Nominations Sought for Annual Borlaug Award

Posted on January 31, 2013 by

Dr. Norman E. Borlaug

Nominations are being accepted for the 2013 Norman E. Borlaug Service to Society and Environment Award. This award is open to all tenure-track faculty of N.C. State University and is presented annually at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Natural Resources “Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Distinguished Lecture on Global Service to Society and Environment.”

Faculty members from any of N.C. State’s colleges 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 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. The award is intended to recognize accomplishments and to encourage future work.

The 2013 award will be presented at the Norman E. Borlaug Distinguished Lecture on Global Service to Society and Environment on April 16. Frances Seymour, director general of the Center for International Forestry Research, is this year’s guest lecturer. The event will be held at the new Hunt Library Auditorium on Centennial Campus beginning at 3 p.m.

Award nomination packets are due March 11. Please send nomination packets to: Dr. Joel Pawlak, Campus Box 8001, N.C. State University.

Nomination packets should include the following:

Nominee’s complete resume
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 No. 2 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 John Sabella, CALS, jasabell@ncsu.edu,919.515.2665; or Joel Pawlak, CNR, jjpawlak@ncsu.edu, 919.515.2890.

Hofmann Forest Letter from Dean Mary Watzin

Posted on January 23, 2013 by

The following letter was emailed to College of Natural Resources alumni on January 22, 2013.

Dean Mary Watzin

A Message From Dean Mary Watzin
January 22, 2013

I write to let you know that the Natural Resources Foundation Board of Directors has unanimously recommended the sale of the Hofmann Forest in its entirety, assuming price and other considerations can be met, for the specific support of the mission of the College of Natural Resources.

I also want to reassure you that any sale of the Hofmann will be consistent with the values of the College, which include retaining the name in recognition of the legacy of the Forest to the College. The goal is to sell the property as a working forest. The College hopes to retain access to the property by faculty and students for teaching and research. My commitment to forestry education, research and outreach as core elements of the programming of the CNR is strong.

In deciding about the future of the Hofmann, the Foundation (and the College) has considered which options would provide the greatest good for the largest number of CNR students, our faculty and staff, and our professions, over the long term. The College is currently experiencing significant growth and has strong ambitions. Keeping current programs strong and leveraging new opportunities for the College will only be possible with additional cash flow. A more diversified portfolio of investment could provide a higher and more consistent level of support to the College.

The Hofmann Forest is a tremendous asset to the College of Natural Resources, and I understand some of you have fond memories of your time there. As you will recall, the Hofmann was acquired shortly after the forestry program at NCSU was founded and it was named in honor of the program’s founding dean. Initially, the Forest was used for teaching purposes, with students spending a summer in eastern North Carolina at the Hofmann to learn forestry. In the late 1950’s, summer camp was moved permanently to Hill Forest near Durham. Last year, the College invested about $1.5 million in upgrading the facilities at Hill Forest. Today, a relatively small number of CNR faculty and students use the Hofmann Forest for teaching and research. The low rate of use is in part because of the distance of the Hofmann Forest from the campus.

Currently, the primary role of the Hofmann Forest is as an investment, with earnings supporting scholarships and the academic and research programs of the College. It is managed by the Natural Resources Foundation as a commercial forest. Although the Foundation staff has done an outstanding job of managing the Hofmann Forest over the last decade, we are at a competitive disadvantage compared to large commercial operations, which have greater resources to manage in the face of a changing business climate.

The current rate of return from the Hofmann is less than what might be achieved from a diversified investment portfolio. A diversified portfolio would also lessen the risks associated with fires, hurricanes, droughts, and invasive species.

The mission of CNR is teaching, research and outreach. While we cherish our history with the Hofmann Forest, the reputation of the College is not based on this land ownership; it is instead the direct result of the stature and quality of the faculty and the teaching, research, and outreach programs we deliver.

I ask for your patience and your trust as we move forward with this process, which will unfold over the coming months.

With best wishes,

Mary C. Watzin
Dean, College of Natural Resources
North Carolina State University

Welcoming Dean Watzin to NCSU

Posted on November 15, 2012 by

Dean Mary Watzin, new dean of the NCSU College of Natural Resources

What once was home to deer antlers and moose heads is now scattered with boxes and a “Happy Boss Day” card propped up on a desk-side table. Mary Watzin, the new dean of the College of Natural Resources, started to unpack and settle in on Oct. 15. Once a man-cave, Watzin’s new office is now filled with welcome wishes and women’s laughter.

After 22 years at the University of Vermont, three of which she served as the dean of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, Watzin said she is excited to start a new chapter in her life.

“As the recruiter started to talk to me about what was happening at N.C. State,” Watzin said, “it looked like a university on the move … something I might want to be a part of.”

Looking forward to the things she hopes to accomplish, Watzin said she is ready to jump into the world of the College of Natural Resources.

“There are a lot of things I hope to accomplish,” Watzin said. “First, I’d like to start by getting to know my colleagues. This college has some really great faculty and staff all of which are poised to do really great things. We just need to spend a little time figuring out where we want to go and we’ll be off.”

Watzin said she is eager to meet the students and ready to get the word out on campus about the environment.

“One of the things that’s really rewarding is that we get to hear all the great ideas that come from students and how you look at the world,” Watzin said.

“Solving environmental problems and the wise sustainable use of our natural resources is absolutely critical to what your lives are going to be like as you go out into the world. It’s finding that balance whether you’re an engineer, English major, or a natural resource major. Everybody needs to understand how the world works and how people fit into the equation.”

Excerpted from the Technician Online.
Read the complete article by Kaitlin Montgomery

Piercy Named Pulp and Paper Foundation Executive Director at NC State University

Posted on September 11, 2012 by

Ms. Jennifer Parr Piercy, ’94, has been named Executive Director of the Pulp and Paper Foundation at NC State University where she will also lead recruiting and alumni relations activities for the Paper Science and Engineering Program in the College of Natural Resources. Piercy will be working with this respected paper program during its transformation into a biomaterials leader in a growing natural resources-based economy.

Piercy is a product of the Paper Science and Engineering program at NC State. She was recruited as a student in Owensboro, Kentucky by long-time former foundation director, Ben Chilton. Alumnus John Pritchard issued the invitation to the recruiting session in Hawesville, Kentucky where she was introduced to the world of paper. Following her first student work experience in the paper industry in the summer of 1989, Piercy worked five internships. She later served as Operations Manager for a tissue machine for P&G in Albany, GA and five years in the MBA Career Services Center at the University of Virginia.

The Paper Science and Engineering program at NC State is now almost 60 years old and has approximately 1400 alumni working throughout the world. Ms. Piercy recently told a group of incoming freshmen, “You are beginning a life-long relationship with the most exciting, innovative and hard working people you can imagine. There is no place like NC State and no place like the paper industry.” Sounds like just the right philosophy for the position!

Piercy is excited about working for her alma mater, reconnecting with old friends and meeting the challenges ahead. She can be reached by phone at 919-515-7709 or by email at jmpiercy@ncsu.edu .

WVa Workshop Will Address Firewood Processing

Posted on August 23, 2012 by

Image Courtesy of NC Cooperative Extension

Extension agents and firewood-related businesses are invited to attend the Profitable Firewood Processing Workshop, Sept. 27, at the Wood Education and Resource Center, Princeton, W.Va. The day-long workshop (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.) is hosted by the Wood Products Extension Department at North Carolina State University, Wood Education and Resource Center and Independent Sawmill and Woodlot Magazine.

This workshop will address business issues of the firewood processing industry, including sales and marketing of firewood, selecting equipment for processing and packaging firewood, dry kiln drying methods and equipment, heating systems for dry kilns, insect problems and firewood quarantines, financing options for firewood businesses, sourcing logs for firewood operations, what brokers and firewood buyers want in specifications from firewood producers and market research methods for finding firewood buyers.

The workshop is open to the firewood industry, including firewood processing equipment vendors, dry kiln and wood boiler manufacturers, firewood brokers and chain store buyers, Cooperative Extension wood products specialists and professors, county Extension agents, landowners, foresters, state forestry departments, forestry non-profit organizations and others who want to learn the latest information about firewood processing.

Cost to attend is $35. For more information, contact: Harry Watt, N.C. State University, harry_watt@ncsu.edu or 704-880-5034. WERC project website: www.cnr.ncsu.edu/woodworkshops.

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