[Plantsci] Dr. Matthew A. Jenks Appointed Director of the School of Plant Sciences

[Schumaker, Karen S - (schumake)]

Colleagues -

I am very pleased to announce that I have appointed Dr. Matthew A. Jenks to the directorship of our School of Plant Sciences, effective August 13.

With a background in horticulture, Matt earned his Ph.D. in 1993 at Purdue University.  He joined the faculty of Arkansas State University in 1996, but returned to Purdue in 1998 as an assistant professor of horticulture and landscape architecture.  Shortly after his promotion to associate professor, Matt spent time over a two-year period (2003-2005) also working with USAID in Egypt assessing curriculum and instructional methods used in horticultural programs at several Egyptian universities, including the selection of 60 faculty for a US university training program in curriculum development and teaching methods.

Matt led in establishing the Purdue Arboretum in 2008 and served as its director for three years.  He spent 6 months in 2009 as a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow in Greece, and was appointed associate department head at Purdue in 2010.  Some of you will remember Matt from his work in 2011-2014 as research leader and supervisory research geneticist in the Plant Physiology and Genetics Unit at the USDA-ARS Arid Land Agricultural Research Center in Maricopa.  In 2014, he was recruited to direct West Virginia University's Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, where he has also served as co-director of the School of Agriculture and Food.

I am thrilled that Dr. Jenks is returning to Arizona to lead our School of Plant Sciences.  His research, management and fundraising skills will be of great help to all of us in working to achieve our strategic goals.  Please join me in wishing him success in this new role - and in thanking Dr. Karen Schumaker for all she has achieved since taking on the directorship of the school in 2012.  Karen is an incredibly valued colleague and I can't say enough about her insightful observations and her vision for the school.  I will miss her in this role.

Regards,
Shane

--
Shane C. Burgess
Vice President for Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension
Charles-Sander Dean of the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
Director, Arizona Experiment Station

The University of Arizona
Forbes Building, Room 306 | 1140 E. South Campus Drive | P.O. Box 210036
Tucson, AZ 85721-0036
PHONE: 520.621.7621
EMAIL: sburgess at cals.arizona.edu<mailto:sburgess at cals.arizona.edu>



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