June 23, 2005
Winters to lead department on interim basis
Todd A. Winters
The appointment requires ratification by the SIU Board of Trustees.
"Todd has a strong record in teaching, research and outreach," said Gary L. Minish, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences.
"He's bright, talented, highly qualified and well thought of, with strong support from the faculty, staff, college and University administrators."
As part of the search for a new chair, the department likely will conduct a needs assessment before writing the job description, Minish said.
"We won't just dust off the old one," he said. "We will need to look ahead in determining where we want the department to go in the next five to 10 years before we can find someone to take us there."
Because of new statewide initiatives emphasizing the livestock industry, health and tourism, Minish expects a good crop of candidates.
"This is a unique department with its combination of animal science, food, nutrition and hospitality specialties," he said.
"It has good potential for growth and will play an important leadership role in responding to those initiatives."
Winters, who joined the department in 1994, maintains research ties with SIUC's Center for Excellence in Soybean Research, Teaching and Outreach and with its Meyers Institute for Interdisciplinary Research in Organic and Medicinal Chemistry. His work, supported by more than $3 million in grants over the last 10 years, focuses on how selective estrogen receptor modulators work and their effects on both animal production and human health. He has received three patents related to his research.
Winters teaches animal physiology, growth and development; mammalian endocrinology; reproductive physiology; lactation physiology and agricultural biotechnology. He has served as a mentor or supervisor for 30 undergraduate researchers, 14 graduate students and seven post-doctoral researchers.
His memberships include the American Society of Animal Science, the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research and the Society for the Study of Reproduction.
A native of Washington, he earned his bachelor's in 1983 from Washington State University, his master's in 1985 from Purdue University and his doctorate in 1992 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He had a two-year post-doctorate fellowship at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
Providing for succession at every level is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint for the development of the University by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019.