Mission
"We discover, develop, and disseminate knowledge in the biological sciences."
Vision
The Department of Biological Sciences will be a recognized regional, national, and international leader in research, and in undergraduate and graduate education in life sciences.
Guiding Principles
- The role of biological science is the discovery and integration of basic knowledge from multiple fields of study as they apply to living systems.
- Advances in basic and applied knowledge provide a nexus from which theory, technology, and policy arise.
- The Department of Biological Sciences is the hub of life science initiatives at Michigan Tech and beyond—advancing knowledge and developing solutions.
- Our reputation and central Lake Superior location positions us to be a leader in Great Lakes research.
- All students need a diverse educational experience through which they can develop an appreciation of the connectedness of life and the environment across all scales of organization—from molecules to ecosystems.
- The department is a leader in teaching biological literacy within the University, the surrounding citizenry, and the K–12 community.
- We value the direct and the intangible benefits that emerge from a diverse complement of research and teaching faculty.
Goals and Plans Over the Next Five Years
- We will maintain and enhance our reputation for providing excellence in undergraduate education in a broad range of biological disciplines.
- We will maintain and grow our high-quality research and graduate programs focused in ecology, evolution, and molecular biosciences.
- We will continue to develop our existing strengths in educating students in clinical lab sciences and preprofessional health sciences.
- We will foster interdisciplinary research and graduate training partnerships in human health related fields.
- We will be the interdisciplinary leader in biochemistry at Michigan Tech.
- We will grow our department to 21 tenure-track faculty, 400 undergraduate students and 40–50 graduate students.
- As we grow, we will preserve the synergy between research and professional development of graduate and undergraduate students within an interactive community of scholars.