Cutting the ribbon from left are: Rep. Dale Dewitt of District 38, Sen. Daisy Lawler of District 24, OSU System CEO and President David J. Schmidly, OSU Vice President of Agricultural Programs Robert E. Whitson, OSU Provost Marlene Strathe, OSU Dean of Arts and Sciences Peter Sherwood and NREM Interim Department Head Tom Hennessey, as NREM faculty members look on. (Photo by Todd Johnson)

‘Standing room only’ at unveiling of new OSU department of natural resource ecology and management
 
Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources ushered in what school officials, state legislators, educators and industry leaders called a vision, an opportunity and the promise of widespread benefits for Oklahoma and beyond Oct. 12.

The new department of natural resource ecology and management was officially presented to the public during a ribbon-cutting ceremony that had onlookers from across Oklahoma traveling to OSU’s Stillwater campus, literally turning the Kerr Auditorium into “standing room only” for part of the crowd.
 
“Interest is high because the department speaks to the very heart of many high-profile issues that affect our state through four core programs: forestry, rangeland, wildlife and fisheries,” said Robert E. Whitson, vice president, dean and director of the division.
 
Members of the department are charged with conducting interdisciplinary research, instruction and extension education to address wildland fire management, wildlife management, fisheries and pond management, rangeland management, water quality, economic development through enhancement of nature-based tourism, urban forestry, urban expansion into traditionally rural areas and other issues related to sustainable management and conservation of natural resources.
 
Whitson said the department will stand as a testament to the continued importance of OSU’s land-grant mission to find science-based solutions to real-world issues faced by Oklahoma, the region, the nation and the world.
 
“This is a home run for Oklahoma State and for the citizens of Oklahoma, and the realization of a dream for me, to have a special emphasis on natural resources at Oklahoma State,” said OSU System CEO and President David J. Schmidly. “I’m thrilled about the potential benefits the department brings to Oklahoma, particularly to landowners and our students.”
 
Approximately 95 percent of the land in Oklahoma is privately owned by individuals, giving the department’s teaching, research and extension education efforts a personal feel for many state citizens and the organizations that serve them.
 
“The (programs) of this department will touch our lives as they help in the best management of our natural resources,” said Sen. Daisy Lawler of District 24, chair of the Senate agriculture and rural development committee and vice-chair of the aerospace, communications and technology committee.
 
Lawler shared with the audience how the department embodies the goals of the State Legislature in promoting, developing and disseminating meaningful research that makes a difference in people’s lives, which in turn promotes economic development through Oklahoma’s growing reputation as a research state.
 
“I’m passionate about the revitalization of rural Oklahoma,” said Rep. Dale DeWitt of District 38, a 1973 OSU agricultural education graduate and chair of the House agriculture and rural development committee. “This department can help bridge the gap between rural and urban views about how our natural resources need to be used.”
 
DeWitt and Lawler also were quick to point out the benefits to students, applauding OSU’s past efforts in the classroom while addressing the need to continually do more in ensuring the best possible training to the next generation of researchers and industry professionals.
 
A new Bachelor of Science major is under development for students who wish to pursue a career in natural resource ecology and management, adding to existing, related OSU academic majors such as forestry, plant and soil sciences, environmental sciences, botany and zoology.
 
“There are good jobs available in managing our natural resources,” Schmidly said.
 
Schmidly and Whitson emphasized the new department should not be viewed that OSU was not investing in natural resource programs previously but was instead acting to improve on existing efforts.
 
Tom Hennessey, interim department head, summed up the reasoning behind the creation of the new department with a quote from Oklahoma humorist Will Rogers.
 
“Even if you’re on the right track you’ll get run over if you just sit there,” Hennessey said. “The department of natural resource ecology and management is our way of doing more, better.”
 
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was the culmination of a process begun in December 2005, when a task force of OSU faculty from a number of disciplines related to natural resources was charged with providing a working blueprint about how the division might create the new department. The department became reality after a favorable State Board of Regents vote in July 2006.
 

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