[Editor's note: This excerpt is from an Aug. 26 University Gazette story.]
It has been a year now since Steve Matson took over as dean of the Graduate School – enough time for friends and colleagues to ask him if he likes the job.
The answer, Matson said, is unequivocally yes. "I have been challenged, which is a positive thing, and I have learned that I like essentially all elements of the job."
A member of the faculty since 1983 and a former chair of the biology department in the College of Arts and Sciences, Matson is widely respected for his work in the field of genetics and molecular biology.
He now oversees more than 8,000 graduate students in the University’s 66 doctoral and 100 masters programs. Matson said one of his most delightful discoveries is the consistency in excellence.
"I have learned over the past year how good we really are
His predecessor, Linda Dykstra, teamed with former University trustee Rusty Carter to shine a light on the needs of graduate students and the vital role they play in driving the University’s research.
Part of his job, Matson said, is to continue to advocate for graduate students and explain their importance to both the University’s teaching and research missions.
"Many people believe graduate students are here to implement the research agenda of a faculty member, and while it may start that way it doesn’t finish that way," Matson said.
"In that vein, being a graduate student is not unlike an apprenticeship where you are learning from the master, if you will, the craft or trade.
Over time, not only do you absorb everything the master has to teach, but you begin to have your own set of ideas, and then ultimately, you become the teacher."
To read the complete story, visit http://snipurl.com/s6x9e.
