Daniel J. Decker has been named associate dean of Cornell University's New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and director of the Cornell Agricultural Experiment Station in Ithaca.

As station director, he succeeds W. Ronnie Coffman, who also is stepping down as associate dean for research in CALS to become chair of the Department of Plant Breeding. Coffman also has been named CALS director of international programs, overseeing the college's international research, extension and education activities. William E. Fry, the college's newly named senior associate dean, succeeds Coffman as associate dean for research.

Before taking on his new position, Decker served as CALS associate director of research and the associate director of the experiment station. He also has served as chair of Cornell's Department of Natural Resources and as a co-leader of the Human Dimensions Research Unit, a group of student, staff and faculty researchers studying sociological aspects of natural resources policy and management.

Decker will work with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) to improve the integration of CCE with the experiment station. He also will oversee administration of U.S. Department of Agriculture funding of the experiment station.

As the land grant university for New York state, Cornell is responsible for research in the agricultural and related sciences through experiment stations in Ithaca and in Geneva, N.Y. The two stations provide a research base for sustaining agriculture and food systems, protecting the environment and natural resources and improving the welfare of communities throughout the state. The Ithaca station's research also is carried out in Cornell's College of Human Ecology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Division of Nutritional Sciences and in other units of the university.

Decker's academic specialties are understanding the human dimensions of wildlife policy and management and evaluating wildlife management programs. He earned his bachelor of science degree (1974), his master of science degree (1976) and his doctorate (1986) all from Cornell. At the university he has been a research support specialist, a research associate and a senior

extension associate. He was named assistant professor in the university's Department of Natural Resources in 1988, associate professor in 1991 and professor in 1998.

Decker's many awards include the Jack H. Berryman Institute for Wildlife Damage Management Award in 1996; the Distinguished Research and Extension Award from Gamma Sigma Delta in 1994; the best journal article of the year award from The Wildlife Society in 1993; the Daniel L. Leedy Urban Wildlife Conservation Award from the National Urban Wildlife Institute in 1993; the John Pearce Memorial Award from The Wildlife Society (Northeast Section) in 1992; and the Young Alumni Achievement Award from CALS in 1988.

Decker has served as president and director of the Human Dimensions in Wildlife Study Group; president of the Northeast Section of The Wildlife Society; Northeast Section representative to The Wildlife Society council; and recently was elected to the leadership of The Wildlife Society, which is a multiple-year sequence of positions that includes the presidency in 2003.