Inside Iowa State

Dec. 09, 2005

Campus visits continue for Ag dean finalists

by Diana Pounds

Finalists for the dean's position in the College of Agriculture have visited campus in the last two weeks. The five finalists, announced Nov. 22, are:

• Donald Beermann, head of the animal science department at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln
• Phyllis Johnson, Beltsville Area director for the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Maryland
• Richard McConnell, senior adviser to DuPont and former president of Pioneer Hi-Bred
• C. Channa Reddy, director of The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and head of the veterinary and biomedical sciences department at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park
• Wendy Wintersteen, interim dean of the College of Agriculture and interim director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station

"This is a rich pool of finalists, each of whom would bring strong experience and expertise to a key academic leadership position," said vice president for academic affairs and provost Benjamin Allen.

Each finalist participated in both an open forum and a diversity forum. Video of the completed open forums is online. See http://www.iastate.edu/news/announce/fs.shtml. Beerman visited campus Nov. 28-29 and Johnson visited Nov. 30-Dec. 1. Wintersteen interviewed Dec. 5-6. McConnell is on campus Dec. 7-8 and Reddy Dec. 8-9. The remaining public forums are:

Open forum

• Reddy: Dec. 8, 3:30-5 p.m., Howe Hall auditorium

Diversity forum

• McConnell: Dec. 8, 11 a.m.-12 p.m., 1204 Kildee
• Reddy: Dec. 9, 11 a.m.-12 p.m., 1204 Kildee

The public also can participate in the open forums via computers with broadband Internet connections. (For details on how to participate in the forums online, see http://www.provost.iastate.edu/positions/open-forum.html.)

Following is more information about the finalists. (Full vitae are online at http://www.provost.iastate.edu/positions/dean-interview.html.)

Donald Beermann

Since 1999, Beermann has served as professor and head of the animal science department at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. For 21 years (1978-1999), he was a teacher and researcher at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.

Phyllis Johnson

Johnson has served as Beltsville Area director for the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) since 1997. In 28 years with the ARS (1977-2005), she also has served as associate director of the Beltsville area; associate director and acting area director of the Pacific West Area; research leader for nutrition, biochemistry and metabolism in the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Grand Forks, N.D.; and research chemist in the Grand Forks center.

Richard McConnell

McConnell has been consulting as a senior adviser to DuPont since 2004. His career with crop genetics supplier Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont company, spans 30 years. He has served as Pioneer president and DuPont vice president (2000-2003), VP for research and development for DuPont's Ag and Nutrition Platform (1999-2000), senior VP for global research and development (1994-1999), and director of North American research (1989-1994), as well as serving in several other positions.

C. Channa Reddy

Reddy has served as director of The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State since 2002. A distinguished professor, Reddy also has been head of the department of veterinary and biomedical sciences since 1999. In a 20-year career at Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, Reddy also has served as director of the Center for Mol Toxicol and Carcinogenesis, interim head of the veterinary and biomedical science department, and director of the pathobiology graduate program.

Wendy Wintersteen

Wintersteen has served as interim dean of the College of Agriculture and interim director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station since Aug. 1. Prior to that, she was senior associate dean of the college and associate director of the experiment station (2000-2005). In other ISU positions (1979-2000), Wintersteen was entomology professor; director of extension to agriculture and natural resources; coordinator of pesticide management and pesticide applicator training programs; and extension associate in the entomology department and two extension area offices.

The next dean of Agriculture will succeed Catherine Woteki, who left Iowa in July to become global director of scientific affairs for national food company Mars Inc., McLean, Va.

Each finalist participated in both an open forum and a diversity forum. Video of the completed open forums is online.