Gordon Baylis, vice president for Research, is assembling a task force to evaluate research, creative activity and expand outreach at WKU.

“It’s for us really to be able to articulate what we are good at and what we are aiming to be as we improve in the future,” Baylis said.

He is searching for six to 12 faculty members to serve on the task force to meet over the summer and deliver a report in the fall semester.

“The main outcome is to make us more focused on improving the research we do as part of our educational mission and more focused on the society around us,” Baylis said. “We’ve got to make sure we’re good at the things we need to be good at.”

In an email to faculty and staff last week, Baylis said considerations are WKU’s current strengths, as well as where ideas should be formed to improve strengths.

He said he is hoping to get people from a variety of disciplines to offer input.

“I’m looking for people who are thoughtful — who are able to step back from what we’re doing and think, not just how are we doing, but what should we be doing,” Baylis said. “I think we’re going to have some painful discussion behind those doors, but we need to be frank about things.”

Baylis said he is taking both nominations and self-nominations for the task force.