History of The School of Biological Sciences
The School of Biological Sciences (formerly the School of Basic Life Sciences) was established on January 1, 1985 by then Chancellor George Russell under the leadership of our founding Dean, Dr. Marino Martinez-Carrion to provide basic science instruction for the health sciences, establish a nationally recognized graduate program at the Master's and Ph.D. levels and to generate a strong research effort supported mainly by extramural grants. In 1987 the Curators of the University of Missouri system designated the School as a Program of Eminence and Mission Enhancement funding was allocated to continue the growth of the School. Resources allocated to the School over a 10-year period were used to build a program that would increase in quality and scope. Under this plan the School attracted national and internationally recognized faculty conducting outstanding research on fundamental problems in biology. This infusion of new talent to UMKC resulted in accelerated growth in research quantity and quality, as evidenced by support from external funding sources through the national peer review system.
In 1993 the Biology Department, housed in the College of Arts and Sciences was transferred to the School. With this move the School of Basic Life Sciences was renamed the School of Biological Sciences and the mission was broadened to encompass educational and research programs across the spectrum of modern biological sciences. Broadening the SBS mission necessitated the expansion of research faculty in new areas including evolution, molecular genetics, developmental biology, and bioinformatics. Today, the SBS academic programs and research expertise are representative of many disciplines of modern cellular and molecular biological sciences. A little more than a decade after the expansion of the SBS mission our School has matured into an established and well-rounded biological sciences program. In 2003, Professor Lawrence A. Dreyfus was appointed Dean.
