Michigan State Alumi Help

[zahor12]

Hey Everyone,

I am looking for anyone who went to Michigan State for their Forestry degree(s).

Due to budget cuts they are planing to dissolve the department. I am currently a undergrad student in Forestry and the club president. I am asking for support from anyone one who cares about the department and the future of the forestry profession.

Thanks,

Lily

[Jeff]

Have you tried to contact the Michigan Association of Timbermen? Or Bill Cook? They both should have plenty of names and contacts for you.

[Ron Scott]

RE:  MSU COLLEGE OF NATURAL RESOURCES PROPOSED RESTRUCTURE

Briefly, Dean Jeffrey Armstrong is proposing a significant restructuring of the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR). The Department of Forestry will cease to exist if his proposals are implemented (Dean's proposal overview is below).

The Dean's existing proposal may affect professional foresters and forestry in our state and elsewhere. In short, the CANR Dean is proposing a new Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management (NREM) that will rename and broaden "the scope of the fisheries and wildlife department.  While this department builds on the core of FW, selected components of Forestry will be integrated within the new department.  Forestry will be transitioned to a program...Forestry faculty will have appointments in the program and at least one other department." So, potentially forest products faculty may be in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Economics, economists may become part of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Economics, other faculty may be in NREM and so on. The eventual dispersal of faculty is speculation at this point, but the proposal is for MSU Forestry faculty to have new departmental homes "across a range of CANR departments."

Undergraduate forestry education, if it exists, will likely be in the new NREM department--to date, no discussion of undergraduate forestry education has been held in presentations of the new department alignments. Forestry has been involved with continuing discussions regarding CANR direction, so concerns and suggestions have been voiced. Several of the Forestry representatives walked out of the Dean's discussions.

At this point, the Dean is forwarding his recommendations to Provost Kim Wilcox (kwilcox@msu.edu) and eventually to President Lou Anna K. Simon (presmail@msu.edu). They will make the final decision on the Department of Forestry's future. If you wish to add your voice to this discussion, you may wish to contact them or pursue other measures you feel are appropriate.

[beenthere]

That change has taken place to several other Forestry Dept's across the country.