FAYETTEVILLE - Gregory J. Weidemann, associate director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, will serve as interim dean of the University of Arkansas' Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences while a national search is conducted to fill the top administrative post for the College and Experiment Station.

UA Chancellor John White and Provost Bob Smith and U of A System Vice President for Agriculture Milo Shult announced recently that Weidemann had accepted the interim position and that he continues to have responsibility for the management and operation of the

Station.

"We greatly appreciate Dr. Weidemann's willingness to serve in this capacity and pledge to provide him our full support to insure that the programs of the Station and College will continue to effectively serve our students and clientele," Shult said.

Smith added, "We are fortunate to have a person of the caliber of Greg Weidemann working with us during an important interim period. The College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences has made some important gains in teaching, research and service during the past few years. We are grateful for Dr. Weidemann's willingness to help us maintain our direction and momentum."

Weidemann joined the Department of Plant Pathology in 1983. He is an internationally recognized authority on plant pathogenic fungi and use of fungi for biological control of weeds, and he received several teaching awards, including the National Association of Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture 1990 teaching award of merit.

Weidemann was appointed Experiment Station associate director in December 1995. The dual U of A position of dean and associate vice president includes administration of statewide research programs of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, which is part of the U of A

System's Division of Agriculture.

The Experiment Station employs about 175 faculty scientists who conduct research on the UA campuses in Fayetteville and Monticello and at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. They also conduct research at Division of Agriculture research and extension centers in

Stuttgart, Hope, Monticello, Keiser and Fayetteville and at seven branch stations.

Most Experiment Station faculty at Fayetteville have joint appointments as teaching faculty in Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. The college had a fall 2000 enrollment of 1,046 undergraduate students and 308 graduate students.

The former dean and associate vice president, Charles J. Scifres, left in early January for the position of deputy director of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and associate vice chancellor for agriculture and life sciences at Texas A&M University.

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