Recruitment, research focus of new dean

Students at the School of Agriculture might see one more wandering body around their hallways this semester-no its not another freshman confused over room numbers.

It’s their new dean.

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Gary Minish became dean of agriculture Aug. 1 and is now busy trying to acquaint himself with faculty and students.

Despite an applicant pool of 30, Provost John M. Dunn said he was impressed not only with Minish’s academic and administrative credentials, but also his interaction with faculty and students when he visited the college during the interviewing process.

Minish spent almost 40 years teaching at Virginia Tech, most recently serving as the department head of animal and poultry sciences there.

Minish received his bachelor of science from Iowa State University and Ph.D. from Michigan State.

H.D. Woody, a former associate professor in the School of Agriculture has known Minish for 35 years. He said he believes Minish’s personality and drive will help improve the college.

“He’s fun to be around, but he gets the job done,” Woody said. “He’ll be the morale booster to get people involved, which I think will be a plus.”

After learning the ropes on campus, Minish plans to strengthen the college’s ties with industries and stakeholders in the state. He said another plan is to hire a new recruitment and retention coordinator for the college to increase enrollment. Using his experience at Virginia Tech, where he helped double enrollment, Minish said he plans to recruit students not only from Southern Illinois, but also, from the entire state.

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Minish said he plans on continue to college’s recent focus on research programs to complement Southern at 150, Chancellor Wendler’s plan for SIUC to become a top research institution by 2019. In fact, Southern at 150 was part of Minish’s reasoning for taking the position at SIUC.

“I thought that was one of the best plans that I’ve ever seen put together by a university,” Minish said. “It gives me a great opportunity to come in here, as a dean, and do the same in the college.”

With all of his plans and hopes for the College of Agriculture, Minish said he is certain that the already respected college can only improve from here.

“I think the people are here, the programs are here, the agriculture’s here. Obviously, we need to do some things to go to the next level,” Minish said. “I’m just here to see if we can’t take it to the next level.”