What are you responsible for as dean of agriculture?

“I’m responsible for providing the leadership and management of the College of Agriculture. I also serve as the director of Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station. The experiment station is the research arm for the issues related to agriculture and home economics in Iowa.”

Why should students know about what you do?

“Students, as members of the College of Agriculture, by being involved in one of our 20 different undergraduate majors, are the heart and soul of the College of Agriculture. I think it helps them understand that there is someone in a leadership position that cares about their experiences that wants to be sure that all of our faculty and staff are working to support their efforts while they’re here at Iowa State University.”

What is a typical day for you?

“A typical day would start usually around seven in the morning, and I might have my first meeting around 7:30 a.m. and when I’m on campus I’m typically in meetings all day. I often times would have an evening event or meeting as well. The meetings that I’m involved in would range from opportunities to obtain funding to help support the college.”

What decisions do you make that directly affect students?

“I think the most important decisions that we make that affect students are related to the curriculum. In addition, many of our student clubs or fraternities have joint interest with the college and want to help recruit students. So we would work on that together and have some shared responsibility and decision making on how to best recruit other students to the college.”