Dean's View

Dean's View
Dean John Hammel

This holiday season offers a good time to review 2004 accomplishments at the University of Idaho's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Despite ever more tightly squeezed budgets and lingering faculty and staff vacancies, I am especially proud that our faculty and staff continue to produce excellent science and education to benefit the people of Idaho.

This issue reflects some highlights. I am proud that our 4-H staff has stepped up to help children of Idaho's National Guard families deal with the absence of their parents as they are deployed to serve our country. Idaho 4-H succeeds every year in finding new ways to develop leadership in children in both urban and rural Idaho communities. Thanks to Carol Benesh for helping make Idaho one of 15 pilot states for Operation: Military Kids.

Our UI Extension specialists and educators, located in nearly every Idaho county, always seek newer and better ways to serve the state, too. I add my congratulations to Shelly Johnson for working with other Idaho agencies to find ways to help our older residents in northern Idaho stay healthy and independent longer through improving what and how often they eat. Kudos also to Beverly Healy and Marilyn Bischoff for helping Ada County residents gain financial fitness in uncertain times.

Wise fiscal management and ongoing support from the Idaho Legislature and our food commodity groups-including the Idaho Wheat Commission -helped our dollars stretch to include needed improvements such as expanding our Idaho Wheat Quality Research Laboratory at Aberdeen. Lab tests are absolutely essential to our staying competitive in the global wheat market. And don't forget that our scientists and wheat breeders have released 24 new wheats since 1989-many of them exceptional. Thanks to Ed Souza, Bob Zemetra, Katherine O'Brien, and their colleagues.

This issue especially celebrates what our faculty and students are doing to improve our engagement with the world beyond our United States. As scientific research in other countries improves, we need to partner in their discoveries. And as developing countries become more affluent, we want to be first in line to sell our agricultural products to them.

Best ways to cultivate these global successes include developing trust and credibility via our student and scholar exchanges, collaborating in scientific research, and participating in USAID Farmer-to-Farmer and other exchange programs. Don't miss our report on the National Science Foundation-funded doctoral program, where 19 UI students work with scientists in Idaho and Costa Rica to solve tough agricultural and environmental problems.

We at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences wish each of you a happy holiday. We thank you for all your support and look forward to serving you in 2005!

top