College of Forest Resources
Campaign Statement-An Overview
Prepared by: Dean B. Bruce Bare
College of Forest Resources
Campaign Statement-An OverviewPrepared by: Dean B. Bruce Bare |
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Sustainability implies a rational and dynamic continuation of a set of activities or processes that produce desired products or amenities over a long period of time. It also implies an interdisciplinary systems approach - that integrates the social, ecological and economic sciences -- to understand; actively and passively manage; and use the products and amenities of managed forests, natural wild lands and urban and suburban ecosystems so that they remain productive over the long term. Designing, understanding and managing these systems on a sustainable basis over an entire life cycle is a challenge facing society. We believe that the concept of sustainability captures the essence of contemporary and evolving societal demands and is the proper focus of the College's endeavors.
Societal expectations for both commodities and amenities on managed forests, natural wild lands and urban and suburban landscapes have dramatically shifted in recent years. This shift in demand began after World War II and has grown steadily ever since. Rapidly increasing human populations, the growth of economic prosperity, mobility and technology, as well as a continuing evolution from an industrial to an information-based society, have accelerated the shift. Humans continue to need and consume products and amenities of forests and other wild land ecosystems. However, society's perception and understanding of these consumption patterns continually evolve. People now demand that both producers and consumers eliminate negative effects generated by their respective activities. This has led to an increasing demand for the use of environmentally friendly technologies, sustainable production processes and the protection and restoration of ecological functions and services so that future generations may enjoy the same products and amenities that now exist. Environmental protection and restoration are key components of our vision for the College.
The College's vision and priorities are consistent with the shift towards a sustainable society. We must anticipate the future so that we can provide teaching and learning environments that will enable resource professionals, scientists, decision makers and informed citizens to take leadership roles and use the best, most appropriate science to solve future problems. We must partner with society to define and initiate new academic, research and outreach programs, modify existing programs and discontinue programs that do not effectively respond to the new challenges bestowed upon us. These will be challenging tasks to accomplish, but our vision and goals must respond to all of them in a timely manner.
The following key elements must be present if the College of Forest Resources is to meet its growing challenges: a) a well-educated and diverse faculty with opportunities to continue to grow professionally, b) well-prepared and motivated students, c) state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure and d) ample opportunities for enhanced student learning. To achieve our vision and to provide these critical elements, the College community has identified the following five development goals for the capital campaign.
As a state-funded research university, we rely heavily on the legislature to provide adequate funds to support student learning opportunities. We seek support to enhance these opportunities by providing experiences that will allow students to be better educated and prepared to enter the professional work force upon graduation. Chief among these are support for: experiential learning; integrated capstone case study courses; regional, national and international field trips, conferences and symposia; study abroad and field research, provision of state-of-the art computers and other types of electronic equipment; unrestricted scholarships and graduate fellowships; and discretionary funds.
Potential funding goals include:
Unrestricted undergraduate student scholarships - ten endowments @ $50K = $500K
Travel support for regional, national and international field trips, conferences and symposia ($15K per year) - one endowment @$300K or $15K current use funds per year over seven years of campaign
State-of -the -art computers and other electronic equipment (see section on infrastructure)
Experiential learning and integrated capstone case study courses providing teacher training for graduate students and quality learning experiences for undergraduates -$60K per year current use funds over seven years of campaign = $420K
Total = $2.7 million
Maintaining a well-educated and motivated faculty is critical to the long-term success of an educational institution. Although self-motivated, faculty benefit from new opportunities to undertake research and to develop new capabilities. We seek funds to: endow faculty chairs and professorships; provide seed money for proposal preparation; develop unrestricted funds for travel to regional, national and international meetings, conferences and symposia; support the publication of unsupported research; and provide increased opportunities for graduate research seminars, honored seminar speakers and faculty sabbaticals or other leaves for re-tooling to face new challenges.
Potential funding goals include:
Two endowed chairs = $2.5 million
Unrestricted funds for travel to regional, national and international meetings, conferences and symposia @ $80K per year over seven years of campaign = $560K current use funds
Discretionary funds for:
Support for publication of unsupported research - $5K per year
Support for graduate research seminars - $10K per year
Support for honored seminar speakers - $5K per year
Support for faculty sabbaticals or other leaves for re-tooling to face new challenges and opportunities - $75K per year over seven years of campaign = $525K
Total = $5.6 million
We seek funding to complement that provided by the state legislature to enhance and improve selected facilities and the associated infrastructure. For example, we need to: modernize classrooms; connect to the internet as well as other electronic media; update laboratory facilities for functionality; keep library collections current and complete; provide and maintain student computer facilities throughout the College's units; maintain the plant collections at the Washington Park Arboretum; and provide funds to expand the College's buildings on the Seattle campus.
Potential funding goals include:
Biotech lab - $1 million
New facility for the Northwest Environmental Forum at CUH - $3 million
Funds for pre-design to expand the College's buildings on the Seattle campus - $100K
New building for sustainable resource sciences (20C on UW Master Plan) - $25 million
Computer and network hardware - $2 million
Support to keep library collections current and complete - $12K per year over seven years of campaign = $84K (or an endowment of $280K)
$6K per year for Forest Resources Library
$6K per year for Elisabeth C. Miller Horticulture Library
Update College laboratories, curation and public outreach facilities and maintain plant collections at the Washington Park Arboretum - $500K
Total = $34.2 million
New research and teaching initiatives that will allow the College to achieve its vision of sustainable urban and wild land environments include the following:
Sustaining urban environments: An inherent conflict exists in developed societies -- a desire for technological advancement and a high standard of living, as well as ready access to natural wild lands and sustainable urban and suburban environments. Population growth and increased consumption with their resulting by-products leave no corner of the globe untouched. We propose to study and solve problems regarding the sustainability of urban environments by focusing on urban ecology, urban and community forestry, urban horticulture, public gardens and issues at the urban-rural interface. We envision taking an interdisciplinary approach involving the ecological, biological, social, economic and policy disciplines to find solutions to these problems. Issues to be studied and solved include how to better utilize horticultural science to solve plant related problems in urban areas, urban wildlife, the practice of forestry on the urban-rural fringe, fire protection in suburban areas, the management of arboreta, green belts, parks and gardens and a variety of similar urban challenges.
Sustainable forest enterprises: Washington State's managed forests support a forest products industry that constitutes an important economic asset. Solid wood, pulp and paper and secondary manufacturing contribute to this dynamic industrial sector. Technological change and increased levels of environmental protection are not new to this industry. Efforts to reduce the stresses (or the "footprint") that forest products conversion processes place on the planet is now demanding that each of its activities be more sustainable and environmentally sensitive. Additionally, opportunities exist to develop our non-timber forest products as well as non-commodity uses of the forest such as eco-tourism, outdoor recreation and scenic amenities. We propose to develop research, learning, and outreach programs that include finding solutions related to: environmental chemistry, life-cycle analysis, recycling, biosolids disposal and reuse, restoration of contaminated sites and phyto-remediation.
Potential funding goals include:
Creation of new programs and centers of excellence that will contribute to the concept of sustainability and the College's leadership in providing knowledge and solutions to environmental and natural resource issues.
Total - $4 million
Increased program support is required to maintain current key programs and is necessary to produce opportunities for the advancement of research and knowledge. Current interdisciplinary programs and centers in the College of Forest Resources, include the following:
Center for Streamside Studies (CSS)
Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH)
Olympic Natural Resources Center (ONRC)
Pack Forest
Precision Forestry Cooperative (PFC)
Rural Technology Initiative (RTI)
Stand Management Cooperative (SMC)
Washington Park Arboretum
Wind River Canopy Crane
Potential funding goals include:
Basic program support - 2 million
Total - $2 million