Letter from the Chair – Dar Roberts

Fall 2010 started with a bang, with a series of good things coming to the Department. Two developments deserve particular mention: the Jack and Laura Dangermond Chair and the newest rankings from the National Research Council’s Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs. The first represents the first Chair for the Department, and I am pleased to announce that the first recipient of this honor is Dr. Michael Goodchild (who was also one of only two UCSB faculty elected as a Foreign Member of the Royal Society this year!). NRC rankings, while a bit complicated, place the department as high as number one and no lower than number six among U.S. Geography PhD programs, making the Geography Department the top ranked department in our campus Division and one of the highest ranked departments on campus (see the story on page one for more details). As I sat in one of our recent colloquia, listening to several of our second year graduate students present summaries of their research, I could not help but be impressed and think, as good as the rankings are, how they fail to capture how strong the program really is and how good the students really are. Furthermore, while the NRC Assessment does not speak of undergraduate education, a simple walk down the halls of Ellison, where undergraduate projects are displayed as posters, will reveal the high quality of a Geography education that runs throughout the program.

Geography has been, and remains critical to an improved knowledge of our planet. During my second year as Chair, I am, if anything, even more impressed by the quality of our faculty, students, and staff. I feel honored to have the opportunity to direct a department that is helping local, state, national, and international communities address critical issues, such as climate change and its impacts, habitat loss, reserve design, efficient transportation, improved urban design, renewable energy, and hazards. Recent events, such as the Gulf Oil Spill and cholera in Haiti, further illustrate the critical need for accurate, time relevant geospatial data, where a multidisciplinary approach may be the only way to address the problem. Having recently navigated the streets of Toulouse, France, guided by Google maps on an iPhone, I have become even further impressed by the way Geography impacts our daily lives, in which tools that did not even exist 10 years ago are now considered a necessity (try driving in Toulouse and you will understand).

The generous support of alumni and friends is important to the advancement of the Department in the face of continuing uncertainty in the economy and state budgets. External support is critical in providing the best education and training for our students and in maintaining the excellence of our world-class research. We hope you will consider a gift to support the education of our talented and deserving students in the Department. Whether you have a preferred gift fund, such as the Leal Anne Kerry Mertes Scholarship Award or the Jack Estes Memorial Fund, or would prefer an unrestricted gift to the Department, all are valued highly. Our Geography faculty continue to excel in research and teaching, our undergraduate and graduate students are impressive, and an education from the Department of Geography at UC Santa Barbara is one of the hottest commodities in town. Your help can make it even better.

Your ongoing support is vital to our undergraduate and graduate programs. One reason the Department of Geography at UC Santa Barbara is able to deliver on its promise to students is because of the support of alumni and friends like you, which is why I encourage you to consider making an investment in the Department. These gifts enable us to recognize our best students and support their educational and research expenses. You, as alumni and friends of the Department, have a lot to be proud of. We, in turn, are grateful for your continued involvement with our educational mission.