CAHNRS News – May 15, 2009

CAHNRS/WSU Extension Retreat Launches Integration Process

Dear Colleagues,

It seems like a lot of time has passed since President Floyd’s announcement about the integration of CAHNRS and WSU Extension. Given the pressures of the budget reduction proposals, we really haven’t had an opportunity to dig into what that integration really means – until this week.

Administrators from CAHNRS and WSU Extension spent Tuesday in an all-day retreat at the Compton Union Building. CAHNRS academic department chairs were there, as well as WSU Extension district directors and program directors, associate deans and key staff from the business office, development and marketing and news. It was great to finally have everyone in the same room.

The retreat focused on several things, but primarily, we learned a little more about the new administrative structure under which we’ll be working and started a process for integration of the two units. As a group, we identified the most pressing issues, including faculty roles, grants, improving communication throughout the organization and developing research and extension teams to make us more competitive in winning external funding.

The retreat was a good beginning to what will be an ongoing process. I’ll be working with the associate deans to take the next steps in the process, most likely, the assignment of several committees to explore and make recommendations for each of the major issues we identified. Associate Dean Linda Kirk Fox and I also will be participating in the Extension districts’ summer meetings to listen and answer questions.

Thank you for your ongoing support and patience. I am optimistic that by this time next year, we will have a fully integrated organization leveraging the best of both the college and WSU Extension.

Best regards,
Dan Bernardo

Kudos

AMDT associate professor Dr. Catherine Black’s submission to the Queen Sirikit Institute of Sericulture Peacock Standard of Thai Silk Design Competition, Career Elegance, was selected as one of the top 10 entries. Her garment is currently on its way to Thailand.

James Harbertson, assistant scientist in the School of Food Science, is a finalist in the 2009 AGFD Young Scientist Award and will present a talk at the American Chemical Society meeting in August in Washington, D.C. Harbertson’s talk is entitled Development of functional assays for determining specific phenolic classes in grapes and wines.”

Congratulations on the incredible showing and resulting success of Interior Design students at a recent student design competition hosted by the Retail Design Institute. ID students placed in all the cash awards categories and brought home one of the two Honorable Mentions as well. Here are the winners:

• 1st Place – Chung Yung (Simon) Ho
• 2nd Place – Gwen McConn
• 3rd Place – Natasha Palewicz
• Honorable Mention – Meagan Phillips

Along with the above awards, the department will receive a check for $1000.00 from the International office of the Retail Design Institute.

The winning students have also been invited them to the Institute’s “Grocery Couture” Event next Thursday at the St. John Boutique at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif.

In addition, Cassidy Lange took second in the IIDA Sustainable Design Competition with her grocery design proposal.

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