Yale Welcomes Indy Burke
and Bill Lauenroth to F&ES
The F&ES community formally welcomed new Dean Ingrid C. “Indy” Burke during an afternoon reception outside Kroon Hall Monday.
Under a tent in the Kroon courtyard, more than 300 students, faculty, and staff — as well as Yale President Peter Salovey — celebrated the arrival of Burke and her husband, William “Bill” Lauenroth, a professor of ecology who also joins the F&ES faculty.
Burke, the 16th dean in F&ES history, arrived on campus Oct. 3.
Under a tent in the Kroon courtyard, more than 300 students, faculty, and staff — as well as Yale President Peter Salovey — celebrated the arrival of Burke and her husband, William “Bill” Lauenroth, a professor of ecology who also joins the F&ES faculty.
Burke, the 16th dean in F&ES history, arrived on campus Oct. 3.
Photo by Brittany Whiteman
Yale President Peter Salovey with F&ES Dean Ingrid C. “Indy” Burke
View photos
During the reception, Burke described her first week at Yale as “a whirlwind,” including numerous introductory meetings with members of the F&ES community, a breakfast with students, public talks, a trip to Yale Myers Forest, and her first F&ES reunion weekend.
In those meetings with students, faculty, staff, and alumni, Burke said, she has already identified some themes reoccurring themes — and a “hunger for change.”
“Even though I’ve only been here a week, I feel I’ve been given a mandate from faculty, students, and alumni towards working with you to develop strategic foci on enhancing our community, diversity, and interdisciplinarity,” she told the crowd.
“I’ll spend a lot more time with you in the coming weeks and we’re going to work together to create a process by which we can do that. We’ll work together, all of us, to identify our shared visions and directions, be clear about how each one of us contributes to the shared vision, and identify our clear goals, steps, and metrics of success toward that vision.
She added: “I’ll be here working alongside of you, and I promise to be transparent and inclusive. I’m so pleased to be a part of the community.”
Burke, an ecosystem ecologist, is former dean of the University of Wyoming’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, one of the leading institutions in the western U.S. for research, teaching, and outreach on natural resource issues.
During the reception, Burke described her first week at Yale as “a whirlwind,” including numerous introductory meetings with members of the F&ES community, a breakfast with students, public talks, a trip to Yale Myers Forest, and her first F&ES reunion weekend.
In those meetings with students, faculty, staff, and alumni, Burke said, she has already identified some themes reoccurring themes — and a “hunger for change.”
“Even though I’ve only been here a week, I feel I’ve been given a mandate from faculty, students, and alumni towards working with you to develop strategic foci on enhancing our community, diversity, and interdisciplinarity,” she told the crowd.
“I’ll spend a lot more time with you in the coming weeks and we’re going to work together to create a process by which we can do that. We’ll work together, all of us, to identify our shared visions and directions, be clear about how each one of us contributes to the shared vision, and identify our clear goals, steps, and metrics of success toward that vision.
She added: “I’ll be here working alongside of you, and I promise to be transparent and inclusive. I’m so pleased to be a part of the community.”
Burke, an ecosystem ecologist, is former dean of the University of Wyoming’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, one of the leading institutions in the western U.S. for research, teaching, and outreach on natural resource issues.
Photo by Brittany Whiteman
Students perform a choreagraphed rap about the sassafras tree during a welcome reception for new F&ES Dean Indy Burke and Prof. William Lauenroth.
– Kevin Dennehy kevin.dennehy@yale.edu 203 436-4842
PUBLISHED: October 12, 2016
Note: Yale School of the Environment (YSE) was formerly known as the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES). News articles posted prior to July 1, 2020, refer to the School's name at that time.
