in finding solutions to these challenges for the four departments within the Division.   As chair of the Teaching Assistant Allocation Committee, she has effectively brokered timely assignment of TAs each quarter despite facing significant challenges, including TA shortages during her tenure.  As chair of the Life Science Council of Chairs she has efficiently dealt with teaching assignments, curricular changes, and other issues that arise from the Life Science majors being the largest on our campus.   Kathy returns to the faculty and to her lab in the Microbiology and Plant Pathology Department to pursue her research on environmental sensing and control of metabolic processes using the filamentous fungus and model system Neurospora crassa.

Professor Isgouhi Kaloshian's service as Divisional Dean of Agricultural Sciences commenced in summer of 2021. The start of her tenure in the office came during the COVID-19 pandemic with the array of challenges this presented.  Along with Kathy Borkovich, she established, in 2020, the COVID-19 testing laboratory on campus for which both have received campus-wide recognition.  We remain grateful for innovative work to bring this state-of-the-art facility to campus.  Within her CNAS portfolio Isgouhi has masterfully negotiated changing relationships with ANR, especially as Cooperative Extension positions are now being distributed across the UC system with two new campuses having joined the Agriculture Experiment Station. Isgouhi has helped oversee the purchase and installation of much-needed plant growth chambers in Plant Research Building 1, to which she has provided oversight on the use of both floors of the building.  Along with Dean Uhrich, she advocated for Agricultural Operations to update both their machinery and IT connectivity and identified funds to make this possible.  She successfully promoted the creation of ARENA (Agricultural Research, Education and Neighborhood Advancement Center) a building project for which planning is now proceeding, funded by the Federal Government. Her travels have provided CNAS with significant overseas exposure where she has essentially acted as an ambassador for our faculty.  Isgouhi returns to the faculty and her laboratory in the Nematology Department to pursue ongoing research on the molecular basis of interactions between plants and nematodes.

Professor Connie Nugent's service as CNAS Divisional Dean of Student Academic Affairs commenced in summer of 2018.  Connie joined the CNAS Dean's office after three years as Associate Dean in Graduate Division.  In her six years as a Divisional Dean, she has brought her skills as an innovator and problem-solver to bear on a multitude of issues associated with student success and retention.  Connie's efforts reflect a deep and abiding commitment to the university's mission to educate and empower our diverse student body. The college recognizes and appreciates her service.  A major focus of Connie's efforts has been to expand the CNAS learning community model.  Over 90% of entering CNAS students are now able to join a learning community. By connecting students at an early point with faculty and peers from within their major, the goal is to foster a sense of belonging and STEM-identity among CNAS first-year students.  To expand the learning communities, it was necessary to first create programs and structures to accommodate the cohorts of students who take intermediate algebra their first fall quarter. Another innovation to expand the learning communities that will begin this Fall is to allow faculty seminars to be offered as a separate class within each major, unlinking them from the advising seminars that are a part of each learning community cohort.  Expanding student professional development opportunities has been another of Connie's goals. Towards this end, she helped revitalize the summer RISE program, creating a standing framework where faculty can deploy funding from NSF and other granting agencies.
A second focus for Connie has been to gain efficiencies and functionality to better serve students and faculty. Following a series of retirements and staff losses during the pandemic, and in careful consultation with staff, Connie restructured the Undergraduate Academic Advising Center (UAAC).  She also worked to increase the collaborations and functionality among UAAC, the Enrollment Management Center (EMC) and the Graduate Advising Center (GSAC).  Staff retention and recruitment have been improved by having staff positions that are now at more appropriate classification and equity levels, with supportive professional development.  A key piece was successfully bringing in Brett McFarlane in Oct. 2021 as director of the UAAC; his vision and experience have been transformational within the college and more broadly at UCR.  The student-facing units in the college have gained stability and capacity for helping students.
A third part of Connie's tenure has been a very active role in directing the CNAS Science Ambassadors, broadening the visibility and reach of this program, even during the Covid19 pandemic.  The Ambassadors facilitate a wide range of important recruitment and support activities for the college and through the Science Ambassador student organizations also do extensive outreach to the K-12 community.  Some notable highlights include working with the Delta SIFY organization to organize two large Science Olympiad competitions, this year bringing 750 middle and high school competitors from all over California to our campus.  Last year their virtual Science Olympiad competition reached over 900 competitors nationally.  The Ambassadors have also expanded their successful SISTERS program, which mentors middle school girls from across the Riverside Unified School District, and started a new complementary BROTHERS program. Other Ambassador programs include SMASH, which tutors students in the Ramona High School AVID program and "Little Einsteins", which provides interactive science lessons to elementary school classes.  "Little Einsteins" recently gained donor support for new equipment, increasing the range of lesson plans the Ambassadors can use to serve these students. The service efforts of these students are truly exemplary. Finally, Connie has used her extensive committee service and work across campus to leverage better solutions and programming for CNAS in student-related areas. For example, Connie's extensive knowledge related to instructional needs made her an excellent candidate for the campus Undergraduate Teaching & Learning Facilities Committee.  Connie acted as the CNAS voice for the committee and lobbied for instructional lab space to meet the growing demand.  These efforts will continue to provide payoffs for years to come.    Connie's short-term plans include resuming her research on telomeres and the control of DNA replication under stress and continuing her leadership of the HHMI Inclusive Excellence project.

Again, my sincere thanks and gratitude to Kathy, Isgouhi and Connie for all their leadership and contributions to CNAS and our campus through some very, very stressful times in all our lives.


Please find time and peace to enjoy your spring break.

Peter


Peter W. Atkinson, Ph.D.
Interim Dean, College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences
Professor of Genetics
Department of Entomology
University of California, Riverside
Office: (951) 827-3101  |  Email: CNAS_Dean at ucr.edu<mailto:CNAS_Dean at ucr.edu>

Executive Assistant: Rachel Alvarez  |  Office: (951) 827-4597  |  rachel.alvarez at ucr.edu<mailto:rachel.alvarez at ucr.edu>
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