Beginning in the summer of 2018, the members of the faculties of the departments of dairy science and animal sciences began discussing the possibility of closer collaborations, including a potential department merger. In January 2019, the faculty in the two departments voted to develop a proposal to merge. A committee took up the charge to envision a strong combined department and propose a consensus opinion to address key issues. The draft proposal was discussed at a joint departmental retreat on August 19, 2019 and the departments voted to name the merged unit the “Department of Animal & Dairy Sciences.”

The departments will vote separately on the proposal in fall 2019. If the vote is in favor of a merger, the proposal will next go to the CALS Academic Planning Council, followed by the University Academic Planning Council for consideration. If approved through all levels, the merger would take effect no earlier than fall 2020.

Kent Weigel, current department chair of both animal sciences and dairy science, answers frequently asked questions regarding the proposed merger.

The departments are accepting comments related to the proposal through October 10, 2019. If you wish to submit comments, please click on the link to do so.

Thank you for your engagement and thoughtful contributions to the future of our department.

This article was posted in Program Features.