The PUI Action Group is composed of faculty from Primarily Undergraduate Institutions who seek to identify and address the needs of PUI faculty, build community among faculty from PUIs, support early career colleagues who are pursuing careers at PUIs, and highlight the research opportunities that exist at and in collaboration with PUIs.

Action Group Members, 2023:

Jerry Husak (chair), University of St. Thomas
Rachelle Belanger, University of Detroit, Mercy
Eric Gangloff, Ohio Wesleyan University
Michele Johnson, Trinity University
Ariel Kahrl, Hamilton College
Jason Macrander, Florida Southern College
Thomas Sanger, Loyola University, Chicago
Kari Taylor-Burt, Mount St. Mary’s University
Lisa Whitenack, Alleghany College

PUI Events at SICB 2024 in Seattle

1. We’re having another social! Friday, Jan. 5, 7-8:30 AM @ The Convention Center (room TBD, check the program soon!). We’ll provide food and beverages. Please RSVP here so we can get a headcount, and spread the word to your colleagues: https://forms.gle/NZ48vFkazVTUXurv5

2. Stop by the PUI informational booth to build community, answer our question of the day, and advertise your/your students’ presentations! There will be other miscellaneous info and some surveys that will be of interest, too. And the PUI buttons will be back with a re-design (collect them all)! We’ll be in the exhibitors hall during coffee breaks and poster sessions. Stop by and hang out!

3. We’ll have an interactive poster on mentoring villages for you to stop by to chat and ask questions. This year we’re excited to begin our mentoring village program, so come by the poster to give input and sign up! It’s on Thursday, Jan. 4 (P2-210).

Initial Report from PUI Action Group, 2021

In 2021, a group of SICB PUI faculty conducted a survey to understand the needs and opportunities for PUI faculty and to consider how SICB might better serve faculty from PUIs throughout their careers. The initial report from this group formed the basis of the PUI Action Group that has facilitated a series of events at SICB 2022 in Phoenix and SICB 2023 in Austin. We’ve discovered that there is a lot of enthusiasm for developing a more formal community of PUI faculty, and the Action Group continues to develop programs to meet these needs.