Dean's Advisory Council

Dean's Advisory Council

The purpose of the Dean’s Advisory Council is to work together to provide strategic guidance, industry insights, and community perspective to the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to advance and promote the strategic priorities of the College through its teaching, research, and extension programs.

Members of the Dean’s Advisory Council serve at the discretion of the Dean. This council is a non-voting, advisory council and does not engage in decision-making related to program personnel, budget, or internal policy development within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences or Virginia Tech.

In alignment with Virginia Tech’s Principals of Community and Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) motto, the Dean’s Advisory Council contributes to on-going efforts to increase access and inclusion, where all identities, experiences, and backgrounds come together to create a strong and welcoming community representative of Virginia Tech and all those it serves. It strives to facilitate accessible, flexible, enjoyable, and meaningful activities that honor and uplift the dignity of our members and the faculty, staff, and administrators who work with the Council.

Council members uphold the following roles and responsibilities in service to the College:

1. Strategic Advisor – serve as a thought leader with our Dean/director to understand better the multiple facets of challenges and issues they are working through and to explore potential solutions to consider.
2. Industry Expert - represent your industry by bringing forward trends, industry standards, workforce needs, and best practices from key sectors that the university should be aware of because of its impact on our academic and research programs.
3. Network Partner - liaison between university and college/unit with external companies, organizations, and individuals, where appropriate, to open opportunities for faculty in joint programming and research and for students with experiential learning, mentoring, and job recruiting.
4. Philanthropic Champion - help college/unit’s Advancement staff identify and secure gifts from other interested parties through conversations with alumni, friends, and corporations
5. Ambassador - advocate for the university and college to influence local, regional, or national policies as requested, to provide connections with practitioners in the field and other external contacts, and/or to encourage others to support our programs.

College Liaison: Robyn Stuart, Director of Alumni and Constituent Relations