Former professor Craig Beyrouty is the new dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Colorado State University’s agricultural sciences college dean, will become the dean of this university’s agriculture college Nov. 1.
Craig Beyrouty, who has worked in soil sciences for more than 35 years, oversaw five departments at Colorado State, including animal sciences, horticultural landscape architecture, agricultural and resources economics and soil and crop sciences.
“I wanted to get into agriculture to really help others from the standpoint of food production and focus on improving the lives of others,” Beyrouty said. “With regards of soil science, it was also an opportunity to be involved in conserving and preserving our natural resources, and soils is fundamental to food production.”
Beyrouty’s work has taken him around the world, including Africa, where he worked in both Ethiopia and Kenya on collaborative agricultural projects.
Beyrouty said his projects in Africa were some of his favorites.
“Working in Africa in both Ethiopia and Kenya and working with universities in both countries has been exciting to me,” he said. “They’re very interested in developing systems that are similar to our land grant systems within the United States, and it’s an opportunity for us to be able to share with those organizations and institutions the land grant system, the land grant mission and certainly how it works here in the United States.”
Beyrouty, who previously served as International Rice Root Working Group vice chair, also worked in the Philippines and Japan with foreign scientists on rice research, exploring the depths of rice roots and growth.
“I really enjoy interacting with all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds whether it’s from rural communities or city communities,” he said.
Lou Swanson, Colorado State’s vice president for engagement, said Beyrouty is “one of the nicest people you’ll meet.”
“He’s highly knowledgeable about a breadth of agriculture issues,” Swanson said. “People will find him to be very engaging. The University of Maryland is very lucky to have him on board.”
After living in a semi-arid region like Colorado, Beyrouty said he has extensive experience working with water as a major focus in agriculture.
In a highly populated state like this one, Beyrouty said he expects to focus on smaller-scale agriculture operations like urban agriculture and preserving natural resources like the Chesapeake Bay.
As the new dean, Beyrouty said he hopes to work with other disciplines outside of the agriculture college.
“We want to be able to sustain and grow agriculture within the state,” Beyrouty said. “To do that, we have to focus on the food-production side of things but also the environmental and the natural resource side and so it’s going to be a holistic approach to agriculture.”
The current dean, Cheng-i Wei, said he is in the process of deciding his next career move.
“I can always go back as a tenured faculty to conduct teaching, research and service for the university,” Wei said.
Beyrouty said he also hopes to increase undergraduate student enrollment in the college. A report released last month by the Department of Agriculture predicted almost 60,000 annual job openings between 2015 and 2020 for those with degrees in the field.
“There’s an explosion of job opportunities,” Beyrouty said. “We want to be able to prepare and attract as many students as we possibly can, because it’s an outstanding discipline and career choice for individuals.”
