The ongoing search for a dean for the College of Agriculture has ended. The search went full circle and ended up back in Auburn with nine-year Auburn University employee Paul Patterson.
Patterson began working at Auburn in June 2009 and has remained within the College of Agriculture as associate dean of instruction. His recent promotion to dean of the College of Agriculture gives him a greater opportunity to do what he loves.
“I care a great deal about the College of Agriculture,” Patterson said. “I have a great interest in leading and serving the college.”
Patterson received his undergraduate in agricultural business and economics before heading to Purdue University to pursue his master's degree. After his master's, he took the opportunity to work for a foreign agriculture service in Washington, D.C., for two years and then returned to Purdue to finish his Ph.D.
“I served as an agricultural officer to the U.S Embassy,” Patterson said. “I paired projections in supply and utilization of cotton around the world and had the opportunity to travel with inbound teams and outbound trade teams.”
Patterson then worked at Arizona State University for 14 years before returning to Auburn.
Deacue Fields, department chair and professor in agricultural economics and rural sociology, said Patterson’s vision for the College of Agriculture was what intrigued him.
“He knew exactly where Auburn needed to go and had good strategies to get there,” Fields said. “He also has good relations with stakeholders in the agricultural community in both the state and nation.”
Fields said when deciding between candidates for dean positions, he looks for a few qualities.
“For me, I look at their vision, how authentic a candidate is, their passion, who would really go through the challenges,” Fields said. “A dean has to be able to be really resilient. I could tell he was very passionate and believed in what he was saying.”
Patterson’s plan for the college is to address areas he feels need improvement and to go from there.
“We have to figure out what areas we are going to be really excellent in,” Patterson said. “We have a lot of really strong programs, and we need to discover which other ones are near to being excellent. I want to update the strategic plan and work on how we can build our reputation.”
Although Patterson is still in the transition phase, he has a few goals already in mind.
“In agriculture, we are very committed to developing new technology and methods in producing more food, but doing it in a way that will also protect the environment,” Patterson said. “Agriculture is also very interested in collaborating with partners across campus and the country.”
Timothy Boosinger, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, has no doubt Patterson will provide a great improvement to the College of Agriculture.
“He has a great background not only in academics, but has also been a dean at another institution,” Boosinger said. “He has good communication skills and has strong support of faculty in the college. I’m confident he’ll provide leadership to the college.”
When Patterson isn’t worrying about agriculture, he likes to spend his free time with his five children and his wife.
“As a family, we like to snow ski and water ski and we like to cook,” Patterson said. “I also enjoy running, but I do that more just to stay in shape.”
Patterson began his first week as dean of the College of Agriculture last week.
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