Jan. 27 through Feb. 7, four finalists for the Vice President for Research and Economic Development visited and presented on campus.
The elected Vice President will work within the Office of Research and Economic Development whose mission is “To provide swift, accurate and expert service to enhance the research missions of individuals and various units within the University,” according to the office’s website.
Each finalist has been asked to present their ideas on how to advance the University of Wyoming’s research, scholarly, and creative mission, as well as how to advance Wyoming’s economic development.
Three of the finalists, Danny Dale, Jayne Morrow and Parag Chatnis, have already presented their ideas.
Finalist Beth Plale is set to give her presentation on Feb. 7.
Morrow, who presented on Jan. 31, stated her vision for the University of Wyoming.
“I really see this university in a position of a thriving, internationally recognized, research enterprise,” Morrow said. “To do that, I think we need to remove barriers to research program growth, collaboration and productivity.”
Morrow further expressed her optimism for the future of the university as a whole, noting the importance of long term commitment in this position.
“This is a brilliant opportunity and I couldn’t just resist a chance to share my ideas,” Morrow said. “I’ve been living in a rural community thinking about this stuff for a long time and I’m very excited to share that with you.”
“I think the seeds of this work are here and it needs to be nurtured. That’s not a short game,” Morrow said. “If I’m offered and given the chance to do that work, it’s a commitment.”
Danny Dale, Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at UW, spoke with the Branding Iron about the position, what he’d like to do if elected, and how he feels his background has prepared him for the position.
“Coming up through the ranks as a faculty member here, like I understand what that means, the certain things you have to go through to build up your, your research group and your connections, and maybe even your research lab,” Dale said.
“We don’t retain 100% of our faculty that are here. I have this very faculty focused viewpoint, having been here for 20 years,” Dale said. “I listed a bunch of ideas that we could do to keep our faculty happy and want to stay and thrive.”
Dale also shared his thoughts on the experience as a whole.
“In a sense, it’s kind of doing the job already by finding out what’s going on in a more detailed way,” Dale said. “ I have a general idea because I’ve been doing research at a high level for 20 years here.”
“I really liked the experience, I was really happy that my colleagues across campus can see how I want to support our university and my vision for it,” Dale said.
Beth Plale and Parag Chitnis were unavailable for comment at this time.
All four finalists offer extensive and impressive resumes, each with backgrounds in administration and research.
To learn more about each finalist, click here.
To view past and upcoming presentations, click here.
