Colleagues

I wish to convey some excellent news.

Acting Provost David Thorud approved our request for four 'bridge' tenure track faculty positions. These junior faculty positions, to be filled in 2006-07, will be recruited into the disciplinary areas described in my December 12, 2004 memo.

The bridge positions, to be 'repaid' using the next four faculty retirements from the College, will pay immense dividends to the University, community and all of our stakeholders for many years to come. We thank the Provost for his foresight.

As described in my June 6 , 2005 memo, these four faculty positions, coupled with the four faculty searches presently under way, the new USGS scientist, the new WSU faculty member, and the second Precision Forestry faculty position, means that eleven new faculty will join our College over the next fifteen months. This is a remarkable transformation of our faculty resource and clearly demonstrates the University's commitment to our College and our programs. This is a great way to end the 2004-05 academic year.

B. Bruce Bare, Dean