Critics of the AFR said the questions pried too deeply into the political leanings of faculty. She suggested that other methods may be available to gather the information needed to assess multicultural and interdisciplinary activities without linking the data to the evaluation process. We want to engage in discussions of how to get the best sort of information. Data on interdisciplinary activities is particularly important, she said, as the entire nature of departmental structures is reexamined across the country. Marrett praised the campus for its planning for a new college of life sciences.
People here are willing to grapple with tough issues.
Marrett also wants to promote more interaction between undergraduates and graduate students, faculty and staff. I'm very interested in graduate students and programs - they give us a unique place in the University system. Increased collaboration within the Five College consortium is also a goal, she said. It's important to build connections that strengthen all of us. From 1992-96, she led the National Science Foundation's Directorate for the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, a division she organized while on leave from Wisconsin.