Trustees approve deanship, degree program

November 4, 2005

Trustees approve deanship, degree program

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue University Board of Trustees today (Friday, Nov. 4) ratified the appointment of Randy Woodson to a named deanship in the College of Agriculture and approved a new degree program at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Woodson, who has been dean of Purdue Agriculture since 2004, was ratified as the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture, the result of a $3 million gift from Joseph T. and Angela Sample that was announced Oct. 3.

"Funds from an endowed position, such as this, help us attract and retain world-class faculty," said Provost Sally Mason. "Randy Woodson has been on the faculty in the College of Agriculture for 20 years and will be well-equipped to help identify programs that will greatly benefit from the opportunities made available by the Sample family."

As dean, Woodson also is responsible for Purdue agricultural centers across Indiana and the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service. Woodson joined the Purdue faculty in 1985 and oversaw Purdue's agricultural research programs from 1998 to 2004, including initiatives in biotechnology and genomics. He previously was head of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.

He has served on the boards of directors of the Indiana Crop Improvement Association, the Ag Alumni Seed Improvement Association and BioCrossroads; he is director of the Indiana Wine-Grape Council; and a member of the Governor's Task Force on Tobacco Producers and Rural Community Impact Fund. Woodson formerly was a member of the Governor's Task Force on Counter-Terrorism and Biosecurity and the Agriculture and Rural Development Task Force of the Indiana Agricultural Leadership Institute.

Woodson received a bachelor's degree in horticulture from the University of Arkansas, and a master's degree in horticulture and doctorate in horticulture/plant physiology from Cornell University. Prior to coming to Purdue, he was an assistant horticulture professor at Louisiana State University.

Joseph T. Sample, a 1964 Purdue alumnus from Garner, N.C. said the deferred gift for the named deanship honors his late father, Glenn, and his many ties to Purdue.

Glenn W. Sample earned a bachelor's degree from Purdue in 1935 and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1972. He was host of a daily farm radio program on WBAA and was a household name in Indiana agriculture for many years. He launched a travel service that enabled farmers to travel around the world and study agricultural practices in other countries. The Sample family previously established the Glenn W. Sample/Purdue Ag Alumni Scholarship for Purdue students pursuing a major in agricultural communication.

Trustees also approved a new bachelor of science degree program in civil engineering at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. The program will focus on the latest advances in the design, construction and maintenance of infrastructure.

"These areas are of great interest to industry and students nationwide, including northeastern Indiana," Mason said. "Adding a bachelor's degree in civil engineering is in accordance with the mission of the university to play an important role in the cultural and economic life of northeastern Indiana, to retrain the work force and to respond to changes in the economy."

Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu

Source: Sally Mason, (765) 494-9709, sfmason@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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