Strategic plan (2021-2026)

OUR VISION: The Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR) will be a world leader in natural resources sciences and stewardship, as evidenced by excellence in:

• Educating and training undergraduate and graduate students to the highest standards
• Conducting leading research that advances science and helps solve problems of regional, national and global significance
• Engaging and educating stakeholders through Extension programs and outreach efforts
• Integrating teaching, research and Extension missions
• Creating a culture that supports and respects all people

OUR MISSION: The Department of Forestry and Natural Resources will partner with federal, state and private organizations to develop and disseminate knowledge in natural resources sciences associated with the protection, management and sustainable use of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems; the fish, wildlife, water and timber resources they produce; and the ecological, recreational, aesthetic, social and cultural benefits they provide.

The Department of Forestry and Natural Resources is led by its core values and culture. This includes the following commitments and aspirations: 

• Our values and culture guide all of our interactions, at home and around the world.
• We create an environment that nurtures the academic and professional career development of all faculty, staff and students.
• We expect our work to be done ethically, honestly and with integrity.
• We design our work to benefit the environment, education and society
• We promote mutual respect for all in all that we do.

Our Goals:

1. TEACHING AND LEARNING
OBJECTIVE: Ensure that Purdue is globally recognized as a preferred source of natural resources graduates who are well prepared to lead, rise to challenges and make a positive impact throughout their career.

INITIATIVES

• Increase recruitment and retention of well-qualified students.
• Emphasize development, recognition and support of faculty and staff in teaching and learning as it relates to the student experience.
• Prioritize efforts for global impacts by proactively and strategically deepening collaborations with existing partners and establishing new partnerships.
• Develop, promote and support a culture of continuous innovation to ensure that course content and teaching techniques reflect state-of-the-art knowledge and practices.
• Involve undergraduate students in research and Extension throughout their academic program.
• Facilitate opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral associates to gain experience in all departmental mission areas. Ensure that graduate students are prepared for a wide array of career paths both within and beyond the university.

2. RESEARCH
OBJECTIVE: Create and support a community of engaged, productive and collaborative scholars who are world leaders in their respective disciplines, advance the frontiers of natural resources sciences and address society’s most pressing challenges and opportunities through creative and high-impact disciplinary, cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary research.

INITIATIVES

• Elevate basic and applied research to address global challenges and leverage strategic alliances with key stakeholders.
• Enhance research capacity by building and improving infrastructure to foster cutting-edge research in collaborative spaces that facilitate interactions within and among disciplines.
• Invest in the future of natural resources sciences through holistic undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral education and training programs that prepare trainees to become successful leaders.

3. ENGAGEMENT
OBJECTIVE: Be recognized as the premier institution engaging stakeholders in Indiana and beyond by identifying and addressing priority issues to enhance their quality of life and the environment through research-based education in natural resources.

INITIATIVES

• Create innovative, multi-disciplinary, inclusive and impactful educational programming to address contemporary natural resources and associated social and economic issues relevant to Indiana and beyond.
• Enhance existing multi-partner and multi-state collaborations, while exploring novel partnerships that promote collaboration among common missions and increase program reach and impact.
• Develop new signature programs that capture departmental Extension and engagement efforts and link to initiatives within the College of Agriculture.
• Enhance Extension efforts within the department

To elevate the profile of FNR, we intend to increase: 

TEACHING AND LEARNING
1. RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

• Wright graduate assistantships
• Undergraduate-relevant career experiences
• Graduate and undergraduate students
• Students graduating on time

2. FACULTY AND STAFF

• Faculty and staff nominated for teaching awards annually
• Mandatory faculty training
• Quantity and quality of scholarly teaching publications

3. GLOBAL IMPACT

• Graduate student theses done abroad and the number of countries represented
• International graduate students that apply to FNR and conduct research in their home countries
• Graduate and undergraduate study abroad participation and opportunities
• Co-op classes for all majors
• Formal partnerships with global organizations offering experiential learning experiences, e.g., Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS)

4. COURSE CONTENT AND TEACHING TECHNIQUES

• Year-round faculty/staff involved in teaching courses or units
• Incentives for training that leads to innovative teaching techniques to create online, hybrid and/or flipped classrooms

5. UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION

• Students participating in College of Agriculture Transformational Experiences
• Investment of resources to support student involvement in research and extension

6. GRADUATE STUDENT AND POSTDOC EXPERIENCE AND CAREER PATHWAY

• Participation in poster competitions
• Extension documents published
• Student and postdoc representation on departmental committees

RESEARCH
1. PUBLICATIONS

• Quantity of research publications per FTE
• Mean quality of research publications as measured by journal impact factor or related bibliographic measures

2. TRAINEES AND VISITORS

• Quantity of graduate students, postdoctoral associates, visiting scientists and sabbatical visitors
• Quality of graduate students, postdoctoral associates, visiting scientists and sabbatical visitors

3. GRANTS AND CONTRACTS

• The mean number of annual research awards per FTE
• The mean size of annual research awards per FTE

4. STAFFING

• Faculty research FTEs
• Staff research FTEs

5. EDITORIAL BOARDS AND REVIEW PANELS

• Representation on prominent journal editorial boards and grant review panels

6. NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES

• Mean annual number of research awards per FTE
• Presentations at national and international conferences

7. STAKEHOLDER CONNECTIONS

• Connections and involvement with state, regional and federal stakeholders

ENGAGEMENT

1. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING

• Programs incorporating application of current science
• Programs directed at natural resource professional development

2. COLLABORATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS

• On-campus, state and multi-state collaborations and partnerships
• Collaborative grant funds

3. NEW SIGNATURE PROGRAMS

• ANR signature programs involving FNR faculty and staff
• FNR faculty and staff participating in ANR signature programs
• Extension educators implementing FNR signature programs

4. STAFFING

• Faculty and staff nominated for extension awards annually
• Extension faculty FTEs
• Faculty who receive extension summer salary
• Extension products and scholarship of extension produced by extension faculty