Steven Bullard (’83 Ph.D. in forest management economics), dean of the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University, has been elected president of the National Association of University Forest Resources Programs (NAUFRP) for a two-year term that began in January 2013. The association’s membership includes university faculty, scientists, and outreach specialists, with leadership provided by deans, directors, and heads of more than 80 member universities.

In October 2013, the Society of American Foresters honored Bullard with the W.D. Hagenstein Communicator Award. Bullard, who has been a member of the society since 1977 and was named a Fellow in 2010, had a direct role in highlighting and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the McIntire-Stennis program. He outlined and drafted an article on the program’s history that was published in the April/May issue of the Journal of Forestry.

The journal article led to an invitation from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop a related video, which was distributed to NAUFRP institutions and key partners nationally and aired at local, state, and regional meetings. Both the article and video communicate the continued importance and relevance of university-based research and graduate training in forestry and related fields and help build strong, long-term relationships with key forestry and natural resources constituents. Bullard also wrote a resolution that was passed by the U.S. Senate in 2012 recognizing the 50th anniversary of the McIntire-Stennis program. All three resources are available at naufrp.org.

“I want to credit the great faculty at Virginia Tech, like Dave Klemperer, who is now retired, and Harold Burkhart,” said Bullard. “They were both absolutely instrumental in my development.”

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