As I mentioned in my email to campus on Friday, Joe O’Leary has stepped down as dean of the Warner College of Natural Resources and chosen to return to the faculty. This change comes at a critical time for the College and University, when we have to navigate budget issues and the normal challenges facing a large, complex unit without losing momentum in what has always been one of CSU’s cornerstone academic programs.

We have received a great deal of input from a wide range of sources about the leadership of the College, and support has coalesced around one person with the history and experience to make this leadership transition as seamless as possible: Dr. Joyce Berry. Before we tapped her to serve as the Vice President for Advancement and Strategic Initiatives, Joyce Berry was the dean of Warner College and a significant force in its development as one of the nation’s leading academic programs in natural resources. She brought that same dedication and spirit to her leadership of Advancement, where she has laid the groundwork and led the launch of our first comprehensive campaign.

The Campaign is off and running now, and the more pressing leadership need is in the Warner College. For that reason, Dr. Berry has agreed to finish out Joe O’Leary’s term as dean, after which she will be eligible for reappointment following a full reappointment review, as would occur for any dean. She is intimately familiar with the opportunities and challenges facing the College and appears to have exceptional faculty support. I have full confidence that she is the right person to step into the Dean’s role at this time.

This move leaves us with a need for leadership over our Advancement programs, which for the next three years will focus almost entirely around The Campaign for Colorado State University. As many of you know, Brett Anderson — a 1987 CSU alumnus and longtime member of our Campaign Leadership Council — has been working as a consultant this past year coordinating efforts to boost the University’s presence in Denver. Brett’s significant leadership and business experience, as well as his knowledge of the University, The Campaign, and the statewide community, make him the logical choice to take over leadership of Advancement through the conclusion of the Campaign in 2012. I’ve discussed this with Brett, and he has agreed to accept this limited term appointment as Vice President for Advancement while continuing his Campaign-related efforts to promote our involvement in the Denver area. We are fortunate to have someone with both his exceptional background and strong loyalty to CSU to step into this critical leadership role.

Thanks to both Joyce and Brett for taking on these important leadership challenges, and I ask that we all lend them our full support as they move into their new roles.

-tony

Tony Frank
President