University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

Fall Faculty Meeting

October 7, 2015

Fall 2015 Physics Faculty Meeting --- Agenda

1. Announcements: Dale Van Harlingen

(a) Secretary for the meeting: Anne Sickles

(b) Approval of the minutes of the Spring Faculty Meeting of February 17, 2015.

(c) New faculty and staff members

(d) Retiring and departing faculty and staff members

(e) Upcoming events

(f) Honors and awards

 

2. Report on the Cubs game in progress

3. Report of the Department Head: Dale Van Harlingen

(a) State of the Environment --- looking out

(b) State of the Department --- looking in

(c) Update on hiring

(d) Update on finances --- budget, new ICR policy, funding

(e) Update on policies

(f) Update on space

(g) Looking ahead --- Departmental Review November 1-3

 

4. Elections:

(a) Physics Advisory Committee = faculty advisory committee to the Head, the Capricious Grading Committee, and the Grievance Committee of the Department of Physics

(b) Physics Budget and Policy Committee = faculty advisory committee to the Head and the Director of Budget and Resource Planning on budget and infrastructure issues

5. Special reports:

(a) Diversity Committee --- Nadya Mason

(b)Undergraduate Research Readiness Index --- Celia Elliott and Rebecca Wiltfong

(c) Grant proposal and reporting developments --- Celia Elliott

(d) IT update --- Rebecca Wiltfong

6. Report on Graduate Programs --- Lance Cooper

(a)Graduate admissions, enrollment, and demographics

(b)Qualifying exam report

(c)Graduate College AIDE assessment of our grad program

(d)Graduate student placement

7. Report on Undergraduate Programs --- Mats Selen

(a)Undergraduate admissions, enrollment, & demographics

(b)Introductory courses

(c)Upper-division courses

(d)Miscellaneous issues

8. Discussion:

The future of the Department of Physics: How large do we want to be? How large can we be? What do we need to be able to grow and/or sustain our excellence in education and research? 

9. New Business

10. Adjournment

 

 

 

New faculty (arrived in 2015)

Vidya MadhavanJeff FilippiniVirginia Lorenz

Condensed MatterExperiment

CosmologyExperiment

AMO Experiment

Lucas Wagner

Condensed MatterComputation

(Research Assistant Professor)

Jaya Yodh

Biological PhysicsExperiment

(Research Assistant Professor)

Faculty Retirements and Departures

Laura GreeneUIUC faculty: 1992 - 2015

Condensed matter experiment

Swanlund Professor of PhysicsAssociate Director of EFRCAAAS, NASPresident-elect of APS

Taekjip HaUIUC faculty: 1996 - 2015

Biological Physics experiment

Gutgsell Professor of PhysicsHoward Hughes Medical InvestigatorDirector of CPLC, BQBAAAS, NAS

New staff this year

Dashawnique Long Undergraduate Office

Wendy Wimmer Graduate Office

Staff departures

Sandy Johnson Undergraduate Office to COE

Mel Schweighart Graduate Office retired

Ted Robb Condensed Matter Theory to UIUC Housing Office

Faculty-staff changes

Wed Aug 26 – Dec 9 Physics Colloquium, 4:00 – 5:00 pm141 LLP

Wed October 14 Fall Physics Reception, 7:00 – 9:30 pmAlice Campbell Alumni Center

Fri-Sat October 16-17 Symposium in Honor of Gordon Baym 151 LLP & 144 LLP

Fri October 23 Department deadline: Sabbatical Applications for AY 2016-17

Thurs/Fri October 29-30 Physics Advisory Board Meeting, Interaction room

Mon/Tue November 2-3 Physics Departmental Review, Interaction room

Wed December 16 Physics Holiday Luncheon, Interaction room

Faculty Recognition

Mark Neubauer 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics (sort of)

Faculty Recognition

Yann Chemla 2015 Donald Biggar Willett Faculty Scholar, College of Engineering

Taylor HughesFellows in the Center for Advanced Study (2015-16)

Shinsei Ryu

Philip Phillips Associate in the Center for Advanced Study (2015-16)

Alek AksimentievCollege of Engineering Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research

Shinsei Ryu

Tim Stelzer Rose Award from COE

Tony Leggett College of (Physics and) Engineering Hall-of-Fame

NATIONAL AWARDS

CAMPUS AWARDS

Mark Neubauer 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics (sort of)

Tai Chiang 2015 Davisson-Germer Prize, American Physical Society

Shinsei Ryu  2015 New Horizons in Physics Prize

Klaus Schulten 2015 Biophysical Society National Lecturer

Philip Phillips 2015 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship

Charles Gammie 2015 Simons Fellow in Theoretical Physics

Taylor Hughes 2015 Young Investigator, Office of Naval Research

Tom Kuhlman2015 Sloan Research Fellowships

Ryan Foley (Affiliate)

Greg MacDougall NSF CAREER Award

Shinsei Ryu Science News: “10 scientists who are making their mark”

Karin Dahmen APS Woman Physicist of the Month, September

Brian DeMarco Defense Science Study Group

Mats Selen 2015 TREE Award, Research Corporation

(Transformational Research and Excellence in Education)

The State of the Environment: looking outthe University of Illinois, the State of Illinois, the USA

Stormy WeatherStormy Weather

Don't know why

There's no sun up in the sky

Stormy weather

Since my Government and I ain't together

Keeps raining all of the time

The State of the Environment: looking outthe University of Illinois, the State of Illinois, the USA

Significant changes in State government --- new governor• resulted in a contentious gridlocked State government

• no University budget in sight• little appreciation of the value of UIUC

Tim Killeen Barb Wilson Ed Feser Bill Cubit

new President new Chancellor new Provost new Football Coach

• they are learning about campus and we are learning to work with them• some are interim --- searches underway• we need to show them who we are and the role that Physics Illinois plays on campus

Stormy WeatherStormy Weather

Significant pressure on resources: • resources shrinking, costs rising, demands on our time expanding • research funding is flat or declining or vanishing • we need to find ways to save ourselves – new initiatives, new resources, new partnerships

Significant changes in UI leadership:

The State of the Department of Physics: looking in

Enrollments are growing for Physics majors and UIUC students taking Physics

Our burst of hiring has energized the department

Our faculty continue to be productive and gain recognition

Our infrastructure investments have provided a nice working environment

Everything is awesome

Severe budget pressures --- may affecting hiring, research support, personnel

Federal funding pressures --- less operating costs, more students on TAs

Space squeeze

Time squeeze

Slowing of hiring

Hold on many initiativesChalle

nges

Posi

tives

Physics Faculty: size (1981-2018)

Target range

FT

E

Physics Faculty: % Women (1981-2018)

Physics Faculty Demographics --- Fall 2013

Smaller faculty = 55

Bimodal distribution

Few Assistant Professors = 5/55 = 9%

Above 60 = 21/55 = 38%

Physics Faculty Demographics --- Fall 2015

Larger faculty = 64

More uniform distribution

Many Assistant Professors = 15/64= 23%

Above 60 = 19/64 = 30%

Update on hiring

College of Engineering plan is ~30 faculty hires per year/offset by ~15 departures

TARGET = 400 faculty (now ~370)

2014-15: 18 carryover + 24 new = 42 slots → 47 offers → 28 hires (6 women, 4 URM)

2015-16: 21 carryover + 12 new = 33 slots

Physics: no new open rank searches approved (we requested 2)

•Condensed Matter experiment --- to offset departure of Laura Greene

•Biological Physics experiment --- to offset departure of Taekjip Ha

Physics: we are engaged with several people via special hiring opportunities

•Gil Holder --- candidate for the Fortner Chair --- Astrophysics theory (CMB)visiting October 23

•Patrick Brady --- candidate for GEBI Professor --- Cosmology theory/computation (LIGO)visiting November 18-20

•Richard Hill --- candidate for joint position with Fermilab --- Particle physics theory (Dark Matter)visited September 21

More opportunities exist for GEBI hires --- candidates must be senior (full professor),

excellent, transformative, and ultimately movable

Physics Faculty Demographics --- Fall 2015 --- by research group

Budget notes

No University FY16 budget --- expecting cuts of 5-10%

State still owes the University of Illinois $60M from FY15 (~10%)

State has unfunded pension liabilities of $100B --- reform inevitable, but when?

Tuition frozen for incoming freshman

Hiring slowed but not frozen

Salary program on hold for now

Everything is still on the table --- furloughs, early retirement incentives, program cuts

Department of Physics budget ~$12M in FY15

Budget rescissions of 2.5% + 7% + 5% over three years (net 14% cut = $1.7M)

We have a large deficit

We have a negative cashflow

  (Actual) (Actual) (Actual) (Projected) (Projected) (Projected)

  FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18

             

Start-of-year balance ($699,288) ($1,661,379) ($3,304,504) ($6,717,245) ($7,771,958) ($10,673,229)

             

Sources of Funds:     2.5% cut 7% cut 5% cut  

Recurring State budget $10,027,274 $10,316,699 $11,534,634 $11,076,707 $10,209,752 $9,633,852 Budget recissions     ($309,627) ($866,955) ($575,900)  ICR allocations $1,633,468 $1,287,540 $1,440,628 $1,085,000 $1,130,000 $1,180,000 COE allocations $1,278,966 $1,809,385 $1,371,433 $1,383,365 $1,383,365 $1,383,365 Startup and retention allocations $3,227,607 $3,436,179 $5,438,655 $0 $1,500,000 $1,500,000 Tuition remission allocations $295,561 $369,853 $244,012 $245,000 $350,000 $375,000 Allowance funds moved to ICR $0 $0 $353,686 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000

Subtotal: Sources of Funds $16,462,876 $17,219,656 $20,073,421 $12,943,117 $14,017,217 $14,092,217

             

Uses of Funds:            

Faculty salaries $6,224,588 $6,521,614 $7,365,963 $7,720,738 $8,070,738 $8,462,860 Academic Professional salaries $1,124,488 $1,311,457 $1,608,786 $1,550,000 $1,500,000 $1,545,000 Civil Service staff salaries $884,830 $917,239 $977,523 $846,442 $900,000 $950,000 TA Salaries $2,678,321 $2,832,417 $3,014,077 $2,650,000 $2,650,000 $2,729,500 Department operating costs $1,990,510 $2,070,028 $1,375,997 $845,000 $910,250 $1,115,658 IT shared services fees $249,173 $302,041 $320,000 $330,000 $340,000 $350,000 ICR distributiuons to faculty $131,097 $141,721 $136,171 $0 $0 $0 ICR distributions to other units $95,545 $99,740 $67,815 $0 $0 $0 Startup and retention costs $3,937,530 $4,624,491 $8,596,081 $0 $2,500,000 $2,500,000 Cost sharing commitments $108,885 $42,033 $23,749 $55,650 $47,500 $75,000

Subtotal: Uses of Funds $17,424,967 $18,862,781 $23,486,162 $13,997,830 $16,918,488 $17,728,018

             

Year End Balance/(Deficit) ($962,091) ($1,643,125) ($3,412,741) ($1,054,713) ($2,901,271) ($3,635,801)

             

End-of-year balance ($1,661,379) ($3,304,504) ($6,717,245) ($7,771,958) ($10,673,229) ($14,309,030)

Department of Physics budget

   

  (Actual) (Actual) (Actual) (Projected) (Projected) (Projected)

  FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18

             

Start-of-year balance ($169,968) ($422,136) ($876,949) ($1,132,264) ($2,186,977) ($4,088,248)

             

Sources of Funds:     2.5% cut 7% cut 5% cut  

Recurring State budget $10,027,274 $10,316,699 $11,534,634 $11,076,707 $10,209,752 $9,633,852 Budget recissions     ($309,627) ($866,955) ($575,900)  ICR allocations $1,633,468 $1,287,540 $1,440,628 $1,085,000 $1,130,000 $1,180,000 COE allocations $1,278,966 $1,809,385 $1,371,433 $1,383,365 $1,383,365 $1,383,365 Startup and retention allocations $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Tuition remission allocations $295,561 $369,853 $244,012 $245,000 $350,000 $375,000 Allowance funds moved to ICR $0 $0 $353,686 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000

Subtotal: Sources of Funds $13,235,269 $13,783,477 $14,634,766 $12,943,117 $12,517,217 $12,592,217

             

Uses of Funds:            

Faculty salaries $6,224,588 $6,521,614 $7,365,963 $7,720,738 $8,070,738 $8,462,860 Academic Professional salaries $1,124,488 $1,311,457 $1,608,786 $1,550,000 $1,500,000 $1,545,000 Civil Service staff salaries $884,830 $917,239 $977,523 $846,442 $900,000 $950,000 TA Salaries $2,678,321 $2,832,417 $3,014,077 $2,650,000 $2,650,000 $2,729,500 Department operating costs $1,990,510 $2,070,028 $1,375,997 $845,000 $910,250 $1,115,658 IT shared services fees $249,173 $302,041 $320,000 $330,000 $340,000 $350,000 ICR distributiuons to faculty $131,097 $141,721 $136,171 $0 $0 $0 ICR distributions to other units $95,545 $99,740 $67,815 $0 $0 $0 Startup and retention costs $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Cost sharing commitments $108,885 $42,033 $23,749 $55,650 $47,500 $75,000

Subtotal: Uses of Funds $13,487,437 $14,238,290 $14,890,081 $13,997,830 $14,418,488 $15,228,018

             

Year End Balance/(Deficit) ($252,168) ($454,813) ($255,315) ($1,054,713) ($1,901,271) ($2,635,801)

             

End-of-year balance ($422,136) ($876,949) ($1,132,264) ($2,186,977) ($4,088,248) ($6,724,049)

Department of Physics budget (no startups)

   

Major Financial Concerns

1. Growing deficit with no reasonable plan for recovery

• Lobby for more flow of funds to Department via ICR, TR, IUs, …

• Lobby to recover part of the LAS Physics major surcharges

• Establish campus plan for funding startup and remodeling outside core budget

• Cut costs

˗ Use gift funds for research expenditures (seminars, matching, etc.)

˗ Reduce number of TAs --- balance needs, research support needs, cost

˗ Staff reductions

• Increase revenues --- MS programs? advancement? foundations? partnerships?

2. Federal funding outlook

• Drop in federal funding in Physics

• Increased costs to support graduates students

• More students teaching now --- that is the new norm

• Growing culture of funding stars that does not play into our strengths at Illinois

Update on Policies

1. Report of Non-University Activities (RNUA)

Now online https://myresearch.uillinois.edu/myDisclosures/

Due October 5, 2015

2. Background checks required for all new hires at the University of Illinois

Effective October 5, 2015

Could extend time to hire postdocs and faculty

3. College of Engineering Food and Alcohol policy

Need to be a good, and visibly-good, steward of our limited resources

Department strategy is to follow the guidelines but push back in specific cases,mostly department-wide events and special activities

• Staff Appreciation Luncheon

• Physics Reception

• Physics-on-Campus Luncheon

• Physics Convocation

Research group meetings and events will not be covered

• Awards celebrations

• Colloquium cookies

• Introductory course proctoring sessions

• Some student events

Physics Departmental Review

November 1-3, 2015

Sunday, November 1

7:00 pm Dinner with Dean and Department of Physics Cabinet  

Monday, November 2

8:30-9:00 am Gathering and coffee

Physics

Interaction

Room

 

 

9:00-10:00 am Overview of the Department of Physics: Dale Van Harlingen

10:00-10:30 am Graduate programs --- Lance Cooper (Associate Head)

10:30-11:00 am Discussion with Graduate students

11:00-11:30 am Research focus: Particle Physics (High Energy, Nuclear, AC)

11:30 am-12 noon Research focus: Biological Physics

12 noon–1:00 pm Lunch with junior faculty

1:00-1:30 pm Undergraduate programs --- Mats Selen (Associate Head)

1:30-2:00 pm Discussion with Undergraduate students

2:00-2:30 pm Research focus: Condensed Matter Physics

2:30-2:45 pm Research focus: AMO

2:45-3:00 pm Walk to Engineering Hall  

3:00-3:30 pm Meeting with Dean Cangellaris 306 Engineering Hall

3:30-3:45 pm Walk back from Engineering Hall  

3:45-4:30 pm Executive session Back Interaction Room

4:30-5:30 pm Reception with faculty Interaction Room

5:30-7:00 pm Break I-Hotel

7:00pm Dinner with A&P Committee Miga?

Tuesday, November 3

8:30-9:15 am Gathering and coffee with women faculty Interaction Room

9:15-9:45am Executive session Back Interaction Room

9:45-10:00 am Walk to Swanlund Administrative Building  

10:00-10:30 pm Meeting with Provost Feser and Vice Provost Benmamoun Room 200 Swanlund

10:30-11:00 am Meet with Program Review Council Room 200 Swanlund

11:00-11:15 am Walk back from Swanlund Administrative Building  

11:15-12:00 am Tour of classrooms and laboratories  

12 noon–1:00 pm Lunch with ORCA Committee Interaction Room

1:00-1:30 pm Final discussions Interaction Room

1:30pm Reviewers depart campus  

Review Committee

Drew Baden                       Maryland             Particle experiment

Bob Buhrman                    Cornell                  Condensed Matter experiment

Sue Coppersmith             Wisconsin            Condensed Matter theory

Wick Haxton                       Berkeley              Particle theory

David Weiss                        Penn State          AMO

Department Elections

(a) Physics Advisory Committee = faculty advisory committee to the Head, Capricious Grading Committee, and Grievance Committee of the Department of Physics.

Election of two new members for two-year terms to replace Tom Kuhlman and Tim Stelzer. Continuing members are Paul Kwiat, George Gollin, and Vidya Madhavan.

In accord with Department of Physics Bylaws, one member of the PAC must be non-tenured and the other four tenured so one new member must be untenured and one tenured.

PROCESS: (1) take nominations for non-tenured and tenured faculty separately

(2) vote separately for each slate

(b) Physics Budget and Policy Committee = faculty advisory committee to the Head and the Director of Budget and Resource Planning on budget and infrastructure issues.

Elect one new member for a three-year term to replace Kevin Pitts. Continuing members are Doug Beck (13-16) and Jun Song (14-17).

All core faculty are eligible

PROCESS: (1) take nominations

(2) vote 

Abbamonte, Peter Beck, Douglas Bezryadin, AlexeyCeperley, DavidCooper, S. LanceDahmen, KarinDeMarco, BrianEckstein, JamesEl-Khadra, AidaErrede, StevenFradkin, EduardoGammie, CharlesGiannetta, RussellGoldenfeld, NigelGollin, GeorgeGrosse Perdekamp, Matthias Kwiat, PaulLeggett, AnthonyLeigh, RobertMadhavan, Vidya

Makins, NaomiMestre, JoseMouschovias, TelemachosNayfeh, MunirOono, YoshitsuguPeng, Jen-ChiehPhillips, PhilipPitts, KevinSchiffer, PeterSchulten, KlausSeidel, EdSelen, MatsSelvin, PaulShapiro, StuartSong, Jun

Aksimentiev, Aleksei Budakian, Raffi Chemla, YannHubler, AlfredMason, Nayda Neubauer, MarkStelzer, TimVishveshwara, Smitha

Stone, MichaelThaler, JonVan Harlingen, DaleWeaver, Richard L.Willenbrock, ScottWiss, James

FULL PROFESSORS

ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS

Adshead, PeterClark, BryanFaulkner, Tom

Filippini, JeffGadway, BryceHooberman, BenHughes, TaylorKuhlman, Thomas

Lorenz, VirginiaMacDougall, GregMartinez Outschoorn, VerenaRyu, ShinseiSickles, AnneShelton, JessieYang, Liang

ASSISTANT PROFESSORS

PHYSICS ADVISORY YEAR BUDGET AND POLICY

George GollinPaul Kwiat 2014 Jun Song

Vidya Madhavan

Tom Kuhlman2013 Doug Beck

Tim Stelzer

Alfred Hubler2012Rob Leigh Kevin Pitts

Mike Stone

Karin Dahmen2011 Peter Abbamonte

Mark Neubauer

Aida El-Khadra2010Philip Phillips Scott Willenbrock

Mats Selen

Jose Mestre2009 Taekjip Ha

Smitha Vishveshwara

Russ Giannetta2008Naomi Makins M. Grosse Perdekamp

Scott Willenbrock

Peter Abbamonte2007 Tony Liss

Jim Eckstein

Paul Debevec2006Mike Stone Alan Nathan

Ben Wandelt

Nadya Mason2005 Alexey Bezryadin

Kevin Pitts

Taekjip Ha2004Paul Kwiat Russ Giannetta

Naomi Makins

Nadya Mason (Former Chair)Vidya Madhavan, Chair; Brian Demarco, Tom Kuhlman, Jessie Shelton, Tim Stelzer, Jaya Yodh

Past Activities:  Society for Women in Physics (undergrad); quarterly Women in Physics lunches (grad/faculty/postdocs); individual mentoring & activities 

Items we’d like to address:-Mentoring of under-represented minority majors

 Find mentors for ALL minority undergrad majors; APS National Mentoring Community http://www.aps.org/programs/minorities/mentoring/ 

-Improve climate for LGBT students LGBT safe space training

-Low enrollment of female students in capstone courses (e.g., P496/499) Pay attention to enrollment, explicitly encourage students to take certain courses

-Decrease in enrollment of women undergraduate majors (currently 8%) Gather statistics, consider climate survey

Comments/Ideas?