By Erwin Boschmann
The chair of any department ought to be smart (of course), teach, do research, be well published, well connected, and easily work with others. But a good chair goes beyond these expectations: a good chair puts the department above him/her self and places the department on a pedestal for all to see.
Such is the case when Partha Basu promotes the accomplishments of the IUPUI Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
In an article entitled Expanding Opportunities to Create Careers in Chemistry, ACS writer Mike May, said the department’s focus is “on giving students the strongest possible knowledge in chemistry.” He quoted Basu, that “we have a very strong undergraduate research program …so our faculty are committed in training undergraduates.” IUPUI was recently selected to institute a Beckman Scholar Program.
Basu also underscored the experiences of recent faculty hires Ian Webb and Yongming Deng. Webb has emphasized the need to network with colleagues and to seek strong mentoring, whereas Deng pointed out the importance of being “active and positive, reach out to students, and seek advice from other faculty and the chair.”
School of Science Dean John F. DiTusa found the article to be “wonderful.”