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A Study of Graduate Program in Biology at the University of Richmond
by WARWICK R. WEST, JR. and WILLIAMS. WOOLCOTT
THE University of Richmond is a private institution of medium size located in Richmond, Virginia, with the primary purpose of providing undergraduate training in the liberal arts. Since 1920 the graduate program has provided training for a large number of students in several departments. In the training of graduate students in biology the contributions made by large graduate schools are obvious; however, those of biology departments in the small and intermediate-sized liberal arts colleges are often overlooked. To this date there has not been a serious evaluation of the graduate program at the University of Richmond. It is the objective of this paper to show how the program at Richmond contributes to the graduate study of biology; to the training of graduate students; and how it contributes to the over-all program of the University.
Data used in this study were collected from permanent record files of students who received Master's Degrees between 1940 and 1962 from the University of Richmond. Additional information came from questionnaires that were returned by these same graduates. Response was exceptionally good as approximately 75% were returned and many of these contained unsolicited comments that were of special interest to this study.
In order to maintain the proper perspective it should be kept in mind that the organization of the Department of Biology is primarily for the training of undergraduate students and that the graduate program is relegated to a secondary role. During the period represented in this study the staff has grown from three to seven full time teachers, each of whom carries three four-credit hour classes of teaching responsibility ( eighteen contact hours). The participation of all the staff members in a senior-graduate student seminar each week increases the contact load to nineteen hours. Research courses and thesis direction for graduate students involves from three to ten additional hours a week on the part of the faculty members involved. At present all full-time members of the staff hold the Ph.D. Degree, are graduates of six different
* Reprinted from the Bulletin of the Society of Southeastern Biologists. The study was made on a Faculty Research Grant of the University of Richmond where the authors are associate professors. graduate schools, and represent seven different areas of interest.
Further, it should be considered that the academic average of many of the graduate students would not have allowed them to qualify for financial support in larger institutions, or their undergraduate program was inadequate to qualify them for more specialized work. In some cases the general immaturity of the students directed them to a smaller institution. Many of the better students have been those who came back into fundamental biology after being exposed to a period of training in medical school.
It should be mentioned that the University does offer financial assistance, but it is not competitive with the support offered by larger institutions. For example, many fellowships are not large enough to cover tuition charges, and the largest has never exceeded $1,200.00. Students who do not qualify for fellowships are able to defray some of their costs by working on an hourly basis in the Biology Department.
The Master's Degree in Biology has been awarded to thirty-four people during the period covered by this study. Half of these obtained their undergraduate degrees at the University of Richmond, while the remainder were graduates of ten other institutions (Table 1). The basic policy for admission at present is determined by a majority vote of the staff, while in the past the selection was primarily the responsibility of the departmental chairman. Criteria for admission are flexible but are essentially based on the student meeting the requirements for an undergraduate major in the Biology Department and with some good evidence of potential as a graduate student. Quite often personal recommendations have been of major importance in the acceptance of students for graduate study. Although the overall academic average is given consideration, more significance is attached to grades in biology and to the senior average. The overall grade range of accepted applicants has been from C- to B+ with the average c+. The last year average is B- with the range from a very low D+ to A. In biology the range was from C- to A- with the average B- (Table 2). Selection of students as degree candidates is not made until after they have completed one or not more than two successful semesters of graduate work. The usual time required for the completion of the degree is four semesters with the ( 12]
Table 1. Institutions that have contributed to the education of University of Richmond master's graduates in biology (1940-1962) with the number of individuals indicated after the name of the institution
UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOL
Bridgewater College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Georgetown University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Juniata College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Maryville College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Randolph-Macon College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 University of Richmond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Roanoke College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 University of Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Wake Forest College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Washington and Lee University . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 College of William and Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
GRADUATE SCHOOL Cornell University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Duke University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 University of Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Florida State University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Harvard University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 University of Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 University of Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 University of Mexico* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 University of Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 New York University* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 University of North Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 University of Pennsylvania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Purdue University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 University of Tennessee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Medical College of Virginia* . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 University of Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Vanderbilt University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Virginia Polytechnic Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
* Medicine. accumulation of a mm1mum of thirty-two semester hours of graduate biology, including the preparation and defense of a thesis.
As stated above, the areas of subject interest of the faculty are varied and this has allowed the research of the graduate students to be directed into a variety of fields. Although each research problem has been unique, by lumping them into general categories there are nine areas represented with physiology and ecology leading the list (Table 3). The influence of the training received at Richmond has carried over into the post-master's work of the Richmond graduates. This is especially evident since 1952, as thirteen of sixteen students who have sought advanced degrees continued in fundamental biology, while prior to that date most who obtained advanced degrees did so in the field of medicine (Table 4). Students who have entered the area of medicine trained at only four schools while those entering basic biology have attended fourteen different institutions (Table 1). Admission to these schools has been in-
fluenced by the improvement of academic performance while at Richmond (Table 2).
A summary of the present professional status of the Richmond graduates shows that eleven are practicing medicine, three are in biological research, six are teaching biology, two are in biological administrative work, one is a missionary, eight are students working toward the Ph.D. degree, and one is seeking the D.M .V. degree. Only one is unaccounted for in this survey as his present status could not be determined.
Table 2. Academic record for students taking masters program in biology at the University of Richmond ( 1940-1962). Based on 4.0 system
UNDERGRADUATE POINT GRADUATE POINT AVERAGE AVERAGE
Over-all Last Year Biology Biology Low 1.64 High 3.10 Average 2.30 1.22 4.00 2.62
1.57 3.55 2.81 2.00 4.00 3.58
Twelve of these Richmond graduates have contributed over 125 scientific publications, many of which are significant in their field. In some instances the publications were direct outgrowths of research done while at Richmond.
Obviously the master's graduates have benefited professionally by their experience at Richmond, and in their own words have expressed various items of evaluation of their training with most of their comments favorable. Special mention of the following points was made with the frequency indicated by percentages: personal attention (74%); breadth of background (52%); application of biology to living ( 40%) ; training more than adequate (32%); and
Table 3. Number of Richmond graduates ( 19401962) in the various subject areas of biology at the master's and post-master's levels
SUBJECT AREA MASTER 'S POST-MASTER'S
Bacteriology Cytology Ecology Histology Morphology Parasitology Physiology Protozoology Taxonomy Medicine 2 2 1
7 4 2 6 1 6 3
7 6 1 2 3 12
Table 4. A comparison of the professional direction of students who received Master's Degrees in Biology from Richmond before and after 1953
UNDATES MEDICINE PH.D. TERMINAL KNOWN
1940-1952 9(69%) 4(31%) 2 1953-1962 3(19%) 13(81%) 2
freedom of investigation (32%). In addition, several were impressed by the ability of the staff to motivate. Not all comments were favorable as some criticized the inability of the University to offer more financial assistance and several felt handicapped that the curriculum at Richmond did not include courses in the areas of biophysics, biochemistry and molecular biology. A graduate program in biology of such small magnitude as that at Richmond would not be worth the effort were it not for the impact it has on other areas of the school. The first and most important area influenced by the graduate program is in the training of undergradutes, as the level of performance and leadership of graduate students in classes stimulates the undergraduates to improve the quality of their work. This same influence can be seen in the presentation of papers in the senior-graduate seminar, in undergraduate research and in the use of the library. Undergraduates have an opportunity to develop a realistic concept of graduate study through their contact with graduate students, and many are influenced through this association to enter graduate work. Last but not least of the influences of the graduate student on the undergraduate student is the personal contact that allows for scholarly exchange and enables the Richmond undergraduate to compare his training with that of other schools.
The interest of the faculty in the role of the graduate program in biology is evidenced by the undertaking of this study; for, to put it bluntly, the graduate program is their main outlet for creative research. This contact with research not only helps to keep the faculty abreast of the literature in their own fields but also makes them aware of progress in other areas. The heavy teaching load and numerous extracurricular responsibilities so limit the research time that independent work of any significance cannot be carried on during the regular school year. However, through close supervision by the staff the graduate students profit as their master's research is usually far more extensive than that required by larger institutions. More up-todate equipment and better library facilities are maintained for faculty use because of the special needs of the graduate research programs. The mechanics of running the department are facilitated by the graduates, thus freeing the staff of some of their many menial tasks. This figures prominently in enabling the staff to plan and present up to date material in their classes. Even after these graduates leave Richmond, they serve as a means of communication between Richmond and the schools that they attend for further study. This program is a source of professional pride for the biology staff at Richmond and is one avenue through which the rewards of teaching are directly felt.
It can be concluded that a graduate program not only adds prestige, it is essential to a modern university of any size. Without it qualified faculty members are difficult to attract and retain. This is especially true of the younger people in science who have studied in the more research-oriented institutions. Therefore, if the smaller schools are to compete for capable faculty and offer realistic programs in biology, certain requirements have to .be met. These include an adequate fellowship program, more funds for up-to-date equipment and library, more support of faculty research, smaller teaching loads, and more space for research. ( 13]
(Continued from page 3) Dave Satterfield, Jr., was training to represent the YMCA in the race and suggested that Gary talk to him.
Satterfield, approached by Gary to enroll at the University, said he didn't have the money. Gary mentioned the possibility of a scholarship and Satterfield said he would certainly like to attend college.
Gary, who was already in school on a scholarship, talked with Dr. Frederic W. Boatwright, '88, the president of the college at the time. He said he knew the school had no athletic scholarships but that Dave Satterfield was a Baptist, a good student, in need and "just the type of man a scholarship is made for." "Besides," said Vaughan, "we need him in the marathon race." "Send him out," said Dr. Boatwright, who promised to offer a scholarship.
The marathon race was won by a "ringer" from Baltimore who was subsequently disqualified but the road to Congress for University of Richmond men was paved in the process and the value of a scholarship program was clearly illustrated.
Now it's Dave Satterfield, III, in the Hall of the House of Representatives and Richmond men who know him know that the office is in good hands.
Before enrolling at the University of Richmond, Representative Satterfield prepared in Richmond's public schools and at St. Christopher's. He was an assistant United States Attorney before his election to City Council and he has been active in civic affairs and charitable activities. He is a former president and director of the Richmond Area Heart Association and a former counsel and director of the Boy's Club of Richmond.
With his charming wife, Anne, he makes his home at 304 Albemarle Avenue in Richmond. Their youngest son, John, is a freshman at Thomas Jefferson High School while David lives on the University of Richmond campus as his father did some 25 years ago.
When in Washington alumni are invited to drop in on Dave in Room 337 of the Cannon House Office Building or in the House of Representatives itself. It won't be Thomas Hall, but there will still be a touch of the University of Richmond there from the Third District of Virginia.
