[Neuropostdocs] Sam Beshers Retirement: The Times are A-Changing

[Pregent, Stephanie Ann]

To the Neuroscience Community at Illinois:

Sam Beshers, long-time Coordinator of the Neuroscience Program, will be retiring from the University on June 30. Sam is so woven into the fabric of the NSP that it is difficult to comprehend life without him. Sam is the first and only Coordinator we have known. He was hired 18 years ago by then-Director Gene Robinson to provide integration at the heart of the program. Sam succeeded in this role at such a very high level that he has become synonymous with the Program! He grew professionally as the NSP grew to 95 faculty members and we graduated a multitude of outstanding students. Sam Beshers did much to shape us into the highly recognized, remarkable program we have become: an exceptional and unique graduate program on our campus. We all owe Sam our deepest gratitude for his personal investment in our success and well-being! On behalf of us all, thank you, Sam!

I also am writing to bring you in on the plan that is taking form for the transition process for the NSP after Sam's retirement. Recognizing that he is the giant pillar of the Program and irreplaceable for many, many reasons, I sought input from thought-leaders in the NSP as to how we should proceed. I formed an ad hoc committee comprised of Hee Jung Chung, Martha Gillette, Mark Hauber, Megan Mahoney, Justin Rhodes, and Nate Schroeder. These individuals represent both old and newer NSP faculty, and also diverse units on Campus. We convened in May when we discussed where we are now and developed a general plan on next steps. Recognizing that the NSP is much, much different than when Gene Robinson recruited Sam into the position 18 years ago, that Sam shaped the position over the years, and that Neuroscience has exploded into forefront of discovery in the sciences, we decided that we need to strategize as to where we want the NSP to be in 18 more years, in 2038. (How forward-looking is that?!)

Consequently, we decided that we need to take the time to develop this plan  and what qualities we need in Sam's successor. We will start this visioning process in September. Dean Ando is highly supportive of our decision to take the time to strategize as to the future of the NSP.

Meanwhile, we have developed a robust plan for managing the multitude of activities that Sam has overseen. First, we have a new class of 10 PhD students who are planning to join us in August. Justin Rhodes graciously offered to step in to help with the new students. When I told Justin that I had learned from the Dean's Executive Officer Meeting in late May that failure to keep in touch with admitted students is the most common way they fail to matriculate, Justin moved ahead to convene a Zoom meeting with our new NSP class. This took place last Wednesday. We had 9 student participants and a lot of enthusiasm. Justin is in the process of working to match students with NSP-student mentors to facilitate their transition.

Justin, Nate Schroeder, Sam Beshers, and I have had several zoom meetings to develop leadership assignments for various other facets of Sam's activities. Justin has identified a number of tasks he can effectively take over for now. These include organizing the graduate course, the seminar, journal club and professional development activities, among other things. We are calling Justin the Asso. Dir. for Student Success, modeled after Alexis Thompson's position in the Graduate College.

Nate Schroeder also graciously has agreed to continue to serve as Asso. Dir. for Student Affairs. This largely relates to issues where students need an ombudsman to help them through challenging situations. Nate has demonstrated exceptional ability in this role over the last year. We are very pleased he will continue. He will oversee student progress and interactions with their mentors. And, Nate will convene the student Brown Bag seminar series.

Another outcome of the Ad Hoc Committee's discussion was a recommendation to recruit a part-time interim coordinator (50%) to accomplish things that Justin and Nate will not have time for. We decided that this individual needs be PhD-level and have exceptional interpersonal skills. A focus will be recruiting under-represented students, which starts in September with the ASPIRE program. Now that we have parsed the activities we still need to have covered, I will be working with Dean Ando to recruit this interim person as soon as possible. A recent PhD or PD currently on campus would be ideal. Let us know if you have recommendations!

Of course, our successful transition is further enabled by Stephanie Pregent, who has done such a fine job of moving our records and materials online, and interfacing our program with the administration of the University, especially the Graduate College. If you haven't looked at our new website that Stephanie has developed, take a moment to do so:   https://neuroscience.illinois.edu/

The transition has begun! I am thrilled by the enthusiasm and experience that Justin, Nate, and Stephanie Pregent are bringing to this realignment of activities. All of these good people have stepped forward to facilitate this change, and we ask you to help us, too. We are working with Dean Ando in LAS regarding the missing link for recruiting new students and events that start with Fall orientation and the ASPIRE recruitment program. Sam is willing to engage and advise us during this transition, which we truly appreciate. And, we intend to have a Retirement Gala for Sam so you and his many friends and acquaintances can gather to reminisce and wish him well, when the time is right!
Best, always,
Martha Gillette, NSP Director


Stephanie Pregent
Executive Function Manager
Business Administrative Associate
Neuroscience Program | Beckman Institute
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Office:  217-244-9838 | Cell:  217-766-4780 | Fax: 217-333-2922

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