Clemson names agriculture, forestry and natural resources division chairmen

Published: September 17, 2012

Thomas Dobbins image by: Clemson University

CLEMSON — Thomas Dobbins and Greg Yarrow have been named division chairmen in Clemson University’s School of Agricultural, Forest, and Environmental Sciences (SAFES).  Dobbins will chair the Agriculture Division and Yarrow will chair the Forestry and Natural Resources Division. 

“Tom and Greg are first-rate professors and scholars who have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to fulfilling Clemson’s land-grant mission of teaching, research and Extension," said Patricia Layton, director of SAFES. "I am confident they will apply the same sustained passion and leadership to ensure that Clemson continues its tradition of educating the next generation of agriculture and natural resource industry leaders and performing groundbreaking research."

Dobbins has been at Clemson 26 years. He has served as agricultural education program director and been professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering since 1999. He is editor of the Journal of Career and Technical Education.

His research interests include pre-service and in-service teacher/extension education preparation and the integration of math and science into the secondary agriculture curriculum. Dobbins also has worked as dairy extension associate in Clemson’s department of animal and veterinary sciences and dairy extension agent for the South Carolina Piedmont District. He won the 2005 Cooperative Extension Superior Service Award.

During Yarrow’s 24 years at Clemson, he has taught in the areas of wildlife management and ecology and wildlife damage management and he has performed extensive research in the fields of integrated farm and forestland wildlife management and in human-wildlife conflicts.

His Extension responsibilities include development and delivery of educational programs in wildlife conservation in managed systems, mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts through wildlife damage-management techniques and maintenance and enhancement of biodiversity in managed landscapes. He has won numerous Clemson teaching awards, including the 2010 Outstanding Teaching Award, 2008 Distinguished Public Service Award, and several faculty excellence awards.

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School of Agricultural, Forest, and Environmental Sciences
Clemson University’s School of Agricultural, Forest, and Environmental Sciences (SAFES) prepares students for careers and performs innovative research in areas that are critical to the economic and environmental health of South Carolina, the nation and the world. SAFES offers eight undergraduate majors and five graduate majors in a range of disciplines, including agricultural mechanization and business, environmental and natural resources, forest resource management, soils and sustainable crop systems, entomology, horticulture, and wildlife and fisheries biology.