By SHELLY STRAUTZ-SPRINGBORN
Michigan Correspondent

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Douglas Buhler, associate dean of Michigan State University’s (MSU) College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR), is being recommended to serve as interim dean of the college.

Buhler will succeed Jeffrey Armstrong, who was recently named president of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Buhler joined MSU’s team in 2000, when he was appointed professor and chairperson of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, a position he held until 2005. He has served as CANR associate dean for research, as well as associate director of MSU AgBioResearch, since 2005. He also has served as director of Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs), a cooperative effort with MSU AgBioResearch, MSU Extension and the Michigan Department of Agriculture to advance Michigan’s economy through its plant-based agriculture.

The appointment of Buhler as the college’s interim dean is pending approval by the MSU Board of Trustees.

“Professor Buhler combines a strong academic record with a deep understanding of the college, its traditions and its aspirations,” said MSU Provost Kim Wilcox. “I look forward to working with him in the coming months as the college continues to move forward and thank Dean Armstrong for his many years of leadership in CANR.”

Buhler said in his role as associate dean, he has been “part of the team” running the college for a number of years and he has worked his way up through the college and has learned a lot along the way.

“I have a good background base of knowledge, and I have a good feeling for what’s going on out there,” he said.

Buhler said evaluation of the structure of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources will continue under his leadership. He said achieving “balance” is key.
“One of the big challenges of the CANR is the declining nature – there’s just less money available from the traditional pools,” he said. “A challenge is trying to maintain our traditional mission as a land grant university and service to the industry and at the same time take advantage of the opportunities that are out there” for grants and research. “We need to be responsive to the opportunities and also continue to have programs that are responsive to the needs of our students.”

Before joining MSU, Buhler conducted research for the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service. Prior to that, he was a member of the faculty at the University of Wisconsin.

Buhler’s research and outreach activities focus on the ecology of weedy plant species in agricultural systems. His research results are being used to develop and implement improved weed management systems and have resulted in more than 330 publications.

Buhler was born and raised on a dairy farm in southern Wisconsin. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Nebraska.

He is scheduled to assume the interim dean post Feb. 1 and will continue in that position until a permanent dean is identified through a national search.