leading the sciences, helping the game shows -- all in a day's work

When Jeffrey Osborn first encountered a team of faculty and administrators from the College at a workshop in 1997, he took a profound interest in the “innovative changes” that the College was undergoing. Ten years later, Osborn, a plant biologist with a BS and MS from Texas State University and a PhD in plant biology from Ohio State University, has joined the campus community as the dean of the School of Science.

Before coming to TCNJ in the summer of 2006, Osborn served 15 years at Truman State University in Missouri, where he held an array of positions including professor and chair of biology, director of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics talent program, and chair of the university-wide research committee. Additionally, Osborn garnered the prestigious Walker and Doris Allen Fellowship for Faculty Excellence, Truman’s highest award for recognizing outstanding faculty members who have greatly contributed to advancing the university’s mission of academic excellence.

On a lighter note, Osborn has served as a consultant for two game shows, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and Win Ben Stein’s Money, providing fact-checking on questions regarding botany.

Perhaps Osborn’s greatest contribution is the extensive research he has conducted with students. Osborn is a true teacher-scholar, having performed years of research alongside undergraduate students in the broad area of plant evolutionary biology. Research projects have brought Osborn and his students many interesting places, including two field seasons in Antarctica. Osborn has also had the opportunity to attend conferences and co-author several papers with students.

Osborn strongly believes in the efficacy of undergraduate research programs, having facilitated workshops for the Council of Undergraduate Research (CUR) for 11 years.  When he met a team of TCNJ faculty and administrators at one such workshop ten years ago, he had the opportunity to work directly with them to strengthen the College’s research programs. His interest in TNCJ grew after he visited the College in 2002, 2003, and 2004 when TCNJ served as the host campus for the same workshop that it had sent a team to attend in 1997.

Osborn took great interest in how the College pursued, what some would consider, risk-taking strategies in advancing its mission, particularly the transformed curriculum. He also appreciated the College’s emphasis on “student engagement and student learning.”

“It was really clear to me that TCNJ is an institution that values academic excellence. It has bold, strategic aspirations and is willing to take creative approaches to attain that vision,” Osborn said.

With his belief that research and other forms of deep student engagement should be an integral focus of an undergraduate program, Osborn hopes that as dean he can continue to enhance these types of transformational learning experiences for students in the school of science.

Osborn, who is very excited to be a member of TCNJ’s community, has big plans for the School of Science, many of which are geared for ensuring students are “intentional learners and integrative thinkers.” These plans include increasing opportunities for internships, independent study, community-based learning, interdisciplinary studies, and, of course, undergraduate research alongside faculty members.

“Our strategic aspirations are to provide one of the best public undergraduate educations in the country in the sciences,” Osborn said.

With the recent accolades from Merck Institute for Science Education, the school is well on its way.