Department of Forestry Funding Priorities

Wood Products Sales, Manufacturing and Marketing Program The Department of Forestry is creating a new undergraduate curriculum in the area of Wood Products Sales, Manufacturing, and Marketing. A recent gift of $1,000,000 from Fred Arnold enabled the department to initiate the program. The primary focus will be at the undergraduate level, though a Masters program will also be developed in the future.

Wood is now purchased and sold on a commodity basis in international markets, and companies need employees with the combination of understanding of the products, marketing skills, and business acumen to work effectively in this new arena. In addition, national retail chains have created a market for graduates who understand a broad array of wood products that have recently become available due to modern wood composites technology and who have the training to serve as buyers for their stores. Endowment funding is needed for scholarships, visiting lecturers, instructional equipment and programmatic funding.

Endowed Chair in Production Ecology/Plant Pest Ecology (jointly with Crop and Soil Sciences, Entomology, Horticulture and Plant Pathology) Expansion of interdisciplinary research and education programs in production and plant pest ecology is needed to diversify and sustain agricultural productivity. An endowed position would expand linkages among crop production and protection disciplines to address fundamental research that links commodity and resource issues and to prepare undergraduate and graduate students for the complex issues facing plant production and related industries. Endowment may be designed to enhance an existing program or to create a new program.

Endowed Chair in Sustainable Forest Management This position will establish MSU as a leading university in developing sustainable management practices for forest resources and is pivotal in providing the research and teaching needed for the development of criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management. A senior-scientist is needed to provide the hub for research and teaching that integrate the biological, abiotic, economic, and social components of sustainable forest management and which will help redefine forest management practices for Michigan's future.

Endowed professorships To attract established faculty and individuals of national reputations to departmental positions, named professorships are needed. Currently the greatest areas of need are in wood products, forest management and forest ecology, although departmental programs in urban forestry, forest economics, forest sociology, forest soils and forest biology would all be appropriate disciplines for such positions. Funds from an endowment of this type will enable the faculty member to attract top students, hire technical support, and provide needed equipment, or even provide the salary enhancement the department needs to attract top, established faculty. The Department of Forestry is seeking two $1,500,000 endowments for named professorships.

Overseas study endowments The increasingly global nature of forestry demands that top educational programs offer students a variety of options in gaining international exposure and experience during their undergraduate education. A total of $1,500,000 is needed with named gift opportunities beginning at $30,000.

Graduate education research endowments To attract top quality graduate students and maintain a nationally recognized graduate research program, endowments are needed for visiting lecturers, research endowments, libraries and cutting edge equipment. Regularly scheduled colloquia add richness to the graduate experience by bringing nationally recognized leaders to campus to make presentations and engage in discussions with graduate students and faculty. An overall goal of $1,000,000 is needed with a variety of named gift opportunities from $50,000 and up.

Summer Camp endowment The Forestry Summer Camp experience is fundamental to sound training of professional foresters. It is a time when students test and apply new knowledge, gain experience with field skills, and most importantly, mature in their perception of themselves as professionals. By the end of spring semester most students find themselves strapped for funds. The cost of education has increased to the point that few students can make it through the year without working, and most need their full summer's wages to have the funds for the following school year. When combined with the outlay of an additional $800 for camp, many students are forced into the difficult decision of changing majors or not being able to complete school.

To assure that this valuable educational experience remains a part of our curriculum, and to expand it to be a more complete experience, we are seeking to establish an endowed fund of $250,000 to offset the cost of camp for our students. We would expand the camp to include travel to major wood processing facilities, sites of unique ecological significance, and areas where complex management objectives that balance habitat, timber, and tourism goals are implemented. This would add immensely to the educational value of the camp and would leave a lasting mark on the ability of our graduates to help society solve the issues of sustainable forest management.