From the Dean – Spring 2018

It was a proud and humbling moment last fall when our former dean, now President Wendy Wintersteen, handed me the reins of our great College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

It is a privilege to serve as the interim endowed dean of one of the world’s very best agricultural institutions.

The college is as well-positioned as it’s ever been. I’ve worked in the college nearly four decades as a researcher, educator, mentor and administrator. The next dean of agriculture and life sciences will nd us ready and able to build on our worldwide reputation.

The main reason our college is so well-positioned comes down to our people. Our faculty and staff work hard every day to ensure we ful ll our mission in science, education and extension and outreach. Our students amaze, year after year. Without a doubt, we have some of the most dedicated, committed and accomplished student leaders in the nation.

I can say the same about our alumni and friends. When I was named interim endowed dean, one of the rst congratulatory notes I received came from 6,400 miles away—from Don Koo Lee, who holds an endowed chair at Yeungnam University in Korea and earned two forestry degrees at Iowa State. No matter what corner of the globe, we can point in any direction to 46,000 living alumni doing meaningful, impactful things to make the world a better place.

I’m sure 46,000 pairs of eyes will be watching the news from Ames this fall. Iowa State is conducting a national search for the next dean of agriculture and life sciences. The search committee plans to have candidates on campus early in the fall semester, and then a decision to announce.

It will be an honor for me to hand over the reins to the person who’ll serve as the 11th dean of agriculture in Iowa State’s history. We’ll all look forward to reading about this new, exciting chapter in upcoming issues of STORIES magazine and STORIES Online monthly e-newsletter.

Joe Colletti

Interim Dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences