UI profs hard at work
Alyssa Cashman - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 12/6/07 Section: Metro
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Students aren't the only ones with a heavy work load; professors are also doing a fair amount of research.
According to an index compiled by Academic Analytics in The Chronicle of Higher Education, some departments at the UI are leading the pack in faculty scholarly productivity.
Factors considered in the creation of the index were books and journal articles published by each member and amount of funding and awards received by professors. The only departments examined were those with Ph.D. programs.
UI faculty in the health-promotion field were the top-ranked group among the 375 universities included, beating out such institutions as the University of Florida.
"We know that both the undergraduate and graduate programs are top quality," said Beth Pelton, the head of the health and sports-studies department. "It's nice to know we have the external attention we feel we deserve."
Approximately 96 percent of the 26-member faculty in the department has a journal publication, according to the index. On average, there are 1.35 books published per professor who contributes to health-promotion research.
Pelton attributed the professors' wide range of research interests as a factor in their high ranking.
Kathleen Janz, a UI professor of health and sports studies, is one of the department's "stars," Pelton said. With more than 50 papers published in various journals, she estimates she devotes about half of her time to research.
"My research informs my teaching," Janz said. "I'm really a better teacher because of my research. It's kind of an interaction."
Additionally, 20 other UI departments placed in the top 10, including epidemiology, which was ranked fifth.
"As a department, it's a lot smaller than other departments across the nation," said James Torner, the head of the department. "It's a tremendous accolade in attribution to the faculty."
Torner said the faculty go above and beyond the "norm," and the department is more collaborative than most.
According to an index compiled by Academic Analytics in The Chronicle of Higher Education, some departments at the UI are leading the pack in faculty scholarly productivity.
Factors considered in the creation of the index were books and journal articles published by each member and amount of funding and awards received by professors. The only departments examined were those with Ph.D. programs.
UI faculty in the health-promotion field were the top-ranked group among the 375 universities included, beating out such institutions as the University of Florida.
"We know that both the undergraduate and graduate programs are top quality," said Beth Pelton, the head of the health and sports-studies department. "It's nice to know we have the external attention we feel we deserve."
Approximately 96 percent of the 26-member faculty in the department has a journal publication, according to the index. On average, there are 1.35 books published per professor who contributes to health-promotion research.
Pelton attributed the professors' wide range of research interests as a factor in their high ranking.
Kathleen Janz, a UI professor of health and sports studies, is one of the department's "stars," Pelton said. With more than 50 papers published in various journals, she estimates she devotes about half of her time to research.
"My research informs my teaching," Janz said. "I'm really a better teacher because of my research. It's kind of an interaction."
Additionally, 20 other UI departments placed in the top 10, including epidemiology, which was ranked fifth.
"As a department, it's a lot smaller than other departments across the nation," said James Torner, the head of the department. "It's a tremendous accolade in attribution to the faculty."
Torner said the faculty go above and beyond the "norm," and the department is more collaborative than most.
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