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New OSU ag dean looking to keep facilities updated
 
By SUSAN MYKRANTZ
Ohio Correspondent
 
WOOSTER, Ohio — Dr. Cathann Arceneaux Kress has only been on the job since May 1 but she is excited about her new role as vice president for agricultural administration and dean of the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Science (CFAES) at The Ohio State University.
 
She will be the chief academic and administrative officer of the college, responsible for leading its education, research, service and outreach missions. She will also lead fundraising efforts and strategic relationships for the college.

Coming off of a recent whirlwind week of graduations at both OSU Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI) in Wooster and the Columbus campus, she said this is a good time to take on the position.

For Kress it was not only a time to look back, but also ahead, as she spent time at the Statehouse meeting with legislators as they reviewed the budget process, including line items that will impact CFAES. Kress cited extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center as two priorities at the top of her list.

While she is a firm believer in the importance of 4-H as a way to reach young people across Ohio, she believes extension is more than just 4-H – it’s a way to get research-based information out to people across the state. She is excited about the depth of talent and experience among the faculty and hopes to build on that to expand opportunities available to the university.

She said the key to pushing OSU to the top of the list of institutional rankings lies in staying focused on the end goal. “We have so many things going on, but we haven’t leveraged that. Moving from the top 10 to the top five elite in different departments is a goal for which we have the reputation, talent and expertise. I am really optimistic that we can address that.”

Kress said with OSU’s extensive portfolio and technology, students will be able to step into the workforce when they leave.

She cited the new greenhouse and construction and landscaping laboratory at ATI as an example of improving facilities. The new greenhouse replaces poly hoop houses that had been constructed in the 1970s.

“This greenhouse is very important,” she said. “Its state-of-the-art technology is at the forefront so students have cutting-edge skills to step into the workplace as tech-savvy as possible.”

Updating facilities is a constant challenge for farmers and educational institutions, according to Kress. She said her father, a farmer, “always said that no matter where you stand, you are looking at work that needs to be done.”

She credited ATI for being accountable to both the students in providing them with the latest technology, as well as businesses that hire the students for internships and later as employees. She said it is important to upgrade the research to support new technology.

Kress said the university has a role to play in making sure people understand that problems are being addressed and solutions are being researched. “People who aren’t familiar with agriculture don’t think about it being at the cutting edge with more use of technology and data,” she said.

She listed water quality, pandemics and health in general, and environmental, human and animal health as challenges for OSU and ATI.

"With so many people one or two generations removed from the farm, OSU must be certain that we are communicating all that we are doing as a university to combat problems facing agriculture,” she noted. “We have been silent too long. We need to reassure them that no one cares more about the land, and we are doing everything possible to provide a safe food supply.”

Another challenge is to train and educate enough people to feed a growing world. “The USDA now reports that all colleges across the nation will account for 61 percent of the jobs in agriculture,” she said. “How will we address those concerns in a way that brings an investment in agriculture and environmental research? Something needs to happen now.”

Prior to taking the position at OSU, Kress was the vice president for extension and outreach at Iowa State University  and director of its cooperative extension service. She also spent time in the classroom instructing students at all levels.

In addition, her research efforts have focused on impacts on rural populations, including research on the impacts of multiple deployments on dependent children of National Guard and Reserve service members; programs to assist disadvantaged children, youth and families; and on achievement gaps that affect rural youth. 
 
Previously, Kress served as a senior policy analyst of Military Community and Family Policy at the Department of Defense in Washington, D.C. She has served as director of youth development at the National 4-H Headquarters, USDA, and as assistant director of Cornell University Cooperative Extension, and was state program leader at Cornell.

She currently serves as a trustee of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Board in Battle Creek, Mich.; as secretary and incoming chair, administrative heads section of the Board on Agriculture Assembly, Assoc. of Public and Land-grant Universities; and as a National 4-H Council trustee.

Kress earned a B.S. in social work at ISU and an M.A. in counselor education/college student development and Ph.D. in education, both from the University of Iowa. 
5/24/2017