Marc Linit
2-44 Agriculture Bldg.
linitm@missouri.edu

Volume 1, No. 1 of Synthesis was published in July 2002.  CAFNR Dean Tom Payne wrote the first Prescience article and detailed the sources of funding that support the College: state appropriations, federal appropriations, grants and contracts, development support and earnings from commodity sales. Since the inaugural issue, John Gardner has written the monthly Prescience column and has used this forum to provide information about the federal budget, intellectual property, CAFNR research expenditures, developments at South Farm and many other topics related to the activities of the Agricultural Experiment Station and its employees. 

A number of changes have taken place since the inaugural issue.

• Our academic units have become divisions.
• New departments have been formed while other departments have combined into an integrated division.
• Several leadership changes have also occurred in the units/divisions.
• The University has added a fourth mission, economic development, to the traditional triad of research, teaching and outreach.
• A new position was created to lead the University effort in development — and our own John Gardner was asked to become the first Vice President for Research and Economic Development.

This position is with the UM System and John’s office is now in University Hall. As a campus leader in economic development, we in CAFNR anticipate continued interaction with John in his new role. John will continue his leadership role in the development of a research park at South Farm. The University of Missouri curators recently adopted a proposal to designate a portion of South Farm as a research park. A research park campus will be developed to house private-sector tenants that have ties to University researchers. The goal is to lease space to businesses that commercialize University-developed products or that collaborate on research and development with MU scientists. John’s good fortune has provided an opportunity for me to move into a new administrative role.

I have been an MU faculty member since 1980 with responsibilities in research and teaching. My research was in the areas of forest entomology and insect ecology. For many years I taught Forest Entomology, an introductory course for forestry students, and a graduate level course in Insect Ecology. I have served in several administrative positions including Entomology Department Coordinator, Entomology Department Chair, Leader of the Plant Sciences Unit. Most recently I have been the Director of the Division of Plant Sciences. 

While I am most familiar with the College's programs in plant sciences and natural resources, my interaction with fellow Unit Leaders/Division Directors has provided me with a level of familiarity with most of CAFNR’s research programs. Since arriving at MU, I have worked with several individuals who have held the position of Associate Dean for Research — Bill Pfander, Bruce Bullock, Mike Chippendale and John Gardner.  Each has helped the experiment station transition from a formula funded institution to one that is driven by extramural funds. This trend will continue and presents a significant challenge as we work to address our mission-oriented goals for Missouri agriculture in a funding environment of decreasing resources for applied research. I look forward to meeting this challenge with you while we continue our national leadership in several areas of basic research.

Prescience is defined as the knowledge of actions or events before they happen. Thus, the purpose of the column is to keep the CAFNR family informed of the activities and directions of the Agricultural Experiment Station and the state and federal environment in which we operate.  I hope to use this column to keep you prescient of issues of importance to the experiment station and I look forward to working with you. 

Regards, Marc