At CALS, we have the good fortune to be able to offer a number of college and departmental professorships and chairships. These titles, with accompanying funding, are a way to acknowledge faculty members for doing outstanding work, while encouraging and inspiring excellence across the college.

This academic year, three CALS faculty members were selected to receive established CALS or department professorships/chairships. The recipients are listed below.

Nick Balster, professor in the Department of Soil Science. Balster has been appointed as the William Rothermel Bascom Professor, which provides support for research-related activities for five years. This professorship is supported by donors as well as the UW Foundation through the Named Bascom Professorship program, administered by the Provost Office. This specific professorship was established through an estate gift from William A. Rothermel, who received his BS and MS degrees in agronomy and soil science in 1930 and 1932, respectively, and then went on to be an executive with the Merck Chemical Corporation. Balster’s lab focuses on ecosystem science and environmental education, and he plans to use this award to expand his efforts in environmental education and forest soil ecology, including investigations of wintertime processes.

Dan Phaneuf, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. Phaneuf has been reappointed to the Henry C. Taylor Professorship in Agricultural and Applied Economics, which provides research activity support for five years. The professorship was established by CALS alumnus Robert H. Miller and named in honor of Henry C. Taylor, founder of the UW–Madison Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. As an environmental economist, Phaneuf studies the interactions between human behavior and the environment, and what these interactions mean for environmental outcomes and policy. His research has focused on water quality, land use and invasive species management in the Upper Midwest and Southeast.

Guanming Shi, professor and chair in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. Shi has been appointed as the Renk Chair in Agribusiness, which provides support for research, teaching and outreach for three years. This chair was established by the Renk family of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, owners of the Renk Seed Company, an independent farm seed company. Shi’s research program focuses on the economics of industrial organization in the U.S and China, including firms’ strategic behavior under imperfect competition including pricing, product offering, and intellectual property protection, with applications to biotechnology and innovation in the genetically modified seed industry.