The University of Wisconsin’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences is in the process of choosing a new dean. Its outcome will signal much about the university’s intentions for rural Wisconsin.
….The university recognizes that agriculture is more than a $51 billion industry in the state. It affects cultural, recreational, community and consumer values statewide. The next dean must commit to engage that complexity, not instead of biotechnology, but along with it. He or she must lead in listening to farmers, landowners, consumers and others and bring together teams across academic disciplines to address these diverse needs. That is the course of continued relevance for the UW-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.