Cal Poly Dean Appointed to the California State Board of Food and Agriculture

Contact: AnnMarie Cornejo

805-756-2427; ancornej@calpoly.edu

 

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Dean Andrew Thulin has been appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown to the California State Board of Food and Agriculture.

Thulin will serve on the 15-member state board as an advisory member to the governor and secretary of food and agriculture on issues such as food safety and animal health.

“I am honored to represent Cal Poly and the larger community of California’s farmers and ranchers, community stakeholders and citizens on issues that are pertinent to the agriculture industry,” Thulin said. “We are working hard every day to prepare our students to provide solutions for the future challenges and demands facing the industry — and we can only do that by all working together.”

The California State Board of Food and Agriculture is carefully selected to represent a broad range of agricultural commodities, a variety of geographic regions and both the University of California and California State University academic systems.

Thulin has served as dean of Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences since 2013. In that time, he has overseen the establishment of the Cal Poly Strawberry Center, in partnership with the California Strawberry Commission, as one of the most respected authorities in strawberry research and pest management; introduced new leadership to assist with re-envisioning the college’s nine departments and revising curriculum to best prepare students for future industry demands; and added nearly 40 new faculty members to address key focus areas such as soil health, plant pathology, animal behavior, and food safety and processing.

Prior to his current role, he concurrently directed strategic initiatives for the university and served as head of Cal Poly’s Animal Science Department. Under his 15-year leadership, the Animal Science Department implemented a new strategic vision that led to a significant expansion of facilities, faculty and staff. Graduation rates increased to nearly 90 percent, and more than $16 million was raised for new laboratories and the construction of several new facilities.

Before joining Cal Poly in 1998, Thulin managed technology deployment at Cargill Inc., the nation’s largest private company according to Forbes. His responsibilities included deploying new technologies to bring greater efficiencies and increased profitability to the company. Prior to joining Cargill Inc., Thulin was a professor at Michigan State University, where he held a three-way appointment in extension, research and teaching.

Thulin graduated from Cal Poly with a bachelor’s degree in animal science, and completed his master’s and doctorate degrees at Kansas State University.

Photo information: Dean_Thulin.jpg — Andrew Thulin, dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. (Higher-resolution image available upon request.)

 

About Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences

Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, comprehensive polytechnic university. The university’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (www.cafes.calpoly.edu) is comprised of expert faculty members who take pride in their ability to transform academically motivated students into innovative professionals ready to solve the complex challenges associated with feeding the world in sustainable ways. Students have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, including ranch land, orchards, vineyards and forests, all of which provide the basis for Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing methodology. It is the fifth-largest college of agriculture in the country, with 4,000 undergraduate students.

 

 

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