Two faculty members in the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences have been appointed to leadership positions.

Barbara McFall, an assistant professor of interior design, has accepted the position of interim director of the Division of Family and Consumer Sciences. Tim Phipps, professor of resource economics, has accepted the position of interim director of the Division of Resource Management.

They will replace Peter Schaeffer, who is returning to the classroom after serving as director of both divisions.

McFall will lead faculty in the Davis Colleges programs in interior design and textiles, apparel and merchandising.

This is an exciting time for design education in West Virginia,McFall said.We often think of design in relation to familiar items and spaces, such as clothing, accessories, interiors and furniture. In reality, design is broader than that and impacts every part of our lives. All human creations that are not accidents are the product of either good or bad design. Better design means better living.

More than ever before, WVU is committed to fostering good design in our state and beyond,she added.The interior design and textiles, apparel and merchandising programs are delighted to be a part of the core unit exploring new frontiers of design education.

Faculty from both programs in the Division of Family and Consumer Sciences have been busy establishing an exchange program with schools of design in Milan, Italy.

The Division of Resource Management is home to the Davis Colleges third program in applied designlandscape architectureand Phipps is looking forward to collaborating with McFall on cross-disciplinary endeavors like the Milan exchange project.

We are currently talking with the Domus Academy and the Nuova Accademia Di Belle Arti, both in Milan, to design a semester-long exchange program and possibly ultimately a joint masters program,Phipps said.I look forward to working with Dr. McFall as our college works to integrate and strengthen our design programs.

In addition to landscape architecture, the Division of Resource Management offers programs in agricultural and extension education and agricultural and resource economics.

This is an opportune time to be appointed director of the Division of Resource Management,Phipps said.We are very proud that our landscape architecture program was recently ranked 13th in the nation and fourth in the east by the Design Futures Council. We are currently exploring the possibility of developing a masters of landscape architecture degree to build on our success. The landscape architecture program is also actively involved in establishing international linkages.

Phipps noted that all of the Division of Resource Managements programs are exploring new avenues of instruction and inquiry.

We are very excited about our new doctorate program in resource management and sustainable development,Phipps said.One of the three possible areas of emphasis of this program is agricultural and extension education. We think this new program will be very useful for teachers and extension agents in the region who wish to enhance their careers by pursuing a doctoral degree.

On the research front, the agricultural and resource economics program is undertaking a number of major initiatives.

One of the newest, coordinated through the colleges Natural Resource Analysis Center, involves study of the economic and environmental effects of direct coal liquefaction. The research is a joint effort between WVU and Chinese researchers and is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the China National Development and Reform Commission.

We also have major research projects under way in aquaculture, sustainable agriculture, rural and regional development, water quality and soil conservation,Phipps added.

On the teaching front, we will be teaching a new class in aquaculture this fall, and we are revamping our energy curriculum to keep our program relevant to the needs of students and society,he added.

Cameron Hackney, dean of the Davis College, is pleased to welcome McFall and Phipps to the colleges administrative team.

Both Tim and Barb have been essential members of the Davis College faculty, serving on a number of key committees, taking leadership roles in their programs, and being strong mentors and advocates for their students,Hackney said.I know theyll both bring considerable energy and great ideas to their divisions and the Davis College as a whole.

Hackney also had praise for Schaeffer.

Schaeffer, a professor of regional economics, joined the Davis College faculty in 1993 as director of the Division of Resource Management. In 2004, he assumed the additional responsibilities as director of the Division of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Peter has provided tremendously capable leadership to two units that house some of the fastest-growing programs at West Virginia University,Hackney said.During his time as director, he has led programs through successful accreditations, developed new undergraduate and graduate programs of study, increased civic engagement with communities and entrepreneurs in the region, and fostered a significant expansion of the unitsresearch agendas.

Schaeffer will assume regular faculty responsibilities after his time as director is through but will still play a significant role in the direction of the Davis College. Schaeffer, along with Jerry Fletcher, professor of resource economics, chairs the Davis Colleges Visioning Committee, which works to develop strategic initiatives to meet future opportunities and challenges.