Forest Scene Fall 2021 - Letter from the Department Head

December 21, 2021
photo of Dr. Mike Kilgore, professor and head of the department of forest resources. White man in blue shirt smiling against a brick background.
Mike Kilgore
Professor and Head,
Department of Forest Resources​​​​

One of the things that make this department such a great place is the outstanding support we receive from our alumni and friends. I guess when you are part of a program that has been around as long as we have, it’s not surprising that the list of people with connections to our department is large. Case in point; I recently received a wonderful letter from the granddaughter of one of our alums who graduated over 100 years ago!

This connection that so many have with our forestry program and their generosity in supporting our students never ceases to amaze me. For example, we recently raised $4,600 for scholarships to our students who will be attending our field sessions at the Cloquet Forestry Center as part of the Give-to-the-Max-Day event. Some of the comments (highlighted on this page) from individuals who donated to this one-day fundraising event highlight the importance of the field training our forestry students receive.

“Field sessions are the most important part of any natural resources education. I’m glad to be able to help!” — Anonymous Donor

“Keep up the great work in educating our next crop of forestry and other natural resource professionals. The field experience with other students at the Cloquet Forestry Center is so valuable!” — Anonymous Donor

Experiential learning is a key part of our forestry curriculum, and I am committed to making sure that the cost of attending these sessions doesn’t keep students from pursuing a forestry degree. To that end, we recently restructured the tuition costs for our field sessions, which lowered our students’ tuition for their field training courses by approximately 80%. Combined with the generous support for field session scholarships, we have come a long way toward my goal of ensuring that our forestry students don’t incur any additional cost for attending our field courses. Thanks again for your support of our students who we are training to be the next generation of leaders in the forestry and natural resource management profession.

Have a great holiday season!

 


  

Cover of Forest Scene newsletter with title text over tree bark
Forest Scene - Issue 26 - Fall 2021

The Forest Scene newsletter is published biannually in the spring and fall, featuring stories and updates from the Department of Forest Resources. Readers can download issue 26 of Forest Scene as an interactive PDF that is fully tagged and compatible with most screen readers, or read the individual stories here in a web-based format.