January 24, 2002

To All Members of the CFR Community,

Today, President Richard L. McCormick announced B. Bruce Bare as the new Dean of the College of Forest Resources. When confirmed by the University of Washington Regents on February 15, 2002, Bare will become the College's seventh Dean since its inception in 1907.

In their letter to the CFR community, President McCormick and Provost Lee Huntsman reaffirmed their support of "the importance of the work of the CFR to the University, the state, the region, and the world." They also referred to the report prepared by the Charting Directions Committee which was prepared in response to President McCormick's charge letter dated August 7, 2001.

In response to the Committee's Report, the President and Provost considered three alternatives:

  • "Commence a national search for a new dean who will provide leadership for the CFR in overcoming its problems and building upon its strengths and opportunities.

  • Follow the lead of some other universities that have recently reorganized their academic units related to natural resources and the environment. There are some attractive models from which we could learn, and certainly there are many possible opportunities for integration and reorganization with UW departments and programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering, the College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences, and others.

  • Continue the College's current, nascent progress under the leadership of Dean Bruce Bare and reserve until later a decision about the other two courses of action described above. This direction means placing a big bet on Dean Bare's leadership, on the faculty's willingness and determination to continue the kind of progress represented by the proposed undergraduate program changes, and on the members of the Advisory Board to maintain their strong support and counsel through a period of continuing transition in the CFR. These are the bets we are making. This is the direction we have chosen."

    The President and Provost also stated that, "they are cautiously optimistic about recent developments in the College of Forest Resources. Besides the undergraduate program changes that are in progress, there is Dean Bare's impressive agenda for the future of the College and the action items he proposes. If you have not already done so, please read the materials he disseminated at the January 8, 2002, Faculty Meeting. They concern almost all aspects of the work that is cut out for the CFR community in the years immediately ahead -- vision, mission, culture, resources, facilities, management, and, above all, academic excellence. No doubt some of Dean Bare's specific ideas will be revised through the deliberations of faculty, students and staff. But he has laid out a promising agenda, which we commend to you."

    They conclude by stating that, "the College of Forest Resources should continue the progress it has recently begun. Whether the College retains its independent status as it is currently organized or whether it is reconfigured together with some other academic units of the University, the continuation and acceleration of the current progress will enable CFR faculty, students and programs to fulfill the heavy expectations that are placed upon those who study our forests and other natural resources. The University, the state, the region, and the world need what you do. And we're placing our bets on you to do it well."

    To Return to:Prof Bare's Page, Dean's Office, College of Forest Resources