College of Agriculture & Natural Resources About

Michigan State University is conducting a search for its next Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Associate Provost. Updates throughout this process will be provided on this webpage. The executive search firm, Academic Search, will facilitate the search process.

If you have nominations for qualified applicants, please send them to the search firm at this address: msudean@academicsearch.org.

Candidate Materials

Executive Summary 

Michigan State University (MSU) welcomes applications and nominations for the next Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) and Associate Provost. The College, the first at MSU, is nationally and internationally recognized for excellence and innovation. The new Dean and Associate Provost will provide leadership to the three core components that form the foundation of MSU’s mission as a land-grant university: teaching; research and scholarship, including AgBioResearch (our state’s agricultural experimental station equivalent); and outreach and service, including MSU Extension.

The new Dean and Associate Provost is expected to have a record of achievement in the leadership of a complex organization. The Dean and Associate Provost will join MSU’s new leadership team and boldly advance the college within and outside of the university, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in teaching, research, service, and MSU Extension. The Dean and Associate Provost will serve as a strong advocate for CANR, and its faculty and academic staff, support staff, and external stakeholders.

Position Profile

Search Committee Chairs

• Emily Silver, Associate Chairperson, Director of Graduate Studies, and Associate Professor, Human Dimensions of Forestry, Department of Forestry, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Steve Hanson, Vice Provost and Dean Emeritus for International Studies and Programs; Professor, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Search Committee Members

• Teresa Bergholz, Associate Professor, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Lori Bramble, Research Administration Manager, MSU AgBioResearch, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Hannah Burrack, Professor and Chairperson, Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Asia Dowtin, Assistant Professor of Urban and Community Forestry, Department of Forestry, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Mary Hausbeck, Associate Chairperson, University Distinguished Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Lauren Higgs, Undergraduate Student, Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Alonda Johnson, Ph.D. Candidate, School of Packaging, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Mary Kelpinski, Chief Executive Officer of the Michigan Pork Producers Association (MPPA)
• Jesus Lara**, 1855 Professor, Urban and Regional Planning, School of Planning, Design, and Construction, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Frank Lupi, Professor, Department Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Jennifer Petzko, Senior Academic Specialist-Advisor, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics
• Luke Reese, Associate Professor, Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Michael Wagner, Associate Professor, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Kendra Wills, MSU Product Center Innovation Counselor and Extension Educator, Ottawa County Extension Office, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

**Affirmative Action Advocate

Search Firm Partners

• Maria Thompson, Senior Consultant, Academic Search
• Cynthia Patterson, Senior Consultant, Academic Search
• Penny Gibbons, Associate Consultant, Academic Search

MSU Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs Search Team Members

• Kathy Charles, Senior Director, MSU Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs
• Alison Tange, Program Administrator, MSU Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs

Search Timeline 

• November 15, 2024: Search Committee Charged by Provost 
• December – January 2025: Recruitment 
• Mid-February: First Round Interviews 
• Late February – Mid-April: Final Interviews and Selection 

Questions?

Questions about the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources/Associate Provost search can be directed to the search firm, Academic Search, at: msudean@academicsearch.org

• Cynthia Patterson, Ph.D., Senior Consultant, Academic Search; Cynthia.Patterson@academicsearch.org 
• Maria Thompson, Ph.D., Senior Consultant and Senior Executive Coach, Academic Search, maria.thompson@academicsearch.org