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MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

A New Year is upon us!

Hello Alumni and Friends,

This new year has started with certain gains, expectations, and losses. Several of our faculty have received new awards, grants, and appointments. We also have this matter of a new building before us. And, on New Year’s Day, we received word of the death of Bob Bauer, class of ’67 and ’69, a genuine friend to many and true leader within our profession. Such is the fragile nature and balances within life itself.

Our faculty is currently engaged in a complex of assignments tied to the design of our new building. Formal planning is perhaps 60 percent completed, with final plans due by June. Approval by state authorities will then follow, with the project to be let for bidding by late summer. Assuming we secure a reliable bid within cost estimates, formal groundbreaking should take place sometime during fall semester. We’ll certainly keep you posted.

Allied with this project is fund raising. Currently, we are nearing $3 million in pledges, close to 50 percent of the target. So, what happens if we don’t raise the complete sum this year? Good question. Our College will back the School relative to these financial needs. However, we will not be released from these obligations. Basically, we continue with fund raising until our development target is met. After all, it is our building.

Our development program involves approaching alumni and friends, members of industry, and various conservation groups for the purpose of describing the character and capabilities of this new structure, various ways and means by which gifting can be accomplished, and how this support can be formally identified in the new structure. Our new building is a once-in-a-lifetime project. This challenge involves a sense of responsibility toward our future and pride in our past accomplishments.

But let me suggest another important way by which you can contribute to our School. As an educational institution, the
lifeblood of our academic existence revolves around students. Our recently revised strategic plan further suggests that we should increase enrollments within each of our majors by 10 to 15 percent Over the past five years, our graduates have been quite successful in placing themselves within sound professional jobs and advanced degree programs. Furthermore, many of our resource agencies and corporations have acknowledged an accelerated loss of professionals through retirements. The School of Forest Resources has the capacity to educate more students. But we need to expand our recruitment efforts (see comments by Dr. McCormick on page 5). We can certainly use your help. We would appreciate your personal touch in alerting high school students and other aspiring candidates about these resource-based professions, and the capabilities of our School in fulfilling their educational needs. Need more information about our School? Please visit our Web site (http://www.sfr.cas.psu.edu/) or give us a call (814-863-7093). Remember, Bob Bauer always did his part for recruitment. How about you?

Cheers, Chuck Strauss

Penn State | College of Agricultural Sciences | School of Forest Resources