From the Dean's Perspective
August 15, 2011
Greetings from Blacksburg and the college. We had a great college graduation in May, the highlight of the year for us on campus — a time of celebration, accomplishment, joy, and seeing our students set their sights on the next step. Our most important educational mission is educating our students so they can make meaningful contributions to society through their work in natural resources and environmental stewardship. We graduated our first cohort of students in the Leadership Institute and have selected 12 outstanding students to begin this nine-month experience in August.
We have had a very strong year of faculty accomplishment in all program areas. The dedication, motivation, and contributions of our faculty to our overall mission are our bedrock. We are well positioned for the future with our exceptional people in the college.
Our focus moving forward is on our undergraduate curricula, degrees, and making sure that what we offer is relevant to the needs of employers. Jobs and the right skill sets for those jobs are critical in today’s economy. We intend to grow our undergraduate program in strategically important degree areas.
Thank you to those who responded to our stakeholder survey as we learn more about perceptions of the college from many different angles. It is important what others think of us and our work, and your opinions will continue to help us shape the future of the college. Survey responses have been most interesting reading. We thank you for taking time to tell us what you think. Perception really does help shape reality.
Thank you for your support of the college and our students. Many of you have given of your financial resources during the past year, and we are very grateful for your support because it makes an important difference in the quality of our college and the opportunities we can offer our students and faculty.
Every day I am more attuned that what we do in the college is critically important for the future of our natural resources and therefore important to people, communities, and society at large.
I hope your summer has been enjoyable. We look forward to seeing you on campus in the coming year.
Warm regards,
Paul M. Winistorfer
Dean