Reflections from Dean Brian Buhr

As Dean Brian Buhr prepares to return to faculty next month, we asked him to share his reflections on CFANS and his 13 years as dean. Please join all of us at CFANS in thanking him for his leadership! 

Looking back on your 13 years as dean, what accomplishments or moments make you most proud? 

What makes me most proud is not any single accomplishment, but the collective impact of this College and its people. Over the past 13 years, I’ve had the privilege of watching CFANS continue to evolve as a College that advances research, prepares students for meaningful careers, and serves communities across Minnesota and beyond.

I’m proud of the growth in interdisciplinary collaboration, the expansion of experiential learning opportunities for students, and the way our faculty and staff have stepped forward to address complex challenges in agriculture, food systems, natural resources, forestry and sustainability.

I’m also proud of investments that strengthened the College’s long-term capacity, including the Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Technology Transfer (AGREETT) initiative. Through partnerships among commodity groups, industry leaders, lawmakers and the University, AGREETT helped add more than 30 faculty and Extension educator positions focused on some of Minnesota’s most pressing challenges and opportunities. We also played an integral role in broader partnerships formed, such as MBOLD which is a consortium of regional agricultural and food companies that — as an initiative of GreaterMSP — come together to identify how to accelerate new products such as plant-based aviation fuels into commercialization and business development. And those are just two examples. 

Equally important has been our work to strengthen relationships with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities, including the return of land at Cloquet Forestry Center to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the Food Science and Nutrition partnership to advance Native Nutrition, and our development in Forest Resources of a Tribal Natural Resources emphasis. A quiet but large impact is the work our Center for Farm Financial Management does nationally to educate and support Native American farmers in their food and agriculture enterprises. Those efforts reflect a commitment to listening, learning and building lasting relationships. To support that, we’re the first College at the University of Minnesota to have hired a Tribal Liaison to lead our relationships with our sovereign Tribal Nations.

I’m especially proud of the College’s commitment to inclusive excellence and creating opportunities for more voices and perspectives to be reflected in our teaching, research and engagement.

Most importantly, I’m proud that CFANS has remained deeply connected to its land-grant mission. Through all the changes of the past decade, this College has never lost sight of who we serve.

How has CFANS evolved during your tenure, and what changes have had the greatest impact on students, faculty, and the state of Minnesota? 

CFANS has become more interconnected, more collaborative, and more outward-facing. The issues we work on today — climate resilience, food security, water quality, sustainable agriculture, ecosystem health — require expertise that crosses traditional boundaries. One of the most important shifts has been the growth of interdisciplinary thinking and partnership.

For students, the emphasis on experiential learning has had tremendous impact. Our students increasingly want education tied to purpose and real-world problem solving, and CFANS has leaned into that through internships, undergraduate research, global experiences, and community engagement.

For faculty and staff, we’ve continued to build stronger support for collaborative scholarship and outreach. And for Minnesota, I believe the greatest impact has been our continued commitment to translating research into solutions that strengthen communities, industries, and natural resources across the state.

When you first stepped into the role, what challenges or opportunities did you see — and how did those shape your priorities as dean? 

From the beginning, I saw tremendous opportunity in the breadth of CFANS and its situation both in a University that’s comprehensive in its scope and a major metropolitan area that’s home to many household name food and agriculture firms. Combine that with the state’s amazingly diverse natural resources and geography, and the sky’s the limit on opportunity. I think therein also lies the challenge.  How do you maintain focus on this diverse and complicated palette of Minnesota? I think we’ve made strong headway on that and we’re much closer to fully realizing the potential of the College and what the people of the state expect from their land-grant university both in education, research, and delivering results to the communities they live and work in. 

In that context, one of my priorities as dean was to continue building a culture that encouraged interdisciplinary teaching, research and engagement. Some of the most important work happening today sits at the intersection of fields — where food systems connect with climate science, where forestry intersects with water quality and ecosystem health, or where agriculture, economics, engineering and public policy come together to address sustainability and rural vitality. Increasingly, solutions require teams of University, business and government professionals working across disciplines and institutional boundaries to tackle complex problems in a more integrated way. CFANS is uniquely positioned to lead in that space, and I think we’ve done so in areas from new crop development linked directly into new crop utilization in food and fuels to support healthier people, animals and land. Still there’s plenty left to do!

That shaped my broader priorities around strengthening the student experience, supporting innovation and collaboration, deepening partnerships across Minnesota, and reinforcing the public value of the land-grant mission.

Research and innovation have continued to expand across CFANS. What discoveries, partnerships, or initiatives best reflect the College's impact during your leadership?

What stands out most is the continued breadth of impact. CFANS research touches nearly every aspect of life — food systems, renewable energy, water quality, forestry, animal health, precision agriculture, pollinator protection, and community resilience.

I’m especially proud of the partnerships that bring together researchers, industry, communities, and government to solve problems collaboratively. That reflects the best of a public research university.

Innovation at CFANS is not just about discovery for discovery’s sake. It is about applying knowledge in ways that improve lives, strengthen economies, and sustain the environment for future generations.

The student experience has changed significantly over the last 13 years. How has CFANS adapted to meet the needs of today's students? 

Today’s students are deeply motivated by purpose. They truly want to make a difference in the world and do something that is deeply meaningful. They want education that is experiential, collaborative, and connected to real-world challenges.

CFANS has responded by expanding hands-on learning opportunities, strengthening student support systems, investing in leadership development, and creating more pathways for interdisciplinary exploration.

We often say — and it’s broadly true — that there are many strong regional land-grant partners where you can get an AFNR degree, but the University of Minnesota is where leaders are formed. It’s the quality of education and the experience our students get in connecting with the extraordinarily high caliber of fellow students, faculty, government and business partners we have in Minnesota.

Over the past 13 years, how have you viewed the role of inclusive excellence within CFANS, and why is it important to the College's future? 

I’ll answer that with the question I asked when we launched our program. Why would you ever exclude anyone, from anywhere at any time from education? I ask that a lot and nobody's ever given me a reasonable answer — after all, it’s right in the Morrill Act to promote the education of the “industrial” classes, which at that time were largely excluded. If we are truly committed to serving Minnesota and addressing complex global challenges, we need a College where people from different backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and disciplines feel welcomed, valued, and empowered to contribute fully.

Over the years, we have worked to build a culture that prioritizes belonging, opportunity, respect, and collaboration — not as a separate initiative, but as an essential part of academic excellence and organizational success. The best ideas and strongest solutions emerge when people feel supported and connected to a shared purpose.  

This work is ongoing and requires continued investment, attention, and care. Our emphasis of working with the Tribal Nations of Minnesota and the return of land is a recognition of our historical appropriation of lands from Native people to fund the Land Grant Universities, and our obligation not just to be inclusive but to actively address injustices. Culture is never finished. It must be nurtured continuously through leadership, listening, mentorship, and a commitment to creating pathways for students, faculty, and staff to succeed. I believe CFANS has made important progress, and I hope the College continues to build on that foundation in the years ahead.

Agriculture, food systems, climate and natural resources are increasingly interconnected. How have you seen interdisciplinary collaboration shape the future of the College? 

Interdisciplinary collaboration is no longer optional — it is essential.

The challenges facing society do not fit neatly within academic departments. Addressing climate resilience, sustainable food production, ecosystem health, or rural vitality requires people working together across disciplines and perspectives. We tried to break down administrative silos in the College to actively create interdisciplinary departments that align to the interdisciplinary, solutions-based degrees we offer. The timing and will simply wasn’t there, but I have no doubt that will happen in the future. This will be better enabled with advancements in artificial intelligence and molecular science that enable the depth and breadth of knowledge to solve these “no single solution” problems posed by environmental, food systems and climate interactions. We proceeded towards that with GEMS — a data sciences platform that enables integrating data from crop genetics, soil characteristics, environment and other factors to develop solutions not only for crop management but all the way to addressing outcomes of water quality and atmospheric interactions with agriculture.

CFANS is uniquely positioned for this work because collaboration is embedded in who we are. I believe the future of the College will continue to depend on breaking down silos and creating environments where innovation can happen across fields.

What role does CFANS play in addressing society's biggest challenges? 

CFANS plays a critical role because the challenges we work on are foundational to human well-being. Food security, environmental stewardship, water resources, sustainable economies, public trust in science — these are not abstract issues. They shape everyday life.

Our responsibility is not only to generate knowledge, but to ensure that knowledge is accessible, credible, and useful to the public. That is the essence of the land-grant mission.

Increasingly, our work is also guided by a One Health perspective — the understanding, reflected by the World Health Organization and others, that the health of people is deeply interconnected with the health of animals, plants and the environment. In CFANS, we see those connections every day. Healthy soils support resilient crops. Healthy crops contribute to sustainable food systems and nutrition. Responsible stewardship of forests, water and natural resources protects ecosystems and communities. Animal health and welfare are directly connected to food production, public health and economic vitality. None of these issues exist in isolation.

That is why CFANS brings together expertise across agriculture, food systems, forestry, natural resources, environmental sciences and applied human sciences to address challenges in a more integrated way. Whether we are working on climate resilience, water quality, emerging pests and diseases, sustainable food production or rural vitality, we are approaching these issues with an understanding that long-term human health and prosperity depend on the health of the entire system.

What lessons have you learned personally and professionally during your time as dean? 

No dean accomplishes anything alone. Institutions like CFANS are strong because of dedicated faculty, staff, students, alumni, and partners who care deeply about the mission.

I’ve also learned that resilience and adaptability matter more than ever. Let me give you an example from COVID. Like everyone we had to quarantine, but that occurred in the spring when we had field research to do. The College’s faculty, staff and students rallied together to create and put safety protocols in place so we could continue our research, knowing that food is not optional. I want to be clear we abided by the State of Minnesota protocols, flying under the banner that food and agriculture work was designated as essential — as it is!

I’m extraordinarily proud that not only did we get our research trials in place, but we opened our pilot plant and meat processing lab. That allowed us to test formulations of food products using alternative ingredients for our regional food companies and to process hogs from farmers that could not take them to packing plants and then donated the pork products to food shelves. 

Ultimately, we did so safely as we had zero cases of COVID infection among people serving in those roles! Higher education, agriculture, science, and society are evolving rapidly, and institutions must be willing to evolve as well. This traumatic experience taught me that when we work creatively together, we can create bold solutions — we just need the purpose, courage and will to pursue them. Minnesota has all three.

At the same time, some values remain constant: integrity, service, curiosity, and a commitment to the public good.

As you reflect on your tenure and look toward the future, what are your hopes for the next chapter of CFANS? 

My hope is that CFANS continues to lead boldly while staying grounded in its public purpose…actually not just purpose, but possibilities. With all that’s going on in the world, conflict, financial challenges, political discord, climate change, I still fundamentally believe the role of the land-grant in society is to be a place of possibility. The possibility that a young person of modest means — and even limited access to quality primary education — has the opportunity to go to a world-class University and fully achieve their dreams. There are always possibilities — we just need dreamers and doers…and access to education!

The challenges ahead are significant, but so are the opportunities. I hope the College continues investing in students, supporting faculty and staff, embracing innovation, and strengthening public trust through meaningful engagement and impact. It is our continued duty to help people understand the impact and relevance of our mission. We work on issues that are emotional and deeply meaningful, so we need to demonstrate what we do based on sound science and facts, but also help others see what we do by connecting on a personal level.

Most of all, I hope CFANS continues to believe in the importance of the land-grant mission. Education, research, and outreach still matter deeply. Universities create value for society, and CFANS has an important role to play in shaping a healthier, more sustainable, and more resilient future.