New Dean named for the College of Agricultural Sciences

Craig_Beyrouty.jpgColorado State University has named Purdue University department chairman Craig Beyrouty as the dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences. Beyrouty will begin his new job on or around July 10.

Agricultural leader now and in the future

"A strong College of Agricultural Sciences is an essential part of Colorado State's land-grant mission to conduct groundbreaking research that benefits industry and consumers, while also preparing well-qualified graduates for our state's agricultural workforce," said Anthony A. Frank, interim president.

"We believe Dr. Beyrouty has the ability and the experience to work closely and collaboratively with the different sectors of Colorado's agricultural industry, supporting the needs of production agriculture, and positioning CSU's College of Agricultural Sciences to be a research leader now and in the future." Beyrouty currently heads the Department of Agronomy at Purdue and also serves as a professor at the university.

Agronomy background

Beyrouty has been at Purdue since 2001. As head of the Department of Agronomy, he had administrative responsibility for 51 faculty and 310 staff and students. The programs in the department focus on four main areas: genetic improvement of economic crops, environmental soil science and landscape processes, cropping systems and plant nutrition, and turf and the urban interface. Prior to joining Purdue, he was at the University of Arkansas from 1984-2000.

"We are pleased to welcome Dr. Beyrouty to Colorado State University. His extensive experience at Purdue, a land grant institution, will be invaluable to our College and our institution as we strive to elevate our national stature and offer the state of Colorado the best agricultural training and expertise available," said Rick Miranda, interim provost at Colorado State University.

Beyrouty succeeds Marc Johnson, who left Colorado State in June 2008 for a position at the University of Nevada-Reno. Lee Sommers, associate dean for research in the College of Agricultural Sciences, has been serving as interim dean.

Very pleased with candidates

Four finalists were on campus for interviews in January and February. They included: Sonny Ramaswamy, associate dean of agriculture and director of agricultural research programs, Purdue University; Kevin Heinz, chairman, Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University; Ken Odde, chairman, Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University; and Beyrouty.

"We were very pleased with the candidates we brought to campus," said Lance Perryman, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and chairman of the search committee. "Craig Beyrouty clearly demonstrated that he was the right fit for students, faculty and fellow administrators during his interviews. He was also very impressive during meetings with representatives of Colorado agricultural commodity groups."

College has five departments, over 1,250 undergraduate students

Beyrouty will oversee Colorado State's College of Agricultural Sciences, which includes the departments of:

Over 1,250 students pursue undergraduate degrees through nine fields of study offered by the five departments. An additional 260 students pursue M.S. and Ph.D. level education under the direction of college faculty. Three of the 16 University Distinguished Professors and one of the 12 University Distinguished Teaching Scholars hold faculty appointments in the College. The Center for Meat Safety and Quality, and the Wheat Research, Outreach and Education Program are designated as two University Programs of Research and Scholarly Excellence.

Beyrouty is a member of Sigma Xi, the American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

He received his doctoral and master's degrees in soil science from Purdue and his bachelors from Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Last Updated ( Friday, 28 August 2009 )