10-21-99

Contacts:
Rollin Richmond, Provost, (515) 294-0070
Harley Moon, Veterinary Medicine, (515) 294-9327
John McCarroll, University Relations, (515) 294-6136

ISU ANNOUNCES AG DEAN CANDIDATES

AMES, Iowa -- Six finalists have been named in the search for a new dean of the College of Agriculture at Iowa State University and will visit campus during the next seven weeks.

The candidates are Alan Bennett, associate dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Davis; Cornelia Butler Flora, director of the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, Iowa State; Joseph Jwu-shan Jen, dean of the College of Agriculture, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Gary Minish, head of the department of animal and poultry sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg; Colin Scanes, executive associate dean of agriculture at Iowa State; and Paul Wangsness, senior associate dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park.

Each candidate will participate in an open forum from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in 1204 Kildee Hall, followed by a reception in the Kildee atrium. Following the reception, each candidate will participate in a presentation and discussion over the Iowa Communications Network from 5:15 to 6 p.m. in Room 9 Curtiss Hall. The ICN event will enable ISU Extension staff to meet the candidates.

The open forum and ICN presentation dates for the candidates are:
  • Wangsness: Oct. 28.
  • Minish: Nov. 1 (ICN presentatation); Nov. 2 (open forum).
  • Scanes: Nov. 11.
  • Jen: Nov. 15.
  • Flora: Nov. 30.
  • Bennett: Dec. 7.
Each of the candidates also will meet for an hour with students in the College of Agriculture. Following is that schedule:
  • Wangsness: Oct. 29, 1-2 p.m., 142 Curtiss
  • Minish: Nov. 1, 2-3 p.m., 106 Curtiss
  • Scanes: Nov. 12, 1-2 p.m., 8 Curtiss
  • Jen: Nov. 16, 10-11 a.m., 8 Curtiss
  • Flora: Nov. 29, 1-2 p.m., 142 Curtiss
  • Bennett: Dec. 8, 1-2 p.m., 142 Curtiss

Lastly, the candidates will participate in a one-hour diversity forum hosted by the college's diversity committee. Following is that schedule:

  • Wangsness: Oct. 29, 3-4 p.m., 142 Curtiss
  • Minish: Nov. 2, 11 a.m.-noon, 8 Curtiss
  • Scanes: Nov. 12, 3-4 p.m., 142 Curtiss
  • Jen: Nov. 16, 3-4 p.m., 8 Curtiss
  • Flora: Nov. 29, 3-4 p.m., 142 Curtiss
  • Bennett: Dec. 8, 3-4 p.m., 142 Curtiss


Bennett has been an associate dean at the University of California since 1993. He was chair of the department of vegetable crops (1990-1993) and has held various faculty positions since joining the University of California in 1983. He received a B.S. in plant physiology from the University of California (1977) and a Ph.D. in plant physiology from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. (1982).

Flora has been the center director at Iowa State since 1994. She also holds the Chair in Sustainable Agricultural Systems at the School of Agriculture, Minnesota Institute of Sustainable Agriculture, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (1999-2000). She was head of the department of sociology at Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg (1989-1994), and held various faculty positions at Kansas State University, Manhattan (1970-1989). She was program adviser to the Ford Foundation for agriculture and rural development for the Andean Region and Southern Cone, Bogota, Columbia (1978-1980) and director of the Population Research Laboratory at the Kansas State Agricultural Experiment Station (1970-1978). She received a B.A. in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley (1965), an M.S. in rural sociology (1966) and a Ph.D. in development sociology (1970) from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.

Jen has been dean since he joined Cal Poly in 1992. He was a division chairman and department head of the division of food science and technology at the University of Georgia, Athens (1986-1992), and he was manager, group manager and then director of research at the Campbell Institute of Research and Technology, Campbell Soup Co., Camden, N.J. (1980-1986). Jen also held faculty positions at Michigan State University, East Lansing (1979-1980) and Clemson University, South Carolina (1969-1979). He was a research food technologist with the Agricultural Marketing Research Institute, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Md. (1975-1976). He received a B.S. in agricultural chemistry from National Taiwan University, Taiwan, Republic of China (1960), M.S. in food science from Washington State University, Pullman (1964), a Ph.D. in comparative biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley (1969); and an M.B.A. (marketing) from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (1986).

Minish has been department head at Virginia Polytechnic since 1994. He joined the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University faculty in 1970, and has served as assistant dean and assistant director of resident instruction (1984-1986) and associate dean and director of development and agriculture technology (1986-1988). He received a B.S. in animal science from Iowa State (1962) and a Ph.D. in animal science from Michigan State University, East Lansing (1966).

Scanes has been executive associate dean at ISU and associate director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station since 1995. He recently was named interim director of the Plant Sciences Institute. Before coming to Iowa State, he was director of the Center for Animal Damage Control (1994-1995) and chairman of the department of animal sciences (1981-1995) and a faculty member (1978-1995) at Rutgers -- The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick; and a lecturer in the department of animal physiology and nutrition at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. He received a B.Sc. from Hull University, U.K. (1969), a Ph.D. from the University of Wales, U.K. (1972); and a D.Sc. from Hull University, U.K. (1985).

Wangsness has been senior associate dean at Penn State since 1997. Other positions he has held at Penn State include acting associate dean for research and graduate education (1997), associate dean (1994-1996), director of the capital extension region (1989-1994), head of the dairy and animal science department (1980-1989) and various faculty positions (1972-1980). He received a B.S. in agriculture from the University of Wisconsin, Madison (1966) and a Ph.D. in nutrition physiology from ISU (1971).

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Editors note: All ICN discussions will take place at these sites around the state:

1. DMACC, Building 6, Room 8; 2006 S. Ankeny Blvd., Ankeny
2. Cedar Rapids Prairie High School, Room F203, 401 76th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids
3. Lewis-Wallace Research Farm, ISU Extension Center, 53020 Hitchcock Ave., Lewis
4. NIACC, Classroom 1, Activity Center 106, 500 College Dr., Mason City
5. Indian Hills Community College, 108 Advanced Tech Center, 525 Grandview Ave., Ottumwa
6. Sioux City North High School, 4200 Cheyenne Blvd., Sioux City
7. Waterloo CC (CART), ICN classroom, Tama Hall, 1501 E. Orange Rd., Waterloo
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