Admitting Affiliate members into IBIOS options

The Huck Institutes encourages participation from a wide range of faculty who are involved in life sciences research and education. The Huck Institute recognizes that significant contributions to graduate student training can come from faculty who are in a service-related labs, and who would not generally serve as independent advisors for Huck Institutes fellows. Thus, it is important to recognize faculty who wish to participate in option training programs, but who will not take on the role of primary advisor.

The Huck Institutes now offers membership in an option as an Affiliate member. These faculty can contribute to graduate training, may offer short lab rotations to allow students to develop specific techniques, and, if full members of the graduate faculty, may serve on student committees. Such Affiliate members are not expected to have independently-funded research programs, nor will they serve as the primary mentor for the Huck Institutes fellow. Often, these faculty are in highly specialized labs, offering wide services to the university community. Thus, it is in the spirit of inclusion that we now encourage option directors to explore developing appropriate faculty as Affiliate members in the option.

The goal of admitting Affiliate members to approved options in the Integrative Biosciences Graduate Program is to enhance the ability of the option to perform its research, teaching and training missions. Each new Affiliate member is expected to play an active role in these missions as well as in recruiting and other essential activities of the option.

The procedure for adding new Affiliate members is as follows:

1. The faculty member who wishes to join an option should submit a letter to the pertinent option Director(s), expressing interest and describing how his or her research program and expertise would strengthen the program offered by that option. Information should also be provided on past activities that have served to enhance research, training, and educational opportunities for graduate students in existing graduate programs. The letter should be accompanied by a copy of a complete resumé, including educational background, professional experience, research interests pertinent to the theme of the option, honors and professional activities, list of relevant publications (including the titles and the total number of publications), funding (including agencies, titles, amounts, and duration), and a brief summary of the individual's training record for graduate students (including the names, dates of training and current professional positions).
2. The Director(s), in consultation with the faculty associated the option, will review the submitted materials and submit a written recommendation to the Directors of Graduate Education to approve or deny the request. Criteria to be used in making this decision will include the relevance of the faculty applicant's research program to the theme of the option, the quality of support for the research program, and a demonstrated commitment to enhancing graduate education.
3. The Directors of Graduate Education will review the request from the faculty member and the recommendation of the director and faculty of the option. The Directors will then submit a written recommendation to the Senior Associate Dean of the Graduate School.

The final decision on the admission of the applicant to the Integrative Biosciences Graduate Program will be made by the Senior Associate Dean of the Graduate School. This decision will be conveyed by the Dean to all participating parties.