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From the Dean
From the Dean
CFANS isn’t the new college on the block anymore.
- Four years after the reorganization that created our college, we’re moving into a new phase. Let’s call it CFANS version 2.0. Some of the changes that will be coming obviously are a result of the university and state’s budget situation, but for the most part the changes we plan are part of a natural evolution that began with the changes in 2006.
- Plans to revitalize the ways our undergraduates learn and study are coming together, after more than two years of research and discussion by faculty-led committees. This summer, we’ll use the committees’ recommendations to fill in the details of a new plan that will start taking effect as early as fall semester 2010.
- We’re also taking a look at how we do research and outreach at our centers around Minnesota, to see if there are more efficient and effective ways to do our research at the centers and to share it with citizens.
- Finally, we’re scrutinizing all of our operations to see if there are ways we can be more cost-effective without harming our core missions of teaching, research and outreach. This work goes beyond our college and is part of a broader effort by the University of Minnesota to stay within our means while remaining a top-tier research institution.
While we don’t yet know all the details of the changes to come, many, many good ideas have been brought forward and discussed that could help the college can be even more productive and creative. Over the next few months, we’ll be making decisions about how to bring about these changes.
The students, faculty, staff and stakeholders in CFANS are familiar with change and we handle it well; I’m excited about what this new version of our college will look like, and I hope you will share your thoughts with me as we move into the next stage.
Allen S. Levine ('73-M.S., botany; '77-Ph.D., nutrition)
Dean
