Welcome to the School of Renewable Natural Resources!  As many of you know effective the 1^st of July I was appointed as the School’s new Director.  I have only been in this position for the last few months and I have already learned a great deal, but I know I have much more to learn.  I would like to thank the faculty, staff, and alums for their support during this time of transition, and especially Dr. Bill Kelso for his exhaustive work as Interim Director the past last two years.  Bill effectively maintained his teaching and research duties, as well as kept the School moving forward.  I would encourage each of you to show him your appreciation.           

I am pleased and honored to have been selected only the tenth Director of the School of Renewable Natural Resources since its inception in 1926.  My predecessors include D. S. Lee, Gordon Marckworth, Bryant Bateman, Ralph Hayes, Paul Burns, Thomas Hansbrough, Stan Carpenter, Norwin Linnartz, and Bob Blackmon.  These men led the School with distinction from the earliest days of university training in forestry in the State of Louisiana to our current comprehensive teaching, research, and extension programs in renewable natural resources. 

My goal is to continue the School’s tradition in teaching, research, and extension excellence in the basic and applied principles relevant to the management and conservation of natural resources. We will continue to produce students for professional employment that understand the historic fundamentals of their disciplines, as well as current techniques that will enhance their capabilities.  Our existing undergraduate programs of study in forestry (BSF) and Natural Resource Ecology and Management (NREM) are designed to expose our students to a broad range of renewable natural resource theory and techniques. Our well equipped graduates will be able to pursue a variety of professional options, and will be sought by an expanded range of diverse employers.

Our faculty is outstanding and has much to offer the State of Louisiana. However, to become a pre-eminent natural resources school, will require national and global presence. Many faculty members in the School have reached this level of research success, and others are well on their way.  Overall our faculty is committed to the sustainability of renewable natural resources and management that protects the environment while maximizing harvest.  Commitment to these guiding principles in our teaching, research, and extension activities will serve us well into the next generation.  

Because I believe that future financial development in the School will come from outside sources, I plan to be actively involved in the School’s program development.  As Director I will work to promote the School and individual School faculty with funding agencies, clientele groups, stakeholders, and alumni. I anticipate that many of you will want to help in these endeavors and I certainly welcome your participation.  

I look forward to working with each of you as I embark on this new and exciting time for the School and for me. The School has made great strides in recent years and I believe we are on course to become one of the nation’s leading natural resources schools. My vision for the School is ambitious, but without your help we will never attain this worthy goal.

 -Allen Rutherford, Director