Institute Feature

Dr. Caula A. Beyl        >>>download photo

(KNOXVILLE, Tenn.) – Dr. Caula A. Beyl has been named as dean of the University of Tennessee College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Since January Beyl has been serving as Interim Dean of Graduate Studies for Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University.  Prior to then she was director of Alabama A&M’s Office of Institutional Planning, Research and Evaluation. 

Beyl will be the first female dean of UT’s nearly century old college of agriculture.  She is among a handful of female leaders of such land-grant colleges across the nation.  Her appointment recognizes a shift from traditionally male-dominated programs to studies that are attracting nearly equal numbers of male and female students.

The UT College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources offers a variety of studies focused on food, fiber and natural resources systems. As dean, Beyl will oversee the college’s academic programs, which serve approximately 840 undergraduate and 225 graduate students.  The college’s various academic and co-curricular activities include numerous degree programs as well as commodity clubs and competition teams, professional and honor societies, and independent research and other creative endeavors.  

Degrees are offered in programs related to agricultural economics; animal science; biosystems engineering and soil science; food science and technology; entomology and plant pathology; forestry, wildlife and fisheries; and plant sciences. 

A professor of horticulture, Beyl has received numerous awards and recognitions for her teaching and research.  She has also served in editorial and review capacities for a number of scholarly publications, including the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science.

Beyl holds a Ph.D. in stress physiology and a master’s in horticulture from Purdue University.  She earned her bachelor’s of science degree in biology from Florida Atlantic University.

Regarding her appointment, the new dean said, “Throughout the years, the UT College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources has been well known for its leadership and energetic faculty.  I am thoroughly delighted to be welcomed into this outstanding family and to experience firsthand a true UT welcome.”

In an e-mail to faculty and staff, Dr. Joseph DiPietro, UT vice president for agriculture, called the national search process rigorous, stating “it involved a thorough and thoughtful review of many qualified candidates.”

DiPietro also thanked the search committee and the faculty and staff who participated in the campus interviews and submitted candidate critiques.  “Your input was vital to the process and has resulted in a dynamic new leader for our academic programs,” he wrote.

Beyl, who plans to be on campus on June 1, is looking forward to an intense summer of orientation and preparations for the opening of the 2007 fall semester.

###

Contacts: 
Dr. Joseph DiPietro, UT vice president for agriculture, (865) 974-7342
Patricia McDaniels, UTIA Marketing and Communications, (865) 974-7141

On the Web at http://casnr.utk.edu/