So You Have an Interdisciplinary Center, What's Next?
Monday, April 13, 3:00-5:00 pm
Mississippi Room, Coffman Memorial Union

The University of Minnesota is home to dozens of interdisciplinary centers and institutes that bring together faculty, postdoctoral scholars and students to explore complex problems with strategies from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.  While they provide unique and valuable opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, sustaining centers and institutes often presents unique strategic issues.  In this workshop, participants explored specific ways to address the issue of maintaining the vitality of established interdisciplinary centers and institutes over their life span.

The following University faculty shared with workshop participants the insights and lessons they have learned through their experience directing interdisciplinary centers:  

• Mary Jo Kane, Director, Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport; Dorothy McNeill and Elbridge Ashcraft Tucker Chair for Women in Exercise Science and Sport (http://cehd.umn.edu/tuckercenter/default.asp). 

• Steven Ruggles, Director, Minnesota Population Center, Regents Professor of History, Distinguished McKnight Professor (http://www.pop.umn.edu/).

• Deborah Swackhamer, Co-Director of the Water Resources Center; Professor of Environmental Chemistry, Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health (http://wrc.umn.edu/).

 Issues addressed included:  

• What role does a sense of purpose play in a center’s or institute’s work?
• How do you maintain a high level of interest, engagement and vitality within a center’s intellectual community?
• How do you secure sustained funding for your center or institute?
• What are the issues related to sustainability from the administrative, educational, and research sides of centers and institutes?
• How do you recruit and effectively use an advisory board throughout the various life stages of a center?
• How do you know when it’s time to sunset a center or institute?  How can this be done gracefully?

Sponsored by the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, the Graduate School Office of Interdisciplinary Initiatives and the Office of the Vice President for Research.

View Video of the Workshop

Resource Documents

Agenda

Panelists Bio Sketches

Center Descriptions

Tucker Center Powerpoint Presentation

Minnesota Population Center Powerpoint Presentation

Water Resource Center Powerpoint Presentation

Leadership and Governance of Interdisciplinary Centers and Institutes

Strategic Questions

Snow Card Guidelines

4-13-09 Snow Card Session Results; Questions 1-8

Resources

Past Workshops