About the Celebration

The Legacy

Students who currently wander through the shady grove of trees behind the University’s Swim Center may not know those trees were seeded in 1909 by one of school’s original “green” thinkers, Charles Houston Shattuck. Shattuck arrived on campus in 1909 to lead the new Department of Forestry. The fledgling department began life with just one professor and 11 students.

Today, the expanded needs of society and the greater purpose of the college are represented by academic programs focused on forestry and range ecosystems, conservation biology and conservation social sciences. In 2000, the college was renamed the College of Natural Resources to reflect its diversity.

The Impact

To celebrate a century of forestry education that has benefitted global societies through innovative knowledge, technology and leadership, the College of Natural Resources held a kickoff celebration Sept. 11-13 on campus. It the first of several events leading up to the college’s centennial anniversary in 2017. Many of CNR’s natural resource leaders gathered, and former U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth delivered a defining presentation entitled, “Our Legacy of the Past Leads Us Into the Future.” Activities included socials and panel discussions among current students, faculty and alumni regarding the natural resource challenges coming in the next 100 years. The celebration culminated with an opportunity for alumni to join CNR student leaders in a service learning project in Lapwai with the Nez Perce Tribe.
 

The Vision

Considering the world’s increasingly fragile ecosystems, the next generation of natural resource professionals faces greater challenges than their predecessors. Where a map and compass were once standard management tools, students now study integrated curricula and practice state-of-the-art science.