What do you get when you cross a philosophy professor and a biology course? The creation of new areas of study that unite multiple disciplines within the University.
At a recent Faculty Senate meeting, Senate members discussed the evolution of interdisciplinary collaboration at the University.
"It is an opportunity for learning, research and networking," Faculty Senate Chair Marcia Childress said.
The concept of interdisciplinary studies centers on providing students and faculty with the freedom to study a plethora of disciplines.
"We can work with people in other areas and see our area in a new way, which can lead to enrichment and enlightenment," Childress said.
J. Milton Adams, University vice provost for academic programs, said interdisciplinary collaboration is important to the University because intellectual growth in a field requires new academic program structures.
"Part of the evolution of knowledge has to do with new programs that do not fit within the old classification system," Adams said.
One avenue for bringing faculty members from different academic disciplines together is through the creation of a course, Childress said. Faculty members are challenged when they work together to create a course that pools resources from different disciplines.
"The richness of the common courses allows people who are very well grounded to work together to teach a course that is interesting to faculty and students," Childress said. "It fuels a stimulating environment."
Students, like faculty, benefit from the flexibility of interdisciplinary studies, Adams said. Opportunities for interesting research work and other academic pursuits are more exciting for students, he added, but it can pose differing opinions about how students are taught.
"For students doing interdisciplinary work, it is a different way of learning," Adams said. "It might be a heck of a lot more interesting to jump into research and the most interesting way to get ahead even if the student does not have all the background."
Childress said while interdisciplinary studies offers many advantages, it complicates the promotion and tenure process. A faculty member's work across disciplines presents a challenge when departments need to classify the work under a specific field.
Faculty members are concerned about the methods used to categorize their work, Adams said.
"Faculty members who are working on something outside of their department want to feel comfortable that their scholarship will be evaluated fairly," he said.
The virtues of interdisciplinary collaborations are evident in faculty mentoring relationships because a junior faculty member can have a mentor in another school, Childress said.
"It helps build a network," Childress said.
Childress said while interdisciplinary work enhances academia, it is important for faculty members to draw from a specific academic base.
"You lose something if you do not have foundation in a particular field," Childress said.
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