10 questions for Woodson

Photo by Tom Campbell Randy Woodson (right) talks with A. Bruce Maunder, MS '58, PhD '60, honorary doctorate '03, of Lubbock, Texas, a world-renowned leader in plant breeding and genetics.

1. You have been “actively courted by recruiters” from other universities. Why did you decide to stay at Purdue?
Purdue is a leading land-grant university and a leading College of Agriculture. We are at a very exciting time in our history and enjoy outstanding leadership at the university level that understands the critical role Purdue plays in the state of Indiana and in the agriculture, food and natural resource sectors in Indiana. Gov. Mitch Daniels and Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman recognize the critical role agriculture plays in the state’s economy and are working hard to support an expansion of agriculture in Indiana. Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture Andy Miller also knows what agriculture does and can do for the state. This provides a terrific opportunity for Purdue Agriculture to help lead the way through education and new technologies for production and post production and value-added agriculture.

2. What are your hobbies?
I play the guitar, most often with my son, who is much better than me. My kids — Patrick, 18, and Chloe, 14 — are very involved in sports, and I try to follow them as they compete in soccer. My adult daughter, Samantha, 22, is a senior at Purdue in the College of Liberal Arts.

3. What is your favorite book? TV show? Movie?
Favorite book: Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. This book outlines the development of human societies as impacted by agriculture, health and industry. I admit to a rather strong addiction to old Seinfeld episodes. For movies, I watch whatever Susan (my wife of nearly 26 years) rents.

4. Who had the most influence on making you the person you are today?
My parents, who always did the right thing, and Wayne Moseley, for whom I worked while I was in high school in Arkansas. Wayne owned a local greenhouse business and encouraged me to pursue a college education in agriculture. Clearly, I would not be dean of agriculture at Purdue if I had taken a different path educationally.

5. What are the three most important things in your life?
My family, my integrity and the ability to make a difference.

6. Who was the most influential person in your educational career?
I give Vic Lechtenberg tremendous credit for being such a great mentor to me as a young department head and as an associate dean. His vision for the College of Agriculture and his ability to lead have been a great source of inspiration for me during my time at Purdue.

7. The national trend in agriculture is for more large farms and more small farms. Will the future have any place for the 500-acre farm?
Certainly technology and the razor-thin margins for profitability are pushing American agriculture to larger farms. The good news is that technology helps us manage these operations and allows families in many cases to continue farming, but to farm larger acreage. I think the U.S. and world appetite for inexpensive food produced with the smallest footprint on the land will continue to push us towards a large producer model. There are growing opportunities for smaller farms, particularly in specialty niche market areas. Indiana is in a particularly strong position to grow these types of farming operations, given our terrific access to markets and our significant opportunities for off-farm employment.

8. How does Purdue Agriculture fit into the future of agriculture?
Purdue Agriculture is positioned to advance both large-scale farming and smaller, niche market operations. First, on the large-scale side, advanced technologies in agriculture and natural resource sciences will be critical for Indiana and American agriculture to prosper. This is what we do and do very well. Also, we have a real chance to grow the value-added side of agriculture in Indiana. This is where our strength in food science, food processing, biobased energy and bioprocess engineering, and wood products manufacturing will be a critical asset to the state of Indiana. Moving agriculture forward in Indiana and the world will require a greater attention to the environment and environmental stewardship. These areas are particular foci for Purdue Agriculture, and our strategic plan calls for strengthening our commitment along these lines.

9. What is the first thing you hope to accomplish as dean of the College of Agriculture?
Certainly high on the list is to work with colleagues at Purdue to advance our educational and research capacity in environmental science and life sciences. These areas are critically important to Purdue Agriculture and Indiana, and we want to be strong partners with our colleagues in other colleges and in industry. Our most pressing need is for facilities. We’ve managed to recruit some of the best and brightest faculty in the world to Indiana. We have to make sure they have the tools, laboratories and classrooms to develop and deliver the outstanding programs and innovations students and clientele need from us.

10. As state funds decrease, what other funding sources are available?
We will continue to look to competitive grants from federal and state agencies to be a strong source of support for our research and educational efforts. Partnerships with industry and other public organizations will be critical for our continued growth. Increasingly, we will look to donors to help us realize our full potential through their generous contributions. Of course, we do look for the state to continue its support of Purdue Agriculture and will work hard to ensure our programs remain relevant to the citizens of Indiana.