June 2, 2022
Agricultural Experiment Station director selected as interim dean for Bumpers College
By Robby Edwards
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts
- Jean-François Meullenet named interim dean of Bumpers College
- Current dean of Bumpers College, Deacue Fields, selected as Division of Ag VP
- Meullenet joined the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture in 1996 as assistant professor
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Related PHOTO: https://flic.kr/p/218qGvk
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station will become interim dean of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences on July 1.
Jean-François Meullenet, a longtime University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture professor and administrator, will become the interim dean of Bumpers College when its current dean, Deacue Fields, assumes his new role as vice president for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
“We’re thankful to have someone with Meullenet’s experience in research, teaching and administrative leadership to fill this important role for the Bumpers College,” said Terry Martin, interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “His understanding of the impact of our academic mission, agricultural research and service to the state will help ensure a smooth transition.”
Meullenet will continue to serve as senior associate vice president for agriculture research, and director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture.
Meullenet also previously served as an interim assistant director of the experiment station, head of the Department of Food Science and director of the Institute of Food Science and Engineering. He joined the Division of Agriculture as assistant professor of food science in 1996.
“Dr. Meullenet has vast administrative experience both within Bumpers College and as the director of the Agricultural Experiment Station,” said Chuck Culver, interim vice president for the UA System Division of Agriculture. “He will do a masterful job of shepherding the important interrelationship between the two.”
Culver also serves as the division’s assistant vice president and director for external relations.
“Dr. Meullenet is the ideal fit for interim dean at this time as we will be able to maintain the momentum we have gained to strengthen the relationship between the University of Arkansas and the UA System Division of Agriculture,” said Fields. “He brings a strong understanding and appreciation for both academic and research programs on campus and within the Division of Agriculture.”
As the interim dean, Meullenet will handle all the daily functions of the dean’s position. Nathan Slaton, who will be elevated to senior associate director, will assist in managing the experiment station. Slaton has served as associate vice president for agriculture and assistant director of the experiment station.
Mary Savin, professor of microbial ecology in Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, will serve as assistant experiment station director to assist with special initiatives.
“I am delighted to have been called to lead Bumpers College as its interim dean,” Meullenet said. “The college has been on a very positive trajectory under Dean Fields’ leadership, and I plan to ensure that continues in this interim period. I am thankful to Provost Martin for the confidence he has placed in me and to UADA’s interim vice president Chuck Culver and soon-to-be Vice President Fields for valuing the partnership between the division and Bumpers College.”
A native of France, Meullenet earned a Master of Science in food engineering from the National Superior School of Agronomy and Food Science in Nancy, France, and a doctorate in food science and technology from the University of Georgia. He has published 117 articles in refereed journals and has made more than 150 presentations and advised numerous masters and doctoral students.
Since 2006, Meullenet has held the Tyson Foods Endowed Distinguished Professorship in Sensory Science and is a 2013 graduate of LEAD21, a national leadership program.
To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch.
To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.
About the University of Arkansas
As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Reportranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.
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Media Contact: John Lovett
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
(479) 763-5929
jlovett@uada.edu