Phillips to serve as dean of Agriculture,
Engineering, and Sciences & Math

May 25, 2005 -- More opportunities to promote beneficial interaction between academic programs is one of the main advantages of a new administrative appointment at Arkansas State University.

Dr. Greg Phillips will assume responsibilities as dean of three academic colleges at ASU on July 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year.

Phillips, who has served as dean of the College of Agriculture at ASU since 2003, also will assume duties as dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, and dean of the College of Engineering.

The three colleges will maintain their separate identities and continue to pursue their individual missions, but also will engage in more cooperative activities between departments.

"I am honored to be selected to serve as the Dean for the Colleges of Agriculture, Engineering, and Sciences and Mathematics," Phillips said.  "This is an exciting challenge for me personally as well as for the campus as a whole."

Dr. Susan Davis Allen, vice chancellor for Research and Academic Affairs, made the announcement.

"We are excited about the possibilities of expanding interdisciplinary research and teaching under the new college structure," she said.  "Three colleges with one dean is an innovative administrative structure that will enhance our growing interdisciplinary research and teaching efforts, including interfaces with the Arkansas Biosciences Institute, while maintaining the history and character of each college."

She explained that the idea of three colleges with one dean came out of a series of discussions with faculty groups about prospective interim dean candidates in the College of Sciences and Math.

"The more we talked about it with various groups, the more advantages and possibilities faculty brought forth.  A common comment was 'the more I thought about it, the better I liked it.' "

She also believes that more benefits for students are yet to come.

"What may be more important in the long run are the discussions about potential interdisciplinary classes and advising that have already begun."

While saving money is not the primary motive, the new administrative structure will cost less than appointing two additional full-time deans. Instead, Allen said an associate dean will be appointed from within the faculty of each of the three colleges.

Dr. Bill Humphrey, professor of animal science in the College of Agriculture, who also serves as president of the Faculty Association, expressed his support for the move.

"We need to position ourselves to meet the demands of students and granting agencies 10 years from now. Hopefully, this will encourage more interdisciplinary cooperation both in teaching and in the research arena," he said. "In the early spring when this idea first came up I think most faculty were against it; however, following a lot of meetings and discussion I think the majority of the faculty see some positive aspects and are willing to try to make this work. It is important to remember that the basic college structure is being maintained and the colleges are not losing their identity. A University is a place of ideas.  When changes are made based on these ideas we hope to see positive benefits. There will be growing pains, but hopefully they will work out and we will look back a few years from now and be able to say we made the right decision."

The dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, Dr. Hector Flores, announced in February that he would be leaving ASU to accept a similar position at Texas State University.  The interim dean of the College of Engineering, Dr. Rick Clifft, has been serving in that capacity since the death of Dr. Al Mink.

"One of the main advantages of this three-college structure is the opportunity to build new interdisciplinary programs utilizing the intellectual resources of the three colleges," Phillips said.  "Another opportunity will be capitalizing on the strengths of each college to help improve the other colleges."

For example, he said Engineering has a strong assessment program; Sciences and Mathematics has strong research and graduate education programs; and Agriculture has strong undergraduate instruction and service programs.

"By sharing the expertise of each college in these areas of strength, all three colleges should become stronger in all of these areas," Phillips added.

He also acknowledged that each college has unique missions and disciplines, so an associate dean in each respective college will help provide leadership.

"This will ensure that we focus on the priorities of each college as we grow.  We anticipate that our alumni and constituencies for each college will continue to enjoy specialized attention and programming," Phillips continued.

Another aspect to consider is the critical role the university plays in regional economic development.

"The university is responsible for developing a well-trained workforce, and research at the university can be the source of innovations to support new knowledge-based industries," Phillips continued.  "I look forward to working with the faculty in these three colleges, in collaboration with ABI and other campus units, to nurture economic development and community development to the benefit of Arkansans."

Phillips said that meeting with business leaders and other clientele around the state and region will continue to be an important part of his work.  This helps him to understand the needs of the workforce and industry environments, and to respond with needed programming.

During the past few years, ASU has moved toward developing programs that have an interdisciplinary approach.  One of the first examples was the doctoral program in environmental sciences, through which faculty in the natural and physical sciences often work closely with agriculture faculty.

More recently, the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved a doctor of philosophy in molecular biosciences degree program for ASU.  If approved by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), it will be ASU’s fourth doctoral degree.

 This interdisciplinary doctoral program will involve several departments across campus (chemistry, agriculture, biology and others), using modern disciplines in applied science and research. Much of the research will be focused on plant biotechnology, particularly researching plants for health benefits.

Another example is the new bachelor's degree program in forensic science, which involves faculty from the Colleges of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Sciences and Mathematics.  This interdisciplinary program was approved by the ASU Board of Trustees, and has been submitted for approval by the state Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Phillips holds a doctorate in philosophy in crop science with a major in plant genetics and breeding and a minor in plant physiology from the University of Kentucky. He also completed his undergraduate studies with honors from the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Phillips came to ASU with more than 20 years experience at New Mexico State University at Las Cruces, where he served as professor of agronomy and horticulture, and was the director of the interdisciplinary Molecular Biology Program.

The author of numerous academic journal articles, he has edited more than 30 chapters in academic books and co-edited a laboratory manual book.  He has written 85 other types of publications, including magazine articles and abstracts.

He is the editor-in-chief of the journal “In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology-Plant,” and also serves as the editor of the journal “Plant Cell Report” and two other publications.

During his career, Phillips has secured approximately $6 million in research funding through national, international and regionally competitive grants.

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