Endowed Turfgrass Professorship coming to WSU

Washington Ag Today December 2, 2009 The Washington Turfgrass Seed Commission will fund an endowed professor in turfgrass management at Washington State University.

Rich Koenig, chair of WSU’s department of Crop and Soil Sciences, says the college has received a gift of nearly 300-thousand dollars from the commission to establish the turfgrass professorship.

Koenig: “So approximately five years from now when the endowment is fully funded we will go out and search for a faculty member to sit in that endowed professorship position. That will be someone who does research in support of grass seed production and turfgrass management, and also teaches courses in seed production and turf management.”

Koenig says it is hoped the gift from the Seed Commission will be matched by the state through a program that matches endowments. He says distinguished endowments like this allow WSU to advertise and attract world-class teachers and researchers to faculty positions.

The Commission’s Board agreed to fund the endowment in large part to invest in the future of their industry and to build stronger ties with Washington State University. Koenig says the university has one of the largest turfgrass programs in the western United States.

The Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine recently announced it was canceling its 2010 Annual Conference for Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians slated for March. The economic downturn and its impact on veterinary practices and supporting industries was cited as the reason.

I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Northwest Ag Information Network.