CAFES dean elected to ag association

Dale Gallenberg, dean of College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES), has been elected to a two-year term with the American Association of State Colleges of Agriculture and Renewable Resources (AASCARR).

AASCARR is an organization of non-land grant universities offering degree programs in agriculture and renewable resources with 45 member organizations in 13 states, according to an October 2009 news release.

According to the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Web site, AASCARR’s mission is to be a forum and unifying force for all faculty, students, staff and administrators of agriculture, food and renewable resource programs at AASCARR state funded public colleges and universities. Members of AASCARR value and promote excellence in science-based teaching with hands on experience, in conducting responsive and issue-based research and in communicating findings to stakeholders and the general public.

“As dean of CAFES, I have been attending the AASCARR Annual Meeting for the past three years,” Gallenberg said. He said the members of AASCARR who represent the several colleges are usually deans, associate deans, directors or department chairs.

Last year, Gallenberg volunteered to be a member of AASCARR’s Legislative Committee and Public Relations Committee.

“This year I was asked to consider being on the Board of Directors,” Gallenberg said. “I agreed to do so and was formally elected at the meeting.”

His duties entail “working with the officers of AASCARR and other board members on various items of business within the organization,” Gallenberg said. “This includes keeping our member institutions informed of what is going on at other institutions as well as legislative activities in our states and at the federal level.”

“We try to keep folks aware of federal funding opportunities that may exist,” he said. “Overall we are trying to raise the profile of AASCARR institutions within our individual states and across the U.S. by sharing information on our programs and activities.”

According to the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Web site, AASCARR’s Priorities and Goals are to strengthen the influence and impact of AASCARR as an organization, enhance the educational, research and outreach programs at AASCARR institutions and increase participation, collaboration, and support capabilities among AASCARR institutions.

“Our main project this year is trying to secure federal appropriated funding for the Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture as authorizes in the current U.S. Farm Bill,” Gallenberg said. “We will be working with the members of the U.S. Senate and House on getting this appropriation included in their respective bills.

The primary thrust of this funding is to provide capacity-building within institutions such as UW-River Falls in our teaching, research and extension/outreach programs to become more competitive with Land Grant universities and other institutions for other federal funding sources that currently exist.”