Purdue News
Purdue News
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June 21, 2004 Lechtenberg appointed Purdue’s vice provost for engagementWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Victor L. Lechtenberg, who has served as dean of agriculture at Purdue since 1994, has been named the university’s vice provost for engagement.
The appointment, subject to ratification by the Board of Trustees, is effective July 1, and follows a national search. "Through the Cooperative Extension Service and an array of other programs, Purdue's School of Agriculture has a long history of service to the people and state of Indiana," said Purdue Provost Sally Mason in announcing the appointment Monday (6/21). "In this new leadership role, Vic will be instrumental in helping communities throughout the state develop technology parks and advancing initiatives such as the Technical Assistance Program, which last year helped nearly 400 Indiana companies implement new technologies." Lechtenberg, 59, succeeds Don K. Gentry, who will retire June 30. Gentry, who became the first vice provost for engagement in 2001, will continue to serve half time to oversee several economic development projects as a special assistant to the provost. As vice provost for engagement, Lechtenberg will lead Purdue's expanded effort to use university resources to address economic development and other issues affecting the state's prosperity and quality of life. He will work directly with Indiana's leaders, the business community and citizens to find ways for Purdue to accomplish that mission. Additional programs under Lechtenberg’s supervision include Opportunity for Indiana, a statewide initiative to counter the brain drain, and Science Bound, which assists Indianapolis Public Schools students in preparing for a science-related degree at Purdue. Lechtenberg also will oversee the Office for Continuing Education and Conferences. Purdue President Martin C. Jischke said Lechtenberg’s experience as dean of agriculture will serve him well as he oversees the many offices and programs under the engagement umbrella. "During his long career at Purdue, Vic has won the respect of faculty, staff, alumni and public officials," Jischke said. "He is a dynamic leader who wants to make a difference, and in his new role, he will help look for more ways to reach out and make a positive impact on communities and lives." Lechtenberg said he is looking forward to the challenge. "Don Gentry has done a tremendous job in new business development, work force training and technical assistance, to name a few initiatives." Lechtenberg said. "I am very excited to have the opportunity to build upon the solid foundation he established. I look forward to working with Don, Provost Mason and many others in advancing Purdue’s mission of engagement even further." Lechtenberg joined the Purdue faculty in 1971 and became a professor of agronomy in 1979. He then served as associate director of the Indiana Agriculture Experiment Station (now the Office of Agricultural Research Programs) from 1982-89. That job entailed serving as liaison between agricultural researchers and funding sources, as well as reviewing research proposals from academic departments. Following that appointment, Lechtenberg was named executive associate dean of agriculture in 1989. In that position, he made recommendations to the dean about research, teaching and Cooperative Extension Service programs, and he assisted in facilities planning and budget and personnel decisions. He then succeeded Robert L. Thompson as dean in 1994, after serving as interim dean. The dean of agriculture administers the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service system in all 92 Indiana counties. The system includes the 4-H/Youth program that reaches more than 265,000 young people in Indiana. The dean also administers the Office of Academic Programs, the Office of Agricultural Research Programs and International Programs in Agriculture. Lechtenberg is a member of several academic, professional and scholarly societies and has written nearly 150 technical papers, approximately 50 abstracts and six chapters in books. He is a fellow of the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America, for which he served as president in 1991. He also served as President of the Council of Agricultural Science and Technology in 1996. Lechtenberg served as chair of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s national Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board from 1996 through 2002. In that capacity, he provided written testimony on biosecurity for the U.S. Senate. At Purdue, Lechtenberg has taught courses in agronomy and has been the major professor for or served on advisory committees for nearly 40 graduate students. His research has involved forage quality, forage production, quality changes in hay during storage, producing forages on marginal lands and ruminant animal nutrition. In 1999, he was named an honorary member of the Indiana Association of Agricultural Educators. Lechtenberg is a native of Butte, Neb., where he grew up on a general livestock farm. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska in 1967 and earned a doctorate in agronomy from Purdue in 1971. Gentry, who has served Purdue for 21 years, was the dean of the School of Technology for 14 years and helped launch the university's Statewide Technology Program. William "Randy" Woodson, associate dean of agriculture and director of the Office of Agricultural Research Programs, will serve as interim dean while a national search is conducted, Mason said. Writer: Marydell Forbes (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu Sources: Sally Mason, (765) 494-9709, sfmason@purdue.edu Martin C. Jischke, (765) 494-9708 Victor Lechtenberg, (765) 494-8391, vll@purdue.edu Don K. Gentry, (765) 494-9095, dkgentry@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu Related story:
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