Forestry dean elected NAUFRP 2013-14 president

The dean of the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, Dr. Steven Bullard, has been elected president of the National Association of University Forestry Resources Programs (NAUFRP).

This presidency will be conducted as a two-year term, which will begin in January. This organization was formed in 1981, and its purpose is to help advance science and forest resource management through support, education, service and further research. Its members consist of scientists, specialists and other faculty members from at least 80 different universities.

Having earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in forestry from Mississippi State University, as well as a Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Bullard has worked long and hard for this achievement.

He was named dean of the College of Forestry and Agriculture at SFA in 2009 and has also served as the chair of the Department of Forestry at the University of Kentucky for five years. He was a faculty member and administrator at Mississippi State University for 18 years. In addition, Bullard was selected as a Fellow of the Society of American Foresters (SAF) in 2010.

SAF’s mission is to advance the practice of forestry, as well as technology, science, and education as a whole. In addition, it teaches and encourages life-long skills and the conservation ethic to assure forest ecosystems and forest resources are cared for and used both effectively and efficiently in order to benefit society as a whole.

In Bullard’s nomination letter, co-worker Dr. Jimmie Yeiser, an SFA forestry professor and current SAF Fellow, stated how he admired Bullard for his commitment to student success, in the field of forestry as well as in life.

“As a university servant to the forestry profession, [Bullard] influences countless young professionals, thereby multiplying and extending his contribution to forestry and SAF for many years to come,” Yeiser wrote.

For example, Bullard planted trees in 2004 for the STMicroelectronics, a leading manufacturer, and, through the dedication and caring for those trees, has since seen students measuring and researching the growth patterns. Through this work, lands are used for “educational purposes, and are also providing the funds for much needed scholarships.”

The NAUFRP associates itself with university-level forestry issues while working through the general public, federal government agencies, nongovernmental organizations and educational and scientific organizations.