Dean of College of Natural Resources Named Interim Provost at Colorado State; Department Chairman is Interim Vice Provost

Colorado State University today announced the selection of Al Dyer, dean of the College of Natural Resources, to serve as interim provost. He will begin his duties in July, when Provost Loren Crabtree leaves the university for a post as provost and senior vice president at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

In addition, Alan Tucker, chairman of the Department of Physiology, was selected as interim vice provost for Faculty Affairs. He replaces Vice Provost Bob Gaines, who died April 29.

"Over the last week, we have suffered the loss of a truly good man and a dear friend, Vice Provost Bob Gaines," said President Albert Yates. "His passing is deeply felt by many of us on a personal level because he was a person we respected and loved.

"I believe, too, that we ought to feel a special pride in noting the caliber of leadership to be found within this institution. These appointments serve as a reminder of the many fine people across our university who dedicate themselves to serving students and the academy in remarkable, and often unsung, ways."

Dyer, who received his doctorate in natural resource economics from Utah State University, joined Colorado State as a professor in 1971. He became head of the university’s department of forest and wood science (now the Department of Forest Sciences) in 1984. He was selected as dean of the College of Natural Resources in 1992.

Tucker began his career at the university in 1979 as an associate professor of physiology and biophysics in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. He became chairman of the of the Department of Physiology in 1985. His doctorate in biology and physiology is from the University of California-Santa Barbara.

"As an institution, there is no greater tribute we can pay to Bob Gaines – and to Loren Crabtree – than to ensure transitional leadership for our academic programs that will be characterized by humanity, experience, integrity and a deep attachment to Colorado State University," Yates said.