Who would have thought that we'd all make it to a time like 2010?
Last fall was a busy time and postings were few. This semester we promise to do better. We are currently in the throws of several faculty searches. One of these is in applied nuclear physics, one in soft materials/non-linear dynamics and a third is for a non-tenure track, two-year position.
These vacancies come about for several reasons. first, Dr. Ingham is retiring at the end of the year. While this has been expected for some time, we also were surprised to learn that Dr. Rudmin will retire at the end of the year. In addition, Alexandra Landsman, hired in 2007, decided to leave in 2008 and we are now searching to fill her position.
In the spring of of 2009, Dr. Mark Mattson became full-time in the department to help us deal with the initiation of the engineering program and there is now a search in progress for a new person (non-tenure-track) to be half-time physics/half-time learning center to man that position.
Lots of changes and lots of excitement as the department continues to move forward and grow.
One of the items that occupied our time in the fall was the completion of a strategic plan for the department. This is our "five year plan" and a big deal for helping us move forward in a productive way in these tight budgetary times.
Once again, Dr. Staib is the point man for our student recruiting. Latest word is that there are 75 or more applications for the coming fall. We expect to pass 100 as we have in recent years. There is a good number of these candidates that are truly outstanding and we are aiming go get as many as possible of these to join us in the fall.
We have several irons in the fire, and as the semester unfolds, more information will be forthcoming. Stay tuned.
