Agricultural and Life Sciences college dean to retire

Elton D. Aberle, dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences since 1998, announced Monday (Nov. 8) that he will retire on Sept. 1, 2005.

“During my term as dean, I’ve worked to advance a clear and straightforward mission of the college — to educate our young leaders, solve practical problems and help grow Wisconsin’s economy,” says Aberle.

Aberle’s retirement will cap a 38-year academic career that included stints at Purdue University, the University of Nebraska and the Madison campus.

As dean, Aberle has led a college that enrolls more than 2,200 undergraduates and about 1,000 graduate students, and has an annual budget of more than $150 million. CALS also has a strong extension and outreach mission, with 12 agricultural research stations across the state.

Aberle is known for his steady leadership and for the college’s efforts to bring scientific discoveries to the agricultural and food industries, says Chancellor John D. Wiley.

“Dean Aberle has been a vital link between the work of the college and the work of Wisconsin farmers, the agribusiness industry and life science researchers across the nation,” Wiley says. “His leadership has been indispensable at a time when we’ve tried to leverage new ways to connect with the industry and find new sources of research funding.”

During Aberle’s tenure, the college has had marked success in attracting outside research funding. Federal funds awarded to the college more than doubled since 1998, rising from $30 million to $65 million annually.

“I think it speaks most of all to the high quality of the research we do with that funding in solving today’s problems and preparing us to deal with future problems,” Aberle says.

Wiley says Aberle is a strong proponent of providing the infrastructure scientists need to advance their work.

“Dean Aberle has had the vision to identify needs that will make researchers more effective in the 21st century,” Wiley says. “That sort of dedication will be hard to replace.”

The college is part of the Biostar initiative to build new research facilities, including a $104 million Microbial Sciences Building, of which construction is expected to begin in 2005.

Additionally, the Integrated Dairy Facility Program is under way at the Arlington and Marshfield research stations, and new greenhouses are being built at Walnut Street and Observatory Drive and at the west Madison research station.

Under Aberle’s leadership, CALS researchers worked to increase the visibility of organic-based farming industries in Wisconsin, conducted key research on ways to fight obesity and worked with