Join CALS to celebrate Kate VandenBosch’s farewell to the deanship on Tuesday, July 26, from 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m at the Meat Science and Animal Biologics Discovery Building (1933 Observatory Drive). There will be a brief program at 3:00 p.m. Visitor parking may be available in lots 67, 36, 20 and 27.

Kate’s tenure as dean

During her decade of leadership, Kate oversaw the launch of the Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center, the state’s $7.8 million annual investment in the Dairy Innovation Hub at three UW campuses, and new undergraduate programs in Global Health and Organic Agriculture.

Her strategic planning focused on operational efficiencies and resulted in a reduction of the number of academic departments in the college from 19 to 16.

Kate also spearheaded the All Ways Forward comprehensive campaign for the college, which secured more than $166 million in private gifts and included two new building projects. The $57.1 million Meat Science and Animal Biologics Discovery building opened in Nov. 2020 and the $72.6 million Babcock Hall addition and remodeling project is scheduled for completion in 2022. Donors to the campaign also created 77 new student scholarships and 14 new faculty professorships.

Before assuming the deanship in March 2012, Kate served as head of the plant biology department at the University of Minnesota, taking a brief hiatus in 2006 to serve as interim dean of their new college of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences. Prior to her 11 years at Minnesota, she was a faculty member at Texas A&M.

Honor Kate’s contributions to CALS

Those wishing to express their thanks for Kate’s leadership can make a gift of any amount in Kate’s honor to support one of the CALS funds held at the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association:

VandenBosch Student Experience Fund
CALS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Fund

Under “Gift Options,” select the option “I’m making this gift in honor of a person”

Questions about the event? Contact Nikki Wykowski, (608) 262-1461.