Being Research Active in Teaching-Focused Colleges

• Activity Number: 574 - Being Research Active in Teaching-Focused Colleges
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 2, 2017 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistical Education
• Author(s): Ming-Wen An* and Paul Roback* and Amy Wagaman* and Steve Wang* and Gideon Zamba*
• Companies: Vassar College and St. Olaf College and Amherst College and Swarthmore College and University of Iowa
• Keywords: undergraduate research ; teaching ; collaboration

Abstract

There is a myth that becoming a faculty member in a teaching-focused college means giving up a research life. Consequently, some well-qualified statisticians with a passion for both teaching and research may overlook these types of faculty positions, leading to a scenario of limited supply. Furthermore, if statisticians in these colleges tend to not continue their research programs, then student learning and local institutional opportunities for research may be impacted. This is a timely problem as we are currently in an era where statistics programs are growing at teaching-focused colleges and the demand for statisticians in such institutions is high. In reality, through collaborations with larger institutions and targeted funding mechanisms, it is possible to maintain an active research life in teaching-focused colleges.

The panel will include 4 faculty members from small liberal arts colleges and 1 faculty member from a larger institution who takes undergraduate training seriously and who may be willing to assist faculty in small liberal arts colleges.