USU Fisheries Program Listed Among Top Three in Nation
An emerging standard for measuring graduate school faculty members’ productivity in U.S. universities ranks Utah State University’s doctoral program in fisheries science and management number three in the nation.
USU tied with the University of Montana at Missoula for the third place position behind number one University of Washington and number two-ranked University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in the 2005 Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index.
Utah State’s doctoral program in fisheries science is administered by the Department of Watershed Sciences in the university’s College of Natural Resources.
“Our faculty have been extremely productive at competing for research funding,” says Chris Luecke, Watershed Sciences department head and professor of fish management. “This funding allows us to attract outstanding graduate students and enables us to work collaboratively with some of the best aquatic research groups in the world. Our faculty and students publish results of their research in top academic journals.”
In addition to Luecke, Watershed Sciences faculty members are Matthew Baker, riparian ecology and GIS; Nicolaas Bouwes, fisheries; Phaedra Budy, fish ecology; Todd Crowl, aquatic ecology; Rob Gillies, climatology; Chuck Hawkins, stream ecology; Tamao Kasahara, hydrology and groundwater; Nancy Mesner, water quality; Brett Roper, fish management; Jack Schmidt, river geomorphology; Helga Van Miegroet, soil chemistry; Mark Vinson, aquatic invertebrates; Mike White, climatology and Wayne Wurtsbaugh, lake ecology.
The 2005 FSP Index, released in January 2007 and based on data from 2005, rates faculty members’ scholarly output including the number of books and journal articles published and awards received. The inaugural FSP index, based on 2004 data, was released in December 2005.
The FSP Index is a relative newcomer to academic ranking standards. The National Research Council releases rankings of doctoral programs every ten years. U.S. News & World Report has published annual “best college” lists since 1983.
Developed by Academic Analytics, a company established in 2005 and partially owned by the State University of New York at Stony Brook, the FSP Index ranks 7,294 individual doctoral programs in 104 disciplines at 354 institutions. The institutions are categorized as large research universities – those with 15 or more doctoral programs – and small research universities. USU falls in the large research university category.
Related Links:
- USU Department of Watershed Sciences
- USU College of Natural Resources
- “A New Standard for Measuring Doctoral Programs,” by Piper Fogg, The Chronicle of Higher Education, January 12, 2007.
Contacts: Chris Luecke [luecke@cc.usu.edu] (USU), 435-797-2463; Steven Shapiro (FSP Index) 303-886-6342
Writer: Mary-Ann Muffoletto [maryann.muffoletto@usu.edu]; 435-797-1429
The Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index ranked USU's doctoral program in fisheries science and management number three in the nation.
Watershed Sciences Department Head Chris Luecke, second from right, discusses salmon spawning with students.
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