Message from the Dean

MESSAGE FROM THE College Dean

As we start another fall semester, there are many things to celebrate at Tarleton State

University. We start the new academic year with a new academic structure involving several significant changes. The College of Science and Technology has officially split to form the College of Science and Mathematics and the Mayfield College of Engineering. This has been in the works for many years and demonstrates the growth and success of the engineering programs due to the dedication and hard work of the entire COST team, especially the faculty and staff in the new Mayfield College of Engineering. Tarleton has also welcomed a new Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs – Dr. Diane Stearns. As the Chief Academic Officer, her experience and leadership will be critical in helping us meet the ambitious goals outlined in the Tarleton Forward strategic plan.

The College of Science and Mathematics (COSM) has two new degree programs starting this fall – B.S. Biotechnology and B.S. Statistics. These are two of six new degrees launched at Tarleton this academic year. COSM continues to grow in enrollment as well as faculty. We added a number of new faculty across the college to help us continue to provide high quality education experiences to our majors as majors across the campus. In collaboration with the Mayfield College of Engineering, we held our 2nd STEM Basecamp for incoming freshman students in STEM. This year’s program had 46 student participants who engaged in the 5-day experience to provide them a smooth transition to Tarleton and enhanced knowledge for academic success. There were more than 20 faculty and staff from the two colleges involved in the program to help make it a huge success.

In May, COSM hosted a second grant writing workshop (a writing retreat) where nine teams of faculty worked on grant proposals. COSM faculty have submitted 20 grant proposals so far this year requesting more than $2.3 million in funding, with a few additional proposals expected as we close out the fiscal year. Overall, 16 COSM faculty have been involved in the submission of grants proposals this year as either the primary investigator (PI) or coprimary investigators (coPI). It’s great to see our team work to help Tarleton expand its research efforts!!

The College of Science and Mathematics has launched a new website - https://web.tarleton.edu/cosm. Tarleton is in the final stages of transition to a new website management system that allows us greater flexibility on the website design and content, but also provides the site visitors a better experience. We’re excited about the new page and the enhanced ability it will provide us as a modern communication tool for a variety of important audiences.

Sincerely,