SFA Regents appoint forestry dean to endowed chair position
The Stephen F. Austin State University Board of Regents has honored the dean of the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture by appointing him as the Henry M. Rockwell Chair in Forestry. Dr. Steven Bullard, who has served as dean of the college since 2009, will serve both roles concurrently.
The Rockwell Chair was established by the SFA Board of Regents in 1989 following receipt of an endowment from the estate of Henry M. Rockwell, a lumberyard owner with facilities in Houston and other cities in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.
In conjunction with his role as dean of forestry and agriculture at SFA, Bullard has served as president of the National Association of University Forest Resources Programs and recently was honored by the Society of American Foresters with the W.D. Hagenstein Communicator of the Year Award.
“As a result of his work on behalf of the 50th anniversary of the McIntire Stennis Cooperative Forestry Research Program, Dr. Bullard was asked by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist in the creation of a video to educate the public about the program, which plays a vital role in developing U.S. forests,” said Dr. Richard Berry, SFA provost and vice president for academic affairs. “The video was created with the assistance of faculty, staff and students from departments across the SFA campus and has been shown by entities across the nation.”
Regents revised the guidelines for the Rockwell Chair to include faculty members who also hold administrative roles as eligible recipients of the chair. The Rockwell Chair was most recently held by Dr. James Kroll, who accepted the position in 2008 and retained the title until he retired from the SFA faculty in 2013.
Bullard earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in forestry from Mississippi State University and a Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Regents also approved an adjustment in the budget for a renovation project in the McGee Building, which houses the Nelson Rusche College of Business. Bid proposals were received in February, and the low base bid for the project was $685,000. With an approved an increase of $200,000, the total budget for the project is set not to exceed $730,000.
The meeting was a specially called telephone meeting of the board. The next regularly scheduled meeting begins Monday, April 13, on the SFA campus.
For more information, visit www.sfasu.edu/regents/.
