June 10, 2005

Colleagues

I wish to announce formation of a new College unit that encompasses the existing CUH, WPA, Miller Library, and UBNA. This development is the outcome of strategic planning undertaken under the direction of CUH/WPA Director David Mabberley, faculty, staff, and students affiliated with CUH and WPA. Also attending the planning meetings was Associate Dean Steve West.

In April, they proposed a vision statement, a mission statement, and a collective name for the new unit. On June 8th, the Vice Provost for Research approved the Dean's request to create the new College unit, "UW Botanic Gardens (UWBG)." Unanimously agreed upon at the planning session, UWBG not only has a resonance with the original wording of the Arboretum and Botanical Garden Committee (ABGC), which oversees the work of the WPA, but also brings the UW in line with other major institutions with similar internationally significant plant research programs and plant collections. The new name facilitates enhanced organizational structure for internal management, as well as conveying a clear message and sense of identity to our many external stakeholders. CUH, WPA, Miller Library, and UBNA retain their existing identity in the new unit.

The UWBG vision statement is: "As an international hub for plant science, information, teaching, and stewardship, we will promote an educated, inspired, and engaged society, dedicated to sustainable ecosystem management"; the UWBG mission statement is "Sustaining managed to natural ecosystems and the human spirit through plant research, display, and education." This strategic framework complements and enhances CFR's strategic themes centering around the concept of natural resources and environmental sustainaibility.

B. Bruce Bare, Dean