Released: October 17, 2001

Note to media: If you’d like to obtain a picture of Forrest Chumley, please contact Pat Melgares at 785-532-1160, or pmelgare@oznet.ksu.edu. 

Chumley Named K-State’s New Associate Director of Research

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- As an industry research professional, a practical perspective can be gained from experience, as in the case of Forrest Chumley, who was recently appointed to head research activities for Kansas State University Research and Extension.

At right: Forrest Chumley, the new Associate Director of Research for K-State Research and Extension. (Photo by Lucas Shivers)

Chumley, who assumed duties as Associate Director of Research on Oct. 1, said he plans to broaden a targeted partnership vision.

"I have always been impressed with the way K-Staters work together with a sense of purpose," Chumley said. "I look forward to working with deans and department heads to find new ways to add to our research portfolio and foster collaborations between inter-disciplinary connections."

Chumley’s prime responsibility will include administrating and managing research programs in agriculture and related sciences. Prior to his K-State appointment, Chumley served as manager of biotechnology partnerships and alliances for the DuPont Agricultural Enterprise, which includes Pioneer Hi-Bred International.

The integrated research approach has revolutionized the historic land-grant system by consolidating basic components, Chumley said. These partnerships advance research with a united front of academia, industry, and government.

"K-State has the first and greatest responsibility to add to the common storehouse of knowledge and education for the public," Chumley said. "There is not a greater resource than a well-educated society."

Making practical use of research without compromising core missions of any involved entity is a constant goal, he said. The first step in attracting partners involves crafting an initial agreement with terms both can rely upon.

"I want to position K-State competitively to do everything it can to attract industry partners," Chumley said. "We have to be alert and responsive to the needs on both sides in striking an accurate image and reputation."

There are many levels of working together in sponsored research. The range of operational control depends on the purpose of the project.

"Partnerships are a valuable way to fully exploit research and test more ideas more quickly," Chumley said. "They make the whole discovery process more dynamic."

K-State has previously established many beneficial partnerships, so the concept is not fundamentally new. He said he hopes to push it further in the right direction.

"I have an understanding of what companies are looking for in a research partnership," Chumley said. "These partnerships are important and central to a company’s business strategy. There are simply not enough hands in industry alone to get enough use of research."

Ensuring all partners are appropriately rewarded for their work is another important aspect.

"While most new technology originates in universities, we have to credit partners in some way," he said. "That is the beauty of patents and licensing in striking the right balance between the ‘need to cooperate’ and the ‘need to compete.’"

With proper management and aligned priorities, cooperative research with commercial partners will not compromise core academic values, Chumley said.

"K-State will simply not become a contract sponsor research lab," he said. "Land-grant universities are much, much more and play a critically important role to the state, nation and world."

In a golden age of agricultural research, Chumley said future possibilities are practically endless. Biotechnology, the catch-all term for many aspects of modern biological research, is on the forefront of genetic advancement of crops and livestock. The potential for value-added commodities with less inputs is also coming to age. Facing the challenge of supplying the world with an abundant, plentiful and cheap food market is another goal.

"Chumley has a mature vision for the future of agricultural sciences and has the experience in research management that has served a major industrial agricultural establishment well," said Marc Johnson, director of Research and Extension and dean of the College of Agriculture. "Agricultural research in industry has grown much more rapidly than that in the public sector and we look forward to bringing his research management expertise to the university."

Chumley succeeds George Ham, who retired Aug. 4 after a 22-year career at K-State. Ham served as agronomy department head from 1980 to 1989, before taking over as associate director of research in 1989. He administered a budget of more than $50 million by working with 300 scientists in 22 K-State departments, six K-State Research and Extension centers and nine experiment fields.

Chumley is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University. He earned a molecular biology doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley, with a research specialty in microbial genetics. Barbara Valent, Chumley’s wife, will join the faculty of the plant pathology department to continue her research in genetic disease resistance.

"We were contacted by several colleagues in the field who made us aware of the opportunities at K-State even before we found the published open position," he said. "We had both been aware of the science developed at K-State and look forward to finding our place in it."

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Lucas Shivers, Communications Assistant
lshivers@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News