AGENDA ITEM VIII-I (3)
Consideration of adopting the Committee’s recommendation to the Board relating to a request
from The University of Texas at El Paso for a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree with a major in
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
RECOMMENDATION:
Approval and authorization to implement a Ph.D. in Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology. Recommend approval with the understanding
that following implementation of the program the institution will submit
five annual reports confirming the presence of faculty and other resources
consistent with institutional commitments. The reports will also provide
an assessment of student progress.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) proposes a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology (EEB). The proposed program would focus on the scientific study of the relationships
and interactions across levels of biological organization, with several research disciplines
coalescing into the emerging field of ecology and evolutionary biology. The program would
provide doctoral students with high-level training in molecular evolutionary biology and
phylogenetics and prepare them to conduct research in ecology and environmental biology with
a regional emphasis at the UTEP-sponsored Indio Mountains Research Station, Rio Bosque
Wetlands Park, Herpetological Collection, Herbarium Laboratory, Greenbaum Laboratory
(evolutionary genetics), Laboratory for Environmental Biology, and the campus Bioscience
Research Building laboratories. Through focusing on ecology of the Northern Chihuahuan
Desert and IPY-ROAM projects in the Antarctic, UTEP’s proposed program would create a
specialized academic niche within the extreme climates research field. Students in the
proposed program would have opportunities to participate in interdisciplinary research
conducted by faculty in the existing Ph.D. in Pathobiology and at the Border Biomedical
Research Center. Additionally, the proposed program would provide the Department of
Homeland Security and other federal agencies in the region with additional doctorally trained
research experts to expand examination of the ecological impact of military training on desert
regions.
As part of the approval consideration process, a site visit to UTEP was conducted on
October 13, 2010, with three out-of-state consultants: Dr. Daniel Blumstein, Professor of
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles; Dr. Nicholas Strausfeld, Professor of
Evolutionary Biology and Neuroscience at the University of Arizona; and Dr. Alan Prather,
Associate Professor of Plant Biology and Director of Graduate Studies at Michigan State
University.
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AGENDA ITEM VIII-I (3)
Page 2
NEED
Employment Opportunities
As the proposed UTEP Ph.D. program is in an emerging field,
the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2008 to
2018 Report provides workforce information relevant to
ecology and evolutionary biology under three areas:
Environmental Scientists including Health (27.86 percent
projected increase in employment); Biological Scientists, All
Other (18.76 percent increase in employment); and
Conservation Scientist (11.92 percent increase in employment).
The Texas Workforce Commission’s projections from 2008 to
2018 include a 23 percent increase in employment for
Environmental Scientists including Health with 395 jobs
openings each year; a 22 percent increase in employment for
Biological Scientists, All Other with 95 job openings each year;
and a 14 percent increase in employment for Conservation
Scientist with 15 job opening each year. Professional job
advertisements seem to support the workforce projections. In
May 2011, the Evolution Directory-EvoDIR, an evolutionary
biology web site job bank, lists more than 70 positions in
evolutionary biology; Nature.com lists 48 job openings this
year for ecology and evolutionary biology. As of May 2011,
USA Jobs, the official job site of the federal government, lists
more than 25 jobs nationwide for the keywords “ecology”,
“evolutionary”, and “biology”. As of May 2011, the Ecology
Society of America had 18 positions listed, the Society for
Developmental Biology listed 17 positions, and the American
Society for Cell Biology listed 46 positions. The types of
positions for graduates with the EEB Ph.D. include research
scientist, director, community project manager, ecologist, postdoctoral fellow, and university faculty.
Projected Enrollment
The program plans to admit 8 students in the first year,
increasing to 26 students by the fourth year and 28 students
by the fifth year. The degree is anticipated to take five years to
complete.
Plan to Recruit
Underrepresented Students
UTEP has a history of successfully recruiting and retaining
students from underrepresented groups, particularly Hispanics.
In 2009, 46 percent of the UTEP’s doctoral students were
Hispanic.
Existing State Programs
There are two comparable doctoral programs at public
institutions in Texas. The University of Texas Austin’s Ph.D. in
Ecology, Evolution and Behavior had 90 applicants in 2009 and
accepted 30 students. The University of Houston’s Ph.D. in
Biology with an Ecology and Evolution track had 13 applicants
in 2009 and accepted 4 students. Texas A&M University has
an Interdisciplinary Research Program in Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology that allows students from the 15 member
departments to work on research teams, but the institution
does not offer a full degree in this area.
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AGENDA ITEM VIII-I (3)
Page 3
Faculty
QUALITY AND RESOURCES
The core faculty members represent a wide range of specialties
that would meet the needs of the ecology and evolutionary
biology doctoral program including vertebrate zoology,
population biology, environmental biology, plant physiological
ecology, botany, zoology, biology, wildlife and fisheries
sciences, and ecology and evolutionary biology. The
Department of Biological Sciences developed a five-year
strategic plan in 2004 that included an agreement on
development of the curriculum in this field and prioritizing
faculty hiring to support the existing undergraduate core
curriculum and a possible Ph.D. program. The support faculty
members for the EEB program also have diverse specializations
in the field that include biochemistry, biophysics, immunology,
microbiology, biomedical science, botany, cell biology,
pharmacology and molecular and cell biology and would be
available to serve on dissertation committees.
A review of the faculty research activities over the last five
years shows that the eleven core faculty members average six
refereed publications per year, with additional articles and
other publications under review, and wrote seven book
chapters. Faculty members have a consistent record of grantfunded research projects individually and in partnership with
other institutions. Core faculty have obtained $8,563,653 in
external research funds over the last five years. Faculty
members have also directed an average of five graduate
student research projects and/or served on thesis/dissertation
committees during the last five years.
Other Personnel
A collections manager/curator would be hired in year two, and
a part-time grants and contracts specialists would be hired
during year one.
Facilities and Equipment
Sufficient office and lab space exists for the proposed EEB
program in UTEP’s recently constructed Bioscience Research
Building. In addition, UTEP has a number of existing facilities
that would be used including the Herbarium Laboratory,
Greenbaum Laboratory (evolutionary genetics), and the
Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Indio Mountains
Research Station, Rio Bosque Wetlands Park, Border
Biomedical Research Center, Regional Geospatial Service
Canter, and the Centennial Museum.
Library, Supplies, Materials
The UTEP library has a variety of resources in this field, and an
additional $24,869 has been allocated to strengthen library
resources.
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AGENDA ITEM VIII-I (3)
Page 4
Accreditation
Not Applicable. There are no accrediting agencies for ecology
and evolutionary biology programs.
NEW FIVE-YEAR COSTS
Personnel
Faculty
Program
Administration
Facilities and Equipment
Library
Supplies, and Materials
$625,188
$278,548
$1,007,600
$24,869
$25,000
Other Expenditures
Faculty Start-up
Graduate Assistants
Est. 5-Year Costs
$300,000
$603,462
$2,864,667
SOURCES OF FUNDING
Anticipated New Formula Funding*
$1,902,723
Reallocation of Existing Resources
$637,378
Federal Funding1
$637,279
Other Funding2
$275,768
Est. 5-Year Revenues
$3,453,148
The Chief Executive Officer of the institution has certified, and staff has determined,
that the institution will have funds sufficient to support the proposed program.
Estimated formula funding generated by the institution in years two through five of the proposed
program would total $1,902,723 based on these figures: 13 students in year two; 19 students in year
three; 26 students in year four and 28 students in year five taking 21 SCH/year at a formula rate of
$1,902,723. ($62.19 x weigh factor of 20.05).
*The anticipated level of formula funding in this analysis is a projection. It represents the ideal state
funding scenario derived using the current state funding amounts and the institution’s projected
enrollment for the program. Given the current budgetary situation, it is likely that the anticipated formula
funding level for this program will be lower than that which has been projected using the current state
funding.
1
2
Federal Funding (In-hand)
Designated and Board Authorized tuition
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