02/13/1997

Guthrie Named Officer in NASULGC Board on Agriculture

AUBURN, Ala. - Richard L. Guthrie, associate dean for international programs in the Auburn University College of Agriculture, has been appointed secretary to the Board on Agriculture of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC).

"This is an honor for Dr. Guthrie and great recognition for him and Auburn University," said Agriculture Dean James E. Marion. "He is probably one of the most visible people in NASULGC from Auburn University, with the possible exception of our president."

NASULGC is a Washington DC-based organization that coordinates activities at the federal level for all land-grant and state colleges, explained Mort Neufville, NASULGC director of federal relations. The Board on Agriculture -- comprised of research, extension and academic leaders in agriculture, human sciences, forestry and veterinary medicine -- serves as a watchdog group for legislative activities, policies and funding that relate to agriculture, Neufville said. Working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the board also develops an annual budget on research, extension and higher education for submission to Congress.

Neufville said Guthrie was sought as an officer for the Board on Agriculture because of his "extensive knowledge of agriculture and the leadership role he has played for years in agriculture."

Guthrie has a history of service on NASULGC committees and was recently chair of the association's Food, Environment and International Programs Section. He will advance over the next few years to the position of chair for the Board on Agriculture.

Guthrie, a 55-year-old Union Springs native, earned his B.S. degree in agronomy and soils in 1962 and his M.S. degree in soil science in 1965 from AU. He received his Ph.D. in soil science from Cornell University in 1968. Guthrie spent much of his career with the USDA Soil Conservation Service, advancing to the position of national leader for soil taxonomy in 1981. He joined the AU faculty as head of the Department of Agronomy and Soils in 1983 and served as acting dean of agriculture from 1985-88. Guthrie has served in his present position since 1988. During his career at Auburn, Guthrie has coordinated U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contracts valued at more than $3 million and has served as a USAID soil science consultant in nine countries.

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Auburn, AL 36849
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Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu
by Robyn Hearn

02/13/97