Sean McMinn
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Three finalists have been identified in the search for a new dean in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES).
As listed on the weekly e-newsletter for Cal Poly employees, Andrew Thulin, John Russin and Kimberlee Kidwell will be making appearances on campus from Friday until May 23 to host open forums centered around their candidacy for dean.
Andrew Thulin is the current interim dean for CAFES. Before that, he led Cal Poly’s animal science department, which he joined in 1998.
John Russin is the vice chancellor for strategic initiatives at the Louisiana State University (LSU) Agricultural Center, one of the 10 campuses in the LSU system. He previously worked as an associate dean at Southern Illinois University and chaired the department of plant, soil and agricultural systems at Southern Illinois University.
Kimberlee Kidwell is the executive associate dean and associate dean of academic programs for Washington State University’s College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, where she has worked since 1994. She previously worked in the department of agronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she received her masters and doctorate degrees.
The CAFES dean spot opened up when Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong appointed former dean David Wehner as the first Cal Poly interim vice president for strategic initiatives. Thulin replaced Wehner — who now plans to officially retire altogether — as interim dean of CAFES.
A schedule of the candidates’ appearances on campus is available online.