CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 02/16/05

Finalists chosen in UGA search for CAES dean

By Larry B. Dendy
University of Georgia

The search for a new dean of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences has been narrowed to three finalists. The three will visit the campus this month to meet with faculty, staff and students in the college.

A search committee selected the finalists from candidates identified in a national search. They are:

  • Joseph C. Joyce, executive associate vice president for agriculture and natural resources in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida.

  • D.C. Coston, associate director of the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station and a professor of horticulture at Oklahoma State University.

  • Sonny Ramaswamy, head of the entomology department and University Distinguished Professor at Kansas State University.
The new dean will succeed Gale A. Buchanan, who stepped down as dean Dec. 31 and will retire from the university April 30. Josef M. Broder is serving as interim dean until a permanent dean can begin work.

Background

Joyce has been with IFAS in the University of Florida since 1983. An expert in aquatic plant management and control, he is a past president of the International Aquatic Plant Management Society. He is also a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Coston is interim associate director of the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. Before joining Oklahoma State in 1995, he was at Clemson University as associate dean and associate director of the South Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station. He's an authority on natural resources systems and management.

Ramaswamy is an expert on insect pheromones and reproductive biology. Before becoming head of the KSU entomology department in 1977, he was a professor at Mississippi State University. He helped create a butterfly conservatory and insect zoo at KSU and has written more than 100 journal articles and book chapters.

Visits

Joyce will visit UGA Feb. 16-19. He will present an open seminar Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. in room 307 of Conner Hall. It will be broadcast by satellite to faculty at CAES units in Tifton, Griffin, Statesboro and Fort Valley.

Coston will be on campus Feb. 20-22 and will present an open seminar Feb. 21 at 1:30 p.m. Ramaswamy will visit Feb. 23-25, with an open seminar on Feb. 24 at 2:15 p.m. These two seminar sites have not yet been set. Both, though, will be broadcast by satellite to other locations.

George Benson, dean of UGA's Terry College of Business, chairs the search committee.

(Larry Dendy is the assistant to the associate vice president for public affairs of the University of Georgia.)

Larry Dendy is assistant to the associate vice president for public affairs of the University of Georgia.

Experts/Sources:
uga commencement CAES News
CAES to celebrate new graduates during May 9 convocation 04/18/24 Sameeka Prabath Rajamani
As another academic year draws to a close, the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is gearing up for its Athens campus convocation ceremony, which will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, at The Classic Center in Athens. “Each year, it’s an honor to celebrate the success of our CAES graduates,” said CAES Dean and Director Nick T. Place. “It’s amazing what these students accomplish during their time with us, and I’m always excited to commemorate this next step in their lives as they continue on to either further studies or the start of their careers.”
A student harvests red clover at UGArden. CAES News
UGA horticulture class shows students the science behind herbal remedies 04/16/24 Sameeka Prabath Rajamani
The field of medicine is ever-changing, and the use of herbal medicines may play a bigger role in health care as the value of natural remedies gain recognition in the Western world. Students at the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are delving into the field of medicinal remedies through the class “Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants.” Offered to undergraduate students through the Department of Horticulture, the class helps students develop a deeper understanding of the connection between nature and health.
Using robotics to help sort onions on Georgia farms CAES News
Using robotics to help sort onions on Georgia farms 04/15/24 David Mitchell
During the pandemic, labor problems became acute on many farms in Georgia and across the country. Farms once staffed by humans to bring produce from the field to stores for purchase were suddenly short-staffed, and the global supply chain was severely impacted. Working with UGA’s Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center and A&M Farms in Lyons, Georgia, a team of researchers led by School of Computing Professor Prashant Doshi is designing collaborative robots to mitigate some of these potential challenges.
2024 honorees are William D. Branch, Georgia Seed Development Professor in Peanut Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, and Elzie Argene Claxton, an agriculture educator and 1980 CAES agricultural education graduate who went on to earn a master’s degree in 1982 and education specialist degree in 1984 from UGA’s College of Education. CAES News
Innovator, educator inducted into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame 04/11/24 Maria M. Lameiras
An innovator in peanut breeding whose research revitalized an industry and an ardent champion of agricultural education were inducted into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame at the 68th University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Alumni Association Awards in Athens. The 2024 honorees are William D. Branch, Georgia Seed Development Professor in Peanut Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, and Elzie Argene Claxton, an agriculture educator and 1980 CAES agricultural education graduate.
Peach growers are looking forward to a fruitful season as the weather this winter and spring have been near-perfect for the sensitive crop. This year is projected to be a much-needed comeback from the disastrous season they experienced after a late freeze in March 2023 took out more than 90% of the state's crop. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA) CAES News
Growers hopeful 2024 peach season will rebound from disastrous 2023 04/10/24 Emily Cabrera
Last year, the peach industry lost $60 million due to the late freeze that hit much of the Southeast in mid-March 2023, said Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent for Peach and Taylor counties. With no freezing temperatures in the forecast and hope for strong pricing during the upcoming season, peach growers are looking forward to a much-needed rebound year.
UGA wheat breeder and geneticist Mohamed Mergoum smells one of several test brews created by Creature Comforts on its annual Get Comfortable collaboration using a variety of wheat Mergoum developed at CAES. CAES News
Creature Comforts partners with UGA wheat breeder to create 2024 Get Comfortable brew 04/09/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Wheat breeders spend years meticulously crossing varieties to coax the best traits out of each species, carefully propagating plant varieties that are healthier, heartier and better suited for the environments where they are grown. Brewmasters are equally painstaking when choosing the components that will give their beers a specific flavor profile. These two exacting professions came together this spring when Athens-based Creature Comforts Brewing Co. reached out to the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences to find a sustainable wheat variety they could use to make a good beer for a great cause.