A waterfowl expert who is also an alumnus of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens
Point will be the first to hold the Kennedy-Grohne Endowed Chair in Waterfowl
and Wetlands Conservation, a new faculty position in the College of Natural
Resources.
Jacob
Straub, an assistant professor at the State University of New
York-Plattsburgh’s Center for Earth and Environmental Science, will join
UW-Stevens Point in August 2016. He has taught avian ecology and
conservation and forest ecology, among other courses at SUNY since 2013. Straub
is already an active and respected participant in waterfowl and wetlands
research and issues at the national level.
The
endowed chair was created with gifts totaling $2 million to UWSP Foundation
from James C. Kennedy of Atlanta, Ga., and David F. Grohne of Wilmington, Ill.
The position will significantly
enhance opportunities in waterfowl and wetlands research, outreach and
education, according to Christine Thomas, dean of the College of Natural
Resources at UW-Stevens Point. It will help secure the future of healthy
waterfowl populations, especially along the northern section of the Mississippi
Flyway. Thomas announced the hire today (Jan. 30) following a national
search.
Straub,
originally from Appleton, completed his bachelor’s degree in natural resources
management at UW-Stevens Point in 2004. His master’s in wildlife science is
from the Ohio State University. He completed his Ph.D. in forest resources from
Mississippi State University in 2012.
“We are immensely grateful for this
wonderful gift and very proud to have this rising star join our nationally
recognized wildlife program. Students, faculty, citizens and wildlife will
benefit for decades to come,” Thomas said.
Earnings generated from the endowment
will support collaborative research, outreach and related student-faculty
activities of the chair. The university will provide the base salary and fringe
benefits for the position.
Skip to main content
