134 



Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science 66(2) 



Table 8. Comparison of national average annual doctorates with Kentucky baccalaureate-granting institutions average 

 annual doctorates (1978-1994) and (1995-2002). 



National 



Kentucky 



Discipline 



< 1978-1994) 



(1995-2002) 



%Change 



(1978-1994) 



(1995-2002) 



%Change 



Biological Sciences 















Overall 



3148 



3555 



12.93% 



23.3 



30.3 



30 04% 



\^omen 



1109 



1670 



50.59% 



7.88 



13.1 



66 94% 



Black 



43.6 



99.5 



128.21% 



0.24 



0.38 





Hispanic 



54.2 



126 



132.47% 



0.18 



0.5 



in.78% 



Chemistry 















Overall 



1276 



1148 



-10.03% 



12.5 



14.125 



13.00% 



Women 



263 



355 



34.98% 



2.88 



4.13 



43.40% 



Black 



17 



34 



100.00% 



0.12 



0.25 



108.33% 



Hispanic 



28 



35 



25.00% 



0.18 



0 



-100.00% 



Physics 















Overall 



636 



641 



0.79% 



4.47 



3.88 



-13.20% 



Women 



48.4 



80.1 



65.50% 



0.29 



0.50 



72.41% 



Black 



6.35 



11 



73.23% 



0 



0.125 





Hispanic 



10.3 



15.1 



46.60% 



0 



0 



0% 



and the University of Louisville, as might be 

 expected due to their size and available re- 

 sources, produce the greatest number of bac- 

 calaureates who earn doctorates. Kentucky in- 

 stitutions appear to lag behind national 

 benchmarks with the highest ranking (Univer- 

 sity of Kentucky) in the biological sciences 

 being 120 out of 1434 schools in the SED 

 database. Although this ranking is above 

 many institutions with far fewer resources and 

 significantly smaller student populations, it 

 ranks significantly below benchmark institu- 

 tions of comparable mission and student pop- 

 ulation. For example, it ranks significantly be- 

 low the University of Georgia ranked at 58, 

 the lowest of 20 benchmarks (UK Bench- 

 marks 2005). 



Achieving parity with leading benchmark 

 institutions appears to require implementation 

 of comprehensive institutional approaches to 

 strengthen STEM teaching and learning. At a 

 minimum, such institutional approaches must 

 necessarily focus on support for faculty, ap- 

 propriate instrumentation, and improvement 

 of access, retention, and graduation rates for 

 all students. Further analysis of benchmark 

 programs relative to those in Kentucky should 

 yield greater insight into the substantial ob- 

 served differences. 



Tables 2 and 3 report results that appear 

 counterintuitive for the production of bacca- 

 laureates in chemistry and physics. Western 

 Kentucky University and Thomas More Col- 

 lege, institutions primarily devoted to under- 



graduate education with relatively limited re- 

 sources and relatively smaller enrollments, 

 have assumed leadership in the production of 

 intellectual capital, respectively, in chemistry 

 and physics. In physics, Thomas More Col- 

 lege and Western Kentucky University togeth- 

 er produced 60% more baccalaureates that 

 earned doctorates than the University of Ken- 

 tucky and the University of Louisville 

 combined. 



Given the robust nature of the science in- 

 frastructure at the University of Kentucky and 

 at the University of Louisville, (e.g., seminars, 

 information technology resources, research 

 opportunities for undergraduate students, and 

 targeted NSF and NIH scientific infrastructure 

 support), the relatively low numbers of bac- 

 calaureates earning doctorates in chemistry 

 and physics are surprising. Detailed analysis 

 of undergraduate programs and institutional 

 commitment offer promising areas for future 

 study. Kentucky institutions appear to lag far 

 behind national benchmarks, with the highest 

 ranking in chemistry being 185 out of 1215 

 schools in the SED database. The highest 

 ranking for a Kentucky research-extensive 

 university is 191, significantly below the low- 

 est of 20 benchmarks, the University of Iowa 

 at 109. 



Kentucky institutions appear to lag far be- 

 hind national benchmarks, with the highest 

 ranking in physics being 176 out of 955 

 schools in the SED database. The highest 

 ranking for a Kentucky research-extensive 



