Celebrating Natural Resources
Read the 2023-2024 issue of the College of Natural Resources Magazine
Celebrating Natural Resources: Legacy of Access
Read the 2022-2023 issue of the College of Natural Resources Magazine
Celebrating Natural Resources: Giving Back
Read the 2021-2022 issue of the College of Natural Resources Magazine
We Make it Possible
Read the 2020-2021 issue of the College of Natural Resources Magazine
Dean's Message
Welcome to the College of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho.
This is an outstanding place to study, work and conduct research. The College of Natural Resources was ranked number one in value for education in 2018 and continues to be ranked among the top ten natural resources colleges in America by College Factual. Many of our individual programs are recognized as among the best.
Our faculty are innovative scientists whose widely-recognized work influences state and federal policy. They are also dedicated teachers and mentors who care about education and foster an environment that helps students grow by actively participating in research and field experiences throughout the state, region, and around the globe.
As Idaho’s land-grant institution, we have a mission to provide practical education in the sciences. Students in the College of Natural Resources have many opportunities to gain first-hand field experiences in some of the best outdoor classrooms in the world—the forests, rangelands, rivers and mountains of Idaho. They have access to more than 10,000 acres of Experimental Forests; the Pitkin Forest Nursery, the only operational research nursery at a university in the country; Taylor Wilderness Research Station in the middle of the largest wilderness area in the lower 48 states and the McCall Field Campus, home to Idaho’s only resident K-12 education program and to our new summer field camp for undergraduates.
You can launch a great career with a degree from the University of Idaho and the College of Natural Resources. Our graduates are in high demand, and our alumni are leaders around the world. I invite you to explore our departments, majors and graduate programs to discover the richness of what we have to offer.
The College of Natural Resources is an exciting place to be. I hope you will join us!
Go Vandals!
Dennis Becker
Dean, College of Natural Resources
Dennis Becker, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor of Natural Resource Policy
Congratulations to these undergraduate students for achieving a grade point average of 3.5 or better for the past semester. We are proud of their successes and accomplishments.
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Declin Ainsworth |
Nyx Hennigan |
Blake Phelan |
Dennis Becker, a natural resource policy professor, earned his doctoral degree from U of I’s College of Natural Resources. He completed a master’s degree at Michigan State University and a bachelor’s degree at Kansas State University.
Becker returned to U of I in 2015 as an associate professor and the director of the Policy Analysis Group, where he used his experience in policy research to evaluate the impacts of natural resources. He was promoted to professor in 2018. Later that year, he became interim dean following the retirement of Kurt Pregitzer.
“The College of Natural Resources has a rich legacy of teaching, research and outreach spanning more than 100 years,” Becker said. “We’re leaders in our fields of study and care deeply about the future of natural resources. It is a great privilege and humbling to lead this college and to have the opportunity to work with our wonderful faculty and staff to train the next generation of leaders.”
Becker received a Fulbright Fellowship in 2013 and worked for the Council for International Exchange of Scholars with the U.S. Department of State in Norway. He also received the Morse Alumni Undergraduate Teaching Award, the Special Advisor Recognition and the Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award while working at the University of Minnesota from 2005-15. In 2010, he received the CNR’s Celebrating Natural Resources Alumni Award from U of I.
“I have a deep respect for the University of Idaho that I bring to every decision,” Becker said. “I want the college to excel, but not at the expense of the university. Being an alum keeps me grounded and reminds me of the importance of our broader community. We all succeed when we work together, and it’s my duty to convey that responsibility to those around me.”
March 2020