MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Associate Dean for Research at West Virginia University’s Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design Matthew Wilson was named chair of the Experiment Station Section of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
Nominated in 2021 for the position, on Oct. 4 in Baltimore, Maryland, Wilson was named chair by the membership of the Northeastern Association of State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors, a formal coalition of fourteen agricultural experiment stations located at land-grant universities, which contribute to a nationwide research system pertaining to agriculture, food systems, natural resources and human nutrition.
Wilson has been involved with the Northeastern Association of State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors representing the West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, of which he is associate director, both regionally and nationally since March 2019.
“Colleges of agriculture and what they do for our communities cannot be overestimated,” Wilson said. “The Experiment Station Section is a buttress for these colleges and their research advancing food supply, sustainability and the public good. I will do my part to continue to improve the function and representation of the Section.”
Wilson has already begun his transition from serving as incoming chair, which he was named in Sept. 2021, to guiding and representing the Experiment Station Section as the chair. He will collaborate with partners such as the Association of Public Land-grant Universities, a research, policy and advocacy organization for public universities, as well as the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that addresses challenges related to agriculture.
During his one-year term, Wilson will advance the Experiment Station Section’s priorities, which include addressing critical infrastructure needs for colleges of agriculture at land-grant universities by identifying funding opportunities and integrating diversity, equity and inclusion as an essential component of all ESS programs.
As chair, Wilson has the opportunity to further his initiatives.
“I’ll be developing and implementing strategies to make increased capacity funding a priority for land-grant colleges and universities and positioning the Service and its members to take a leading role in addressing climate change challenges as they impact agriculture and natural resources,” Wilson said.
To learn more about the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, visit davis.wvu.edu. Keep up with the latest updates and news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by following @WVUDavis.
-WVU-
ls/10/25/22
CONTACT: Leah Smith
Public Relations Specialist
Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
304-290-8680; lnestor2@mail.wvu.edu
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