U of Iowa and the botanical museum

[Robin Leech]

Hi Peg,
Point well taken, and my apologies.
Money handlers in Washington's NSF take note, please!
Robin

----- Original Message -----
From: "Margaret (Peg ) Bolick" <mbolick at UNLSERVE.UNL.EDU>
To: <TAXACOM at LISTSERV.NHM.KU.EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 7:07 AM
Subject: Re: U of Iowa and the botanical museum


> Some of us are too busy job hunting.   Not all of the curators at  the
> University of Nebraska State Museum who were terminated last March got
> rehired.  Which is worse no collection or no taxonomist to teach the
> students there are other aspects of biology besides what NSF gives big
> bucks for?
> Peg Bolick
>
> Robin Leech wrote:
>
> >Ken,
> >I am surprised that so few have made comments on this issue - something
that
> >as curators and users of specimens will affect all of us.  I wonder what
a
> >molecular holotype looks like, eh?
> >Robin
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Ken Kinman" <kinman2 at YAHOO.COM>
> >To: <TAXACOM at LISTSERV.NHM.KU.EDU>
> >Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2004 7:59 PM
> >Subject: Re: U of Iowa and the botanical museum
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >>Dear All,
> >>     I think Robin has hit the nail right on the head.  The University
of
> >>
> >>
> >Iowa is "burning bridges" that it may well regret in the long run.  But
the
> >blame must be shared by those in Washington D.C. whose funding practices
> >encourage this kind of thing.
> >
> >
> >>               ----- Ken Kinman
> >>
> >>*******************************************************
> >>Date:  Tue, 6 Apr 2004 22:35:53 -0600
> >>Robin Leech wrote:
> >>Good evening one and all,
> >>I have analyzed all the material sent out to us on TAXACOM
> >>regarding the U of Iowa administration's attempt to move all the
botanical
> >>
> >>
> >museum specimens from the U of Iowa to Iowa State University.
> >
> >
> >>I have also looked at the legal documents prepared on behalf of the
> >>
> >>
> >defense that were created in order to stop the move.  If you read these,
> >then I think you will all come to the same conclusion I have: that the
main
> >thrust behind all this action is to convert the U of Iowa's biology
> >department into a molecular biology department.  This is where the big
money
> >and big names are at present and for the near future.  If the move is
> >successful, it will convert the U of Iowa's biology department from a
> >biology department of excellence to a molecular biology department of
> >excellence.
> >
> >
> >>But, molecular biology cannot survive for long without
> >>supportive holistic biology, but I do not think that this is realized
yet.
> >>
> >>
> >And the students certainly will lose without a good background in
biology.
> >I will bet that most, if not all, of the molecular biologists at the U of
> >Iowa either came through a real biology department, and took courses
> >emphasizing physiology and/or biochemistry.  Thus, they themselves took a
> >lot of general biology courses, but, their students sure will not.
> >
> >
> >>Robin Leech
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
>