Roger Wyse Steps Down As Dean of CALS

Roger Wyse, dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) since 1992, announced his resignation Monday, June 23, effective immediately. The letter below containing reasons for Wyse’s resignation was delivered to Chancellor David Ward Monday morning.

Neal Jorgensen, executive associate dean for CALS, will serve as interim dean of the college while a national search is conducted for Wyse’s replacement. Wyse will return to the faculty as a full professor in the department of horticulture.

Wyse’s tenure as dean came during a time of serious budget deficits for the college. In 1993, he instituted a master plan to sharpen the focus of college programs and bring efforts in line with budgets. By 1996, college budgets were largely back in balance and new program efforts were launched.

Building projects completed under Wyse’s term include the Genetics/Biotechnology Building in 1994 and the D.C. Smith Instructional Greenhouse in spring 1997. The $35 million Biochemistry Building project, currently under way, will be completed in spring 1998.

Wyse served on a campus-wide committee to help create a better organizational structure and focus for the biological sciences. He was also instrumental in the creation of the new Agribusiness Institute, a combined business and agriculture MBA program beginning this fall.

In 1993, Wyse co-chaired the Dairy 2020 Initiative, a council created by Gov. Tommy Thompson to help strengthen the state’s $3.5 billion dairy industry. He also served as director of the International Chamber of Agriculture, designed to promote Wisconsin as a hub for world agricultural trade. Wyse also was selected in 1993 to lead the Preserve Dane Blue Ribbon Task Force formed to help set a direction on land use and development issues in Dane County.

Before coming to UW–Madison as the ninth dean of CALS, Wyse was director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and dean of agricultural research at Rutgers University. He served on the department of soils and crops faculty at Rutgers and served on two White House task forces developing policies on pesticide use and cranberry production.

Wyse received his bachelor’s degree in agronomy from Ohio State University in 1965, and both his master’s and doctoral degrees from Michigan State University in 1967 and 1969.

CALS is one of the university’s largest colleges, with a spring 1997 enrollment of roughly 3,400 graduate and undergraduate students, 290 faculty members and a federal research budget of nearly $36 million. The college also directs 11 outlying agricultural research stations across Wisconsin.

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Mr. David Ward
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin
500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706-1380

      Re: Resignation

Dear Chancellor Ward:

     I am resigning my position as Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences in order to pursue other professional opportunities.

     I have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to serve the College over the last five years and have always attempted to serve in the best tradition of the University. My leadership began at a time the College was faced with serious financial and organizational difficulties. I am leaving the college with many of these difficulties resolved and well-positioned to face the challenges of the future as a leader in the academic community.

     Ironically, it was the increasing national importance of the programs represented in the College that have led to new opportunities for me. While I am pleased to retain my position as a professor in the Department of Horticulture, I am also looking forward to exploring new opportunities to advance the agricultural and biological sciences. My resignation as Dean will allow me to pursue those other opportunities and interests.

     The University's policies require disclosure of personal relationships that may present conflicts. I have disclosed such a personal relationship to you and regret that I failed to timely comply with the policy. My resignation as Dean will eliminate any possibility that the University's interests could be adversely affected.

     I have great affection for the University of Wisconsin and wish everyone there, especially within the College, continued success.

                  Sincerely,

                  Roger Wyse