Henry Fadamiro, alumni professor in the department of entomology and plant pathology, has been named the Presidential Administrative Fellow for 2012.
"It was a good moment to be named presidential fellow," Fadamiro said. "I was very pleased when I got the news that I was selected for the position because it is a very important opportunity."
Fadamiro said he decided to apply for the position after a few of his colleagues encouraged him.
"Dr. Fadamiro is not only an excellent researcher, I found him to have an exceptional set of administrative skills," said William Batchelor, dean of the College of Agriculture. "Thus, I recommended him for the presidential fellow appointment to give him an opportunity to learn more about upper administration and refine his administrative skills."
Fadamiro said the position has two parts.
His first responsibility is to attend the administrative council meeting each week where President Jay Gogue and other top administrators discuss University-related issues.
Fadamiro is also tasked with developing a major-impact project that involves the University as a whole.
"Basically, I am helping to develop an initiative to promote international research and outreach efforts on campus," Fadamiro said. "Part of this will involve developing a mechanism for identifying and competing for international funding, including working to build interdisciplinary teams across campus to compete successfully for international grants."
Since joining Auburn University in 2003, Fadamiro said he has noticed areas where the University excels and areas where it can improve.
"I've seen that we are a very good University with a lot of strengths, but one of the areas we can really do better is the area of international programming," Fadamiro said.
He said he began his project by learning about international research and outreach efforts in place at each college.
Fadamiro said common issues include the lack of a mechanism for bringing together cross-college teams to compete for grants, the need for effective management of grants that are awarded and a clearing house with information for people interested in international programming.
"Another thing I'm doing right now is creating a database of faculty and staff that have international projects in various countries," Fadamiro said.
"So, if someone comes to me and says he is interested in work in Israel, I can say, 'OK, here is this professor that you might want to talk to.'"
Fadamiro said he would like to create a center on campus that can maintain this database.
"Dr. Fadamiro brings to the table a unique background of being a Rhodes Scholar and having background in cooperative extension," said Arthur Appel, chair of the department of entomology and plant pathology.
"He also brings a very substantial international background. Because of his background, he can make a unique and, hopefully, very positive contribution to Auburn."
Fadamiro said his new position has allowed him to meet people on campus he may not have been able to meet otherwise.
"I really enjoy it," he said. "So, when you enjoy something you don't feel like you are working, I guess."
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