2008
PERSPECTIVES
1
DEVELOPMENT
14
ALUMNI RELATIONS
15
ALUMNI & FRIENDS EVENTS
16
DEPARTMENTAL UPDATES
30
[ p ers p ecti v es ]
2
Good steward of family traditions
As chairman of the board for City Bank, Curtis Griffith
offices in a modern, glass building in west Lubbock.
But, his heart is in the farm fields outside the city.
6
High on the Horse Industry
Julie Bryant has developed a reputation for being a
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
36
OUTSTANDING AGRICULTURALISTS
37
THEN & NOW
38
trouble-shooter and change agent for associations and
non-profit groups, helping them develop and launch
proactive business strategies.
MILESTONES
41
10
Smoke Signals of Success
A picture is worth a thousand words, but a scratch-andsniff tab probably would be even more valuable in telling
the story of Lacy and Micah Butler, owners of Butler’s
Smokehouse in Stephenville.
18
Championing Lubbock’s New Look
Michael Chad Davis’s handiwork in Lubbock and other
cities is like public art without a signature.
LANDMARKS VOL. 22-2008
Landmarks magazine is a publications of the College
of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at
Texas Tech University. It is published yearly and sent to
alumni and friends of the college.
Publication Director/Editor:
Memory Bennett
Writer:
22
Where the Wild Things Are …
Is Where You Will Find Deanna Oberheu
What Deanna Oberheu does for work is not much
different than what she does for fun.
Laura Gutschke
Photographers:
Artie Limmer and Norman Martin
Designer:
Brandi Price, Hartsfield Design
Printer:
Craftsman Printers Inc.
Send comments and news to:
Landmarks Editor
CASNR
Box 42123 Lubbock, Texas 79409-2123
(806) 742-2802
memory.bennett@ttu.edu
www.casnr.ttu.edu
I
t is our p leasure to
26
Making a Success in Farming
Dale Swinburn is a farmer who has incorporated new
techniques over the years to maximize production
provide you with the latest edition of
Landmarks. Texas Tech University in general and CASNR in particular, continues
on its path of a growing, dynamic educational enterprise. This is my 39th year to be associated with Texas Tech and I continue to state
that for each year I have served the institution, it
is a better place to be than it was the year before.
After you have had a chance to read this edition
of Landmarks I believe you will agree that sentiment holds true for CASNR as well.
It is my distinct pleasure to serve as Interim
Dean while our search continues to find the
right person to lead the college in the years to
come. I retired from Tech in May of 2006. Numerous people have asked me why I “ruined” my
retirement. Simply stated, being interim dean
for CASNR is the only job that I would bring me
back to the campus and I most certainly have not
“ruined” my retirement! Even though I do not
have an agricultural or natural sciences background, over the years I have had a great working relationship with the faculty, staff, students
and administrators from CASNR. Because my
background is in animal physiology, specifically
reproductive biology, I had the opportunity to
work with several of the animal science faculty.
In this capacity I had the pleasure to work on several research projects with Horn Professor Emeritus Rod Preston. During my tenure as Provost, I
worked closely with CASNR faculty and administrators. I helped initiate the Doc at a Distance
degree program and was the main advocate from
the central administration to the Tech Board of
Regents for the new Animal and Food Science
building to cite just two examples.
While serving as Provost, I often stated that
CASNR was my favorite college (I am sure much
to the chagrin of the other deans). Why would
I say that? I would offer several reasons. First, I
have always admired the dedication of the faculty and staff to the college’s teaching, research
and service mission. Second, the faculty and
staff have always put the students first. CASNR
is the only college at Texas Tech where the faculty serves as the primary advisors for the undergraduate students. Third, I admire the loyalty
and dedication the faculty and staff have to the
commodity groups and to those who work in the
agricultural and natural resources industries.
And lastly, I admire the student body. As a group
I would contend that they are the most serious,
hardest working, have the best work ethic of any
group at Texas Tech. And On top of that, they are
polite and courteous!
This past year has been another great time for
the college. This fall the Texas Tech enrollment
had a slight increase, while CASNR enjoyed a
6.1% increase. This increase is due, in large part,
to the excellent recruiting efforts by the faculty,
students, and our enrollment and retention staff.
In fact, our college is the only agricultural sciences
program in the Big 12 Conference to experience
an increase in enrollment over the last five year
period. For the fall, 2007 the total student enrollment is 1,560. Funded research projects continue
to be a strong point. Currently, our research funding is over $113,000 per faculty member. This
makes the fourth year in a row that CASNR has
lead all colleges at Texas Tech. Extramural support
for the college is quite remarkable. Our endowment is over $39 million and seems to increase on
a daily basis. Our graduate and undergraduate
scholarship endowment is approaching $17 million. This academic year CASNR will award approximately $1.5 million to support our students.
Our tradition of excellence in student team competitions continues to be a hallmark of the college.
Teams from Animal and Food Sciences and Plant
and Soil Sciences won national championships.
Lastly, in a recent article in The Journal of Higher
Education, our wildlife sciences program was
ranked eighth in the nation in that category in
terms of faculty scholarly productivity.
I am indeed honored and privileged to have
the opportunity to lead the college this year. The
support and advice we receive from our alumni
and friends is invaluable and I encourage each
of you to support our programs in any way you
can. The College of Agricultural Sciences and
Natural Sciences is a unique and inspiring institution. Again, thank you for all you do to help us
advance our goals and mission. I hope that each
of you will have a chance to visit our campus and
that you will stop by the office to say hello.
Dr. John Burns
Interim Dean, College of Agricultural
Sciences and Natural Resources
while conserving water, fuel and other resources.
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