Borlaug Award Nominations Due By March 7

Posted on January 30, 2014 by

Award nominations are being accepted through March 7 for the Norman E. Borlaug Excellence in Service to Society and the Environment Award.

This award is open to all tenure-track faculty of N.C. State University and is presented annually.

Nobel Laureate Norman E. Borlaug

This year’s award will be a part of the centennial celebration of the Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug’s life and will be presented this spring in conjunction with the lecture given by the awardee. The Distinguished Lecture on Global Service to Society and Environment will be held in the fall.

The award recognizes exemplary service to the environment and society in academics, research or service through enhancing global practices, new technologies, impact on students or global communities. It is intended to recognize accomplishments and to encourage future work. Details are available at the website: http:cnr.ncsu.edu/borlaug/award.php

Faculty members from any N.C. State University college are eligible for this award, named in honor of the late Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, Nobel Laureate and father of the Green Revolution. The award and lecture are sponsored by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Natural Resources.

Award nomination packets are due March 7 and should be submitted to: Dr. Joel Pawlak, Campus Box 8001, N.C. State University.

Nomination packets should include the following:
• Nominee’s complete curriculum vitae
• Letter of support from department head, dean, associate or assistant dean or university officer
• Statement from the nominee about the impact of his or her work and future plans
• Letters of support from outside the university are encouraged, but not required. Such letters should describe the impact of the nominee’s accomplishments.

Nominations can originate from individual faculty members on their own behalf or from colleagues at any level of university administration. However, nomination packets must be submitted to the selection committee via the person writing a letter of support (see list above).

The awardee will have a chance to briefly address the audience assembled for the Borlaug Lecture and will receive an award certificate, a $1,000 prize, a gift from the selection committee and his or her name engraved on a university plaque.

For information contact Dr. John Sabella, CALS, jasabell@ncsu.edu,919.515.2665; or Dr. Joel Pawlak, CNR, jjpawlak@ncsu.edu, 919.515.2890.

New Graduates Honored

Posted on December 18, 2013 by

Following the university-wide commencement ceremony this morning, Dean Mary Watzin will award diplomas to 218 summer and winter graduates of the NC State University College of Natural Resources at the Jane S. McKimmon Center in Raleigh. The college will award 63 graduate degrees and 155 undergraduate degrees.

Professor of Practice Mickey Fearn will deliver the commencement address and one student from each of our 3 departments will address their fellow graduates. The student speakers are – Jensen Reece Sales (Forest Biomaterials), Gretchen Louise Stokes (Forestry & Environmental Resources), and David Sean Gamble (Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management).

A graduation gift from the NC State Natural Resources Foundation will be presented to each graduate by foundation president, Art Raymond. Departmental receptions will follow the diploma ceremony.

Congratulations to the graduates and new alumni of the College of Natural Resources and to their families. View the diploma ceremony program for a complete list of graduates>>

5 Questions with CNR Dean Mary Watzin

Posted on December 12, 2013 by

Our college’s vision is to be the go-to place for solutions to natural resource challenges. We don’t think it is enough to make a name for ourselves by describing problems. We want to develop solutions to those problems. This is an institution where solutions are part of our DNA!

Recently Dean Mary Watzin sat down with the The Bulletin to reflect on her first year as dean and talk about where the college goes from here.

Read “5 Questions with Dean Watzin”

Jerry Fox Memorial Scholarship Established

Posted on November 6, 2013 by

David A. Fox ’94, has established the Jerry H. Fox Scholarship to honor the memory and accomplishments of his father, the late Jerry H. Fox ’60.

Jerry Fox ’60 Wood Technology

Originally from Roxboro, Jerry Fox attended NC State on the Pat Brown Lumber Company Scholarship and graduated from the School of Forestry in 1960 with a bachelor’s degree in Wood Technology. During his undergraduate years, Jerry was an active member of the Forestry Club, served as President of the Forest Products Research Society and Xi Sigma Pi Forestry Society. After graduation, Jerry was an accomplished banker and entrepreneur, as well as a proud husband and father.

David Fox established this endowment to support students at NC State University that embody the same characteristics and determination and academic excellence, as well as the strong passion for sustainable forestry and the natural environment, as his father.

The scholarship will provide opportunities for undergraduate students enrolled in the College of Natural Resources who have shown exemplary academic performance and merit and are pursuing a degree in the area of sustainable forestry, including but not limited to healthy forests, biomass and energy, wood production and new bio-product development.

The college is proud to help honor Jerry Fox and is grateful to David Fox for his generous support of our students.

NC State Endowment Board Signs $150 Million Hofmann Forest Agreement

Posted on October 29, 2013 by

The Board of Trustees for the Endowment Fund of NC State University has agreed to terms for the sale of Hofmann Forest – a move that will pave the way for unprecedented investments in students, faculty, research and extension in the College of Natural Resources (CNR) and continued access for students and faculty.

Jerry Walker, manager of the purchaser, has signed an agreement to buy the 79,000-acre property near Jacksonville, NC for $150 million. Walker is a third-generation agri-businessman who runs the family’s multi-state agriculture business based in Illinois.

Proceeds from the sale will be placed in an endowment with the annual return of interest benefitting the College of Natural Resources, in keeping with the intent of the original deed gifted to the Endowment Fund in 1977 by the private non-profit Forestry Foundation (now known as the Natural Resources Foundation). The benefit to CNR is estimated to be $6 million annually, which is more than three times the current annual yield from the forest.

The purchase agreement also indicates the buyer’s intent to address additional objectives set by the Natural Resources Foundation, which include access for students and faculty to conduct research, preserving the legacy by keeping the Hofmann name, and maintaining a working forest on the property.

“The income generated annually by the investment of the sale proceeds will provide tremendous educational and research opportunities for the College of Natural Resources and its students,” said NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson.

“As an asset, the forest’s full potential was not being realized,” Woodson added. “We have an obligation to our stakeholders – our students, faculty, staff and alumni – to ensure our colleges are positioned to provide a robust academic environment that attracts world-class faculty and the best and brightest students.”

Additional resources generated by the endowment will go toward promoting growth in research and academic offerings within CNR, and making progress toward the college’s mission and strategic plan, which includes transforming the college into the go-to leader for solutions to natural resource challenges across the state, nation and around the globe.

“We’re confident the resulting impact from Doc Hofmann’s legacy will be nothing short of transformational for our college,” said CNR Dean Mary Watzin. “CNR’s vision is to be a world leader among universities that are creating healthier and more sustainable communities.” The transaction will not affect the existing zoning of the property which permits its use for timber and agricultural purposes, the preservation of the two existing wetlands or the existing lease for Onslow County’s Deppe Park.

In addition, the purchase agreement recognizes the Department of Defense’s interest in obtaining an easement from the purchaser that would ensure long-term protection for approximately 70,000 acres of the property and formalize the military’s long-standing interest in the conservation of the property.

“Hofmann Forest is a wonderful property with a long and storied connection to the communities of Eastern North Carolina, and we are committed to preserving that legacy going forward,” said Walker. “We look forward to working with our military neighbors on a plan for maintaining the primary use of the land for timber and agriculture purposes.”

Additional Background •Hofmann Forest was purchased by the North Carolina Forestry Foundation, Inc. in 1934, later named the Natural Resources Foundation. The Foundation gifted the land to the NC State Endowment Fund in 1977 for the benefit of the College of Natural Resources.

•About 56,000 of the forest’s 79,000 acres function as a working forest. Other activities at the forest include agriculture, hunt clubs and an Onslow County park.

•There are approximately 1400 undergraduate students in the College of Natural Resources, including about 80 in the forestry program, and over 400 graduate students in the College’s MS and Ph.D. programs. The vast majority of the college’s outdoor education is conducted currently at Hill Forest and Schenck Forest.

•More than 98 percent of sponsored forestry research in the college is currently conducted at sites outside the Hofmann Forest (around the state and across the world).

•The income generated from Hofmann, similar to other forests, has produced a relatively low return on market value and subject to fluctuations in demand for houses. In fiscal 2012, Hofmann generated a net income of approximately $861,000 to support the college. With a 4% spending policy, the $150 million generated from the sale would result in $6 million in annual support to CNR.

Media Contact: Fred Hartman | | 919.515.7159