College-Level Funding Priorities

Undergraduate scholarships To provide opportunity to deserving students, attract promising students, improve access to programs and enhance the diversity of the CANR, scholarships for undergraduate students are needed. Full-support student awards provide full tuition and funds toward room, board, and expenses. The minimum endowment for such award is $250,000. An endowed scholarship for tuition only may be established with a $100,000 endowment. Partial-tuition scholarships may be endowed with a minimum of $30,000. The CANR looks to provide two new full-support student awards, three new endowed scholarships for tuition only, and ten new partial tuition scholarships.

Endowed land-grant graduate fellowships The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources is grounded in the land-grant mission and provides unique opportunities for graduate students to engage in teaching, research and outreach within their graduate programs. Graduate fellowships offer tuition assistance for graduate students, allowing the college to be competitive with its peer institutions and continue to attract and retain top quality students to its programs. The CANR looks to provide four new graduate fellowships at $500,000 each to attract high-achieving graduate students to its programs.

Endowed faculty chairs and professorshipsFaculty chairs and professorships enable the college to attract prominent scholars and emerging academic leaders to MSU. Endowed chairs are the highest level of recognition given to faculty and help in recruiting top graduate students to a department or program. Investment required is $3,000,000 to $8,000,000 each depending on laboratory requirements.

• Endowed Chair in Animal Genomics (CANR) - $3,000,000
• Endowed Chair in Plant Genomics (CANR) - $3,000,000
• Endowed Chair in Environmental Science and Policy (CANR) - $3,000,000
• Endowed Chair in International Food Safety Education (Colleges of Vet.Medicine, CANR, Osteopathic Medicine and National Food Safety & Toxicology Center) - $3,000,000
• Endowed Chair in Food, Agricultural and Community Ethics (joint appointment in College of Arts & Letters and CANR) - FUNDED Endowed Chair in Food Safety and Biosecurity (Food Science & Human Nutrition, Packaging, Agricultural Engineering) - $3,000,000
• Endowed Chair in Agribusiness Management (Agricultural Economics) - $3,000,000
• Endowed Chair in Environmental Economics Management (Agricultural Economics) - $3,000,000
• Endowed Professorship in Residential Construction (Construction Management) - $1.5/$3M
• Endowed Professorship in Commercial Construction (Construction Management) - $1.5/$3M
• Endowed Professorship in Energy Efficient Construction (Construction Management) - $1.5/$3M
• Endowed Professorship in Land Use Planning (Construction Management) - $1.5/$3M
• Endowed Chair in Systematics and Biodiversity (Entomology) - $3,000,000
• Endowed Professorship in Environmental Ethics (Fisheries and Wildlife) - $3,000,000
• Endowed Chair in Sustainable Forest Management (Forestry) - $1.5/$3M
• Public Horticulture Chair (Horticulture) - $3,000,000
• Endowed Chair in Packaging (Packaging) - $3,000,000
• Endowed Chair in Recreation (Park, Recreation & Tourism Resources) - $3,000,000
• The Gordon and Norma Guyer and Gary L. Seevers Endowed Chair in Natural Resource Conservation (Resource Dev.) - $3,000,000
• Endowed Chair in Energy Policy (Resource Dev.) - $1.5/$3M
• Endowed Chair in Environmental Health (Resource Dev.) - $1.5/$3M
• Endowed Professorship in Land Development (Resource Dev.) - $1.5/$3M
• Endowed Chair in Production Ecology/Plant Pest Ecology (Crop and Soil Sciences, Forestry, Entomology, Horticulture and Plant Pathology) - $1.5/$5M

Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP)Environmental Stewardship impacts virtually every department and unit within the college. The college seeks to draw on existing areas of expertise and excellence within the college, develop new programs, and foster a greater collaborative effort in addressing environmental issues in order to meet future demands for education, research and outreach. An integrated program (ESPP) will provide students with a better philosophical understanding of the biophysical environment and how it functions, practical methods for solving environmental issues and Earth systems, and an ability to broadly understand and converse on the scientific, ethical, social and political aspects of environmental issues. The ESPP unit will catalyze interdisciplinary research on environmental issues and provide outreach that improves integration of disciplines to address practical problems of a larger scope. Endowments are needed for programmatic support, faculty positions, scholarships and research endeavors.

Program of Excellence in Animal Biotechnology Michigan State University has a long history of serving the needs of the animal industry. We are now at a pivotal time in the evolution of animal science. Our excellence in animal genomic research is a key component of our long-term strategy of leadership in meeting the current and future needs of agriculture as an industry. Fundamental research into the inner workings of animal cells will dramatically impact agriculture, medicine and life as we know it. Animal genomics will greatly increase the practicality of generating more highly productive farm animals, enhancing the evolution of disease-resistance and offering tremendous promise to applications for improving both animal and human health. The study of genomics will bring new methods for preventing and treating disease in both animals and humans, and may offer new tools for improving wildlife populations - promulgating endangered species and reintroducing species on the verge of extinction as well. This new program will encompass resources within the Department of Animal Science, the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, and the College of Veterinary Medicine among others, as we advance knowledge through research that answers human needs and stimulates economic growth.

Endowed Chair of Plant Genomics Using biotechnology, scientists hope to overcome three limitations of traditional plant breeding: the length of time this type of breeding takes, the uncertain yields and other traits in the intermediate breeding stock, and a limited gene pool from which to isolate new traits. The new molecular approach enables genes to be moved within and across species faster and more efficiently than happens naturally. Besides improving the food supply, scientists are also looking to use biotechnology to improve everyone's quality of life and the quality of the environment - producing plant-based materials that are sustainable and environmentally benign. Nutritional genomics will increase the nutritional value of Michigan fruits, vegetables and grains, while bio-based materials and fuels from Michigan-grown crops will provide environmental and economic benefits to the state. Michigan agriculture will benefit from a world-class research program that uses all available technology to develop new markets and products for Michigan-grown grains, fruits, vegetables, ornamentals and forest products. An Endowed Chair in Plant Biotechnology will work across departments and colleges to expand MSU's capacity in plant biotechnology.

Natural Resources Building Annex The Natural Resources Building, at the southeast corner of Farm Lane and Shaw Road, was constructed in 1966. Since then, the programs in the departments of Fisheries and Wildlife, Forestry and Resource Development have grown tremendously in size, impact and significance to meet the needs of the people of Michigan. Growth has often come as the result of partnerships with individuals, industries and government - as in the case of the 12 positions added to the CANR under the Partnership for Ecosystem Research and Management (PERM) program. And, while these world-class programs are touching lives and having a tremendous impact on their respective fields of science, the facilities that house them were not built with the current size and complexity of these programs in mind and are inadequate to meet future needs. Adding modernized laboratory space to the Natural Resources Building is the top facility funding priority for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. In the future, we also look to house the Construction Management Program in its expanding roll within such an annex.

Cook Hall restoration Cook Hall, built in 1889, is among the oldest structures on campus and part of historic "laboratory row," which also includes Chittenden Hall, Old Botany, Marshall Hall and Eustace Hall. This unusually intact grouping of late nineteenth-century structures is characteristic of what once existed on many other land-grant college campuses, and is listed on the State Register of Historic Sites. Cook Hall, originally designed as the first agricultural laboratory on campus, is in need of major restoration work to maintain its structural integrity. When Agriculture Hall was completed next door in 1909, Cook Hall became "Entomology" as the inset granite plaque above the entrance indicates. After 1948, entomology moved to Natural Science and in 1969 this building was renamed Cook Hall in honor of Albert J. Cook (Class of 1962) who, after study at Harvard University, returned here as an instructor in mathematics. Later, he became a professor of zoology and entomology and one of the leading economic entomologists in the United States. He also served as the first curator of the MSU Museum. Cook Hall today houses a portion of the Department of Agricultural Economics.

The Sustainable Michigan Fund The Sustainable Michigan Fund is an important endeavor that will provide grants to MSU's physical, natural, and social scientists that seek to build a more sustainable Michigan. The Sustainable Michigan Fund will offer MSU scientists resources to look beyond narrowly focused technical questions facing the development and use of natural resources, and to work collaboratively across departments, investigators, disciplines and colleges to meet the challenges of sustainability. This fund will be especially valuable in providing the leverage needed to access other funding opportunities requiring matching investments. A grant of $1.5 million from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation will help establish the newly created fund; our goal is to build this endowment to a total of $5,000,000.

College-level endowed visiting professorships Three college-level endowments are needed to bring in visiting, world-renowned scholars in the areas of plant and animal biotechnology, environmental studies and land use, to interact with students and faculty members. These endowed visiting professorships will enable the college to address cutting-edge research and scholarship that is determined to be of the highest priority by industry and the university. These positions would offer one to two-year visiting positions for scholars or leaders in the field who can lend their expertise on a short-term basis in the classroom and/or the laboratory. Endowments of $1,000,000 each are needed for three visiting professorships.

MSU Center for Product Agriculture The MSU Center for Product Agriculture will provide a coordinated, university-wide response for product agriculture entrepreneurs and managers. This consumer- responsive entrepreneurial center will focus on three areas: (1) strategic marketing intelligence; (2) a well-trained first responder network; and, (3) high-level, forward-looking executive and leadership education. The center will facilitate access to MSU technical expertise and new marketing research capacity for product agriculture entrepreneurs and existing firm managers. Access to expertise outside MSU will be facilitated by this Center as well. The Center for Product Agriculture will serve as a key contributor to the newly created Michigan Partnership for Product Agriculture. Producers, processors, and other agri-food system participants would be directly assisted by the Center's work either through access to specific management and marketing advise or through the more general availability of informative research and management education related to promising consumer-responsive products and business concepts.

Study Abroad ProgramsStudy Abroad programs have become an integral component to the educational experience for CANR students. The college is among the leaders of the university in the number of programs offered as well as the number of students participating in these extraordinary learning experiences. Study Abroad experiences are available from three weeks to an entire academic year with opportunities on nearly every continent. Upon return to campus, students report their experiences were life altering. With business becoming more global in nature, employers seek students with the breadth of experience and knowledge gleaned from a Study Abroad experience. Ten named endowments of $30,000 each are needed to help to cover travel and living expenses in order that all students may participate in these experiences regardless of their financial situations.

Undergraduate Diversity Initiatives The CANR Office of Academic and Student Affairs has established multiple, comprehensive initiatives designed to attract and support undergraduates pursuing degrees in a CANR major. In general, underprivileged students are unaware of the many varied career opportunities in agriculture and natural resources-related disciplines. CANR pre-college programs provide tours, demonstrations, and hands-on experiences designed to enhance students' awareness of these opportunities. Endowed scholarships will help support students through their undergraduate careers.

Undergraduate recruitment and placement initiatives The employment demand for CANR undergraduates exceeds the supply in most areas in which our students study. It is critical that students and educators are aware of the various careers and opportunities offered through the college and the importance of agriculture and natural resources to the well being of our state, nation and world.