A Message from the Dean

The story of American agriculture is one of the greatest successes of the 20th century. Today, our food is abundant, inexpensive, and easily acquired. Modern agriculture is a highly sophisticated science involving biology, chemistry, biotechnology, engineering, genomics, economics, computer science, and many other disciplines. Despite our plenty, one of the most significant challenges facing our world is providing food, fiber, and fuel to all people everywhere without compromising our precious natural resources.  

The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources serves as a repository for knowledge accrued over three millennia of agricultural practices and examination of the natural world, but it is also the crucible for the forging of new discoveries, new policies, and a new generation of professionals, researchers, and advocates for agriculture and the environment.  We are a strong, vibrant community of students, faculty, staff, and friends and partners united around a shared passion for the natural world.  We cover many disciplines –animal and plant biology, reproduction, disease, and epidemiology; ecosystem health and biodiversity; environmental stewardship, law, and economics; horticulture; and food production.  In all of these fields, we offer a wide range of opportunities – both inside and outside the classroom – for you to learn and explore.  We value hands-on learning and provide many opportunities for undergraduate and graduate research, independent study, community outreach and education, and study abroad trips on five continents!  Our faculty are a rich resource committed to teaching, learning, personal development, and shared discovery.

If you are concerned about the environment we have inherited and must preserve, interested in improving the food supply for the growing world population, committed to helping communities make economically and environmentally sustainable decisions, and especially if you seek a career that applies your skills and creativity for the betterment of the world we live in, then the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources might just be the place for you. We can help you turn your avocation into a vocation and your passion into a career that will change our world.

I invite you to browse these pages, to ponder the facets of agriculture, natural resources, horticulture, and the environment, and their importance to our world. Please contact us personally for more information, and we will show you the fascinating and intertwined world of agriculture and natural resources.

Sincerely yours,
Robin Morgan, Ph.D.
Dean