Stephan Herbert

In March 2009, I was appointed the Director, Massachusetts Center for Agriculture, and Associate Director, Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station. The Center for Agriculture had been previously formed but had been there mostly in name only. My mandate from the Dean was to raise the level of activity and awareness of agriculture both on the UMass Campus and in the Commonwealth and region. This was significant since the historic “agriculture college” was in 2009 being merged with the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and a focus on agriculture needed to be maintained. The Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station manages agricultural research funded by Federal funds and adds support to agricultural projects funded by competitive grants. Agriculture here is interpreted broadly to include basic research in plants, animals, food and the natural environment, and at the other end of the spectrum, applied research in crops, animals, food, nutrition and natural resources. At this time the Center for Agriculture also assumed management responsibility for the research and instructional farms which had previously been managed by departments. When UMass Extension returned to the College in 2009 from the previous affiliation with University Outreach, the reporting line was through the Center for Agriculture. This new association of UMass Extension with the Center for Agriculture was purposeful, with a desire for greater integration of agricultural research and outreach. In September 2009, I was appointed Associate Dean and Director, Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station. The move of UMass Extension back into the College enabled more integration with research, and for greater administrative alignment I was also appointed Director of UMass Extension in May 2011. While this review concerns my current and past leadership as Associate Dean and Director of the Center for Agriculture, many of the accomplishments detailed below have in a large part only been possible because of efforts of many; by Center leadership, financial and personnel offices, farm managers and support staff, the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, CNS Development office, faculty, extension educators and staff in many departments and programs, and support from the Dean and Associate Deans in the College of Natural Sciences.