Sigma Xi 2014 Elections

Associate Director of the Baccalaureate Colleges Constituency Group

Candidate: Francis Dane

Present Position: Professor and Chair of Arts & Sciences at Jefferson College of Health Sciences.

Chapter Affiliation: Hollins University

Candidate's Statement: I am standing for election to serve as the associate director of the Baccalaureate Colleges Constituency because I strongly believe in the programmatic emphasis of Sigma Xi: public understanding of science, improving research, and transformational education. Indeed, my 30+ years in academia as a social psychologist and as an administrator have been devoted to all three aspects of our organizational focus.

Baccalaureate institutions have a vital role in furthering the Sigma Xi focus as well as developing active members of Sigma Xi. Undergraduate students represent a substantial and growing proportion of the public and we need to ensure that they understand, appreciate, and value science as they become policy makers. Similarly, involving undergraduates in research is an important mechanism in the development of eventual members of Sigma Xi. Sigma Xi members in baccalaureate institutions can exert a great deal of influence with respect to our organizational focus. Enabling that influence should be an important focus of our constituency, as should increasing the organizational involvement of our constituency.

My involvement in Sigma Xi, including my current service as the chair of the Nominations Committee, has convinced me of the importance of enhancing organizational involvement among the membership. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to enhance involvement through serving the Baccalaureate Colleges Constituency.

Francis Dane's CV.