School Name Change Emphasizes Natural Resource Training

Submitted by Doreen Fitzgerald
Phone: (907) 474-5042
02/20/03

The School of Agriculture and Land Resources Management at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has been renamed the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences. The name change was approved Feb. 21 by the University of Alaska Board of Regents after review and approval by faculty, staff, clients, the school’s advisory board and UAF administrators.

"The new name reflects our current emphasis on providing knowledge that is important for the successful long-term management of natural resources in Alaska and the circumpolar world," said Dean and Director Carol E. Lewis. "It includes traditional agricultural and forest management, and with the inclusion of the geography department in the school, also covers our mission to discover, describe, and interpret the spatial characteristics of northern regions."

"People are increasingly aware of the necessity to manage resources in a way that ensures sustainable industries and resilient ecosystems," Lewis said. "We are in the forefront of that effort, exploring resource management from both ecological and human perspectives through the inclusion of social sciences in our programs."

The name of the school’s research arm, Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, is unchanged, which reflects the land-grant mission of research and outreach in the traditional agricultural and forest industries, as well as those industries that are changing or emerging in the United States and the world.

The school includes the departments of forest sciences, geography, plant animal and soil sciences, and resources management. Faculty expertise includes agriculture, forest and soil sciences, horticulture, range management, recreation management, revegetation, physical and cultural geography, and community development related to planning, policy, and economics. It offers B.S. degrees in Natural Resources Management and Geography (Environmental Studies), the B.A. degree in Geography, the M.S. degree in Natural Resources Management, and participates in the UAF interdisciplinary Ph.D. program.