Dean to retire next year

Dean George Brown will retire in September of 1999. The Dean made the announcement at the annual College faculty and staff meeting in September, as this issue of Focus on Forestry was going to press. He cited both professional and personal reasons for his decision. "I believe I've accomplished what I set out to do nine years ago," he said. "Together we have moved this College forward at an unbelievable pace in spite of some of the worst budgets since the Depression. We have a new building nearly ready to occupy, the College's endowment is the highest in the University, we've recruited some outstanding new faculty, and we'll soon add three new endowed chairs."

It is a good time, he said, to recruit a new Dean. "Changes in leadership help to revitalize colleges like ours and help them grow." Brown, 59, also said he is ready to step back from the rigorous pace of the Dean's job and spend more time with his wife, Joan, and family.

When he retires next year, Brown will have served on the OSU faculty for 33 years and as Dean for nearly 10 years. He pledged to remain an active leader until then: "I intend to run at full speed." A search committee will be appointed within a few weeks, and Brown said he hopes to have a new Dean on board by July or August of 1999. A forthcoming special edition of Focus on Forestry will highlight the Brown years and detail the process for recruiting the next Dean.