Dean says 21st century agriculture a complex scientific field

Just before Thanksgiving last year, Gregory Weidemann, the new dean of UConn’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, convened a gathering of all 130 members of the faculty. He described the get-together as a “great opportunity to welcome and meet with new members of the College family.”

It is a telling gesture about how Weidemann has been winning his welcome at the College.

“You can’t start to administer an organization until you get out and get a good feel for its culture,” says Weidemann. “I need to become part of the family before I begin making changes.”

During his first nine months on the job, Weidemann has devoted much of his time to meeting with the faculty, staff, students, alumni, lawmakers, and other stakeholders in Connecticut’s agricultural sector. And he is getting rave reviews.

“He couldn’t have started any better,” says Ian Hart, the College’s associate dean for research and advanced studies. Hart says the dean has traveled the state “six and a half days a week” to meet all the College’s constituencies.

“This is the industry we support and they support us. He has pretty much met with everybody.”

Cameron Faustman, the College’s associate dean for academic programs, says Weidemann is “doing just great,” despite beginning his tenure just as declining budgets imposed “incredible fiscal challenges on the entire University.”

Faustman says that a bi-weekly blog the dean uses to communicate is “a great way to let everyone know what’s going on, how he operates, and that he’s approachable.”

Land-grant mission
A native of Wisconsin, Weidemann spent his academic career at two other land-grant universities before coming to UConn. He has a bachelor’s degree in zoology and a Ph.D. in plant pathology from the University of Wisconsin.

As a faculty member in plant pathology at the University of Arkansas, Weidemann became a recognized international authority on plant pathogenic fungi.

He also received several teaching awards. He headed the university’s Agricultural Experiment Station for seven years, and in 2002 was appointed as dean of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food, and Life Sciences.

Weidemann says the UConn College of Agriculture and Natural Resources continues to play a significant role in the University’s land-grant mission: “We have a firm commitment to research, education, and outreach to benefit the citizens, communities, and economic well-being of Connecticut.”

He notes that there is widespread and growing interest in buying locally grown food, eating healthfully, developing green lifestyles, and ensuring the security of the food system. “This enthusiasm provides us a unique opportunity to help transform the state’s food sector,” he says.