From the dean's perspective

We launch the year-long celebration of 100 years of forestry education, research, and outreach at Virginia Tech on February 25 with the inaugural John F. Hosner Distinguished Lecture, made possible with an endowment created by the generosity of his wife Tenna Hosner, and enabling an annual distinguished lecture in perpetuity. Hosner, honorary founding dean of the college, would have been 100 years old on this date and our celebration comes at a serendipitous timing of events, including honoring J. Wilbur O’Byrne, the first forester hired at Virginia Tech 100 years ago.

Imagine 1925 and how forestry was practiced. Now, imagine what Virginia Tech was like at the time. This nation was only a few decades into the creation of national parks and national forests. Imagine a majority rural agrarian population completely opposite in proportion to today’s urban/rural population. Imagine homes built with solid wood — no plywood, no engineered wood, no wood truss floor and roof systems, no composite wood flooring, and no modern building products and practices we depend on today for wise use of our forest resources and for building a quality and resilient infrastructure in our nation and abroad. Fast forward to today. Think about fiber-based packaging, paper, tissue and paper towels. Recognize our dependence today on paper-based corrugated boxes for shipment associated with global commerce.

The science and technology employed today to establish, grow, maintain, and convert forests into much needed building and consumer products is remarkable. Today we have keen and important awareness of the role of forests in provision of clean air and water, human health, wildlife and biodiversity, carbon sequestration, environmental sustainability, as well as the significant role in our economy and employment of hundreds of thousands. Forestry today is a global endeavor with movement of materials, products, and workforce world-wide.

Our human ecosystem is inextricably intwined with our forests, with our trees, and with the forested landscape.

DEAN’S REFLECTION

The year 2025 will be a year of change for the college, and for me personally, as I transition away from a lifetime in higher education to a new life in retirement. I want to reflect on my own experiences in higher education now — nearly 50 years later.

People — It’s About the People, All the People, All the time

I credit Professor Dwight Bensend who was my mentor at Iowa State University for my career choice and path in life as an academic. I’ve been reminding our faculty of the influence they have to mentor students and possibly change the course of their life. Most of us would say in reflection it was the classroom — the students — where we got our biggest reward. Let us never forget that education is the number one reason we exist, and it comes in all forms and all ways — in the traditional classroom, in the lab, in the field, in student organizations, and from each other. Ben Franklin had it right so many years ago, and today we’ve labelled this as experiential learning.

Alumni and friends, it is never too late to write, call, or visit a former faculty member who changed your life. They will be forever grateful. To my faculty colleagues you have my greatest admiration and respect for all that you do each and every day.

What is a Good Education?

Rankings, reputations, career placement, and spin sometimes shape our notion of what is a good education. Think of a dinner party years after you graduate and someone asks you “did you get a good education at Virginia Tech in the College of Natural Resources and Environment?” And your response is “yes, I learned to think critically, to analyze information and data and draw independent and reliable conclusions. I learned to problem solve. I learned to communicate in writing, in speaking, and with technology, and I learned to work well with others. I earned a good education at Virginia Tech which gave me a foundation for my career and my life.” We are an important part of the educational supply chain — but the rest of your life is up to you.

Today Things are Noisy, Busy, and Complicated

We live in a noisy world today with hundreds of 24-hour cable choices, streaming everything about everything, and pundits on all sides of every topic. Find peace in a natural outdoor setting. Read a book, take a hike, and have a picnic. Get outdoors. Find time to give good and meaningful thought to those things that are important in your work and in your life. Put down your phone and have a real-time conversation with another person. You will both find it rewarding.

Our students are our future.

They are inheriting what we leave them. Our students are incredibly intelligent, passionate, responsible, curious, accomplished, and the promise of the future. The measure of the success of this college and this university is what transpires when our students begin their journey in the world.

It’s been the privilege of a lifetime to lead this incredible college the last 15 years. I am forever grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait to see the work of our students and faculty in the years to come.

Paul Winistorfer
Dean