Penn State Cooperative Extension names interim director

Dennis Calvin

University Park, Pa. -- Penn State Cooperative Extension has named Dennis Calvin interim director effective July 1. Calvin, who has been associate director since January 2006, will fill the post while a national search is conducted.

Daney Jackson recently announced he would step down after nearly five years as director of extension, university associate vice president for outreach and associate dean in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

As interim director, Calvin will oversee the implementation of a recent reframing aimed at enhancing the value and relevance of extension programs for Pennsylvania's citizens and other stakeholders. He will report jointly to Craig Weidemann, vice president for Penn State Outreach, and Bruce McPheron, incoming dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences.

"Dennis Calvin has played a critical role in providing leadership in transforming extension to have greater impact in addressing the issues and opportunities facing Pennsylvania. I am confident that his experience will provide a seamless transition and allow the organization to continue moving forward until a permanent director is named," said Weidemann.

With offices in each of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, Cooperative Extension transfers research-based information to individuals, families, businesses and communities through nonformal educational programs designed to meet locally identified needs.

"By virtue of his role as associate director and his long association with Cooperative Extension as a faculty member, Dr. Calvin will provide needed continuity of leadership during this critical time in the organization's history," said McPheron, whose tenure as dean also begins on July 1.

Calvin joined the faculty in Penn State's Department of Entomology in 1985. His research has focused on modeling insect population dynamics and the effect that climatic uncertainty across the landscape plays in insect management.

Through his extension work, Calvin has developed expert systems and other computer-based decision-support systems for insect pest management in corn and alfalfa and trained county-based extension educators, private consultants, farmers and agribusiness personnel in pest management for field and forage crops and stored products.

He received a bachelor's degree in agronomy and pest management from Iowa State University, and he earned his master's and doctoral degrees in entomology from Kansas State University.