Natural Resources Dean To Run Two Colleges

BLACKSBURG, Dec. 18, 2002 -- N. Gregory Brown, dean of Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources since 1992, has been named interim dean of the university's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences until a replacement can be found for L.A. "Andy" Swiger, who is retiring Jan. 1, 2003. Brown will continue to serve as the dean of the College of Natural Resources.

The college will see an additional change as it acquires a department from another college.

"Greg is a highly respected, talented, and energetic individual whose substantial administrative experience will be a major asset during the transition period. Since his college is the most closely aligned with Agriculture and Life Sciences, I feel that he is sensitive to the needs of both colleges and will be able to lead Agriculture and Life Sciences successfully until we have a new dean in place, probably during the summer," said Mark McNamee, vice president for academic affairs and provost, who made the appointment. The search for a new dean for the college commenced in September.

During Brown's 10 years at the helm of Natural Resources, he has also served as associate director of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, and for a period in 1995, he assumed the role of interim provost for the university. Under his leadership, Natural Resources secured private donations to construct an addition to Cheatham Hall, which houses the college. The addition will be dedicated in March.

"I am pleased to accept the opportunity to serve as interim dean for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences while the college completes its search for a new dean," Brown said.æ "My administrative experience at Virginia Tech and two other land-grant universities has provided me the opportunity to work closely with agricultural disciplines, including agricultural experiment stations and cooperative extension programs. I am confident that the administration, faculty, and staff in both the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Natural Resources will provide the support and counsel required to guide us through this period of time. While working together across many programs, the two colleges will maintain their autonomy."

A forest physiology educator, Brown has written numerous articles for professional journals, was the editor for the International Directory of Woody Plant Physiologists, has served on many national natural resource boards, and currently sits on the editorial board for Renewable Resources Journal. Earlier this year, he was named to the Science Board for the National Foundation for Environmental Education.

Educated at Iowa State, Yale, and Duke, Brown earned a Doctor of Forestry degree before working as a plant physiologist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He has taught at several universities and has served as director of graduate studies for the School of Forestry at the University of Missouri; department head at the University of Minnesota; and dean, acting vice president for academic affairs, associate director of the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station, vice president for research and public service, and acting president of the University of Maine.

McNamee also announced that the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise will move from the College of Human Sciences and Education to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences "as a refinement of the restructuring plan developed in the spring. The food, nutrition, and health initiative is emerging as a major campus priority, and our chances of making rapid progress will be enhanced by creating a substantial critical mass within Agriculture and Life Sciences."