Montana State University has announced four finalists for dean of the College of Agriculture. The new dean will also serve as vice president of agriculture at the university and director of the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. All four candidates will visit the Bozeman campus bu April 17 for interviews and public forums. Two of the four finalists are women.
Teresa Balser is a professor of soil and water science at the University of Florida. She is on leave as dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the university. Dr. Balser is a graduate of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, where she double majored in biology and earth science. She holds a Ph.D. in soil microbiology from the University of California at Berkeley.
Beverly Durgan is dean of University of Minnesota Extension and also serves as a professor at the university. She is a graduate of Montana State University, where she majored in agriculture business. Professor Durgan holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in agronomy and weed science from the University of North Dakota.