Station
has traditionally had five faculty
By
TY BEAVER
H&N
Staff Writer
August
24, 2006
Transition is coming to the Klamath Experiment Station.
Officials from Oregon State University will present three candidates for
a cropping systems specialist and extension agent position starting
Monday. The interviews are the first phase of filling three faculty
positions at the station.
Traditionally, the station has five faculty on staff, said Rich Roseberg,
associate professor of crop and soil science. But retirements have led
to four vacant positions in a two-year period.
Retirement fever
Rod Todd, extension agent and forage and hay specialist, retired last
June. Former superintendent, Ken Rykbost, retired several months ago,
and Kerry Locke, horticultural extension agent, retired last month.
Current superintendent Ron Hathaway will retire in December. Each had
been at the station for at least 10 years
and, in one case, 30 years.
Once Hathaway retires, the only faculty left will be Roseberg, who
transferred to the station from Medford.
“I went from the new kid on the block to the old man in two years,”
he said.
OSU plans to fill enough positions to bring the station back to four
full-time faculty, but hasn’t said when the fifth position would be
filled, Roseberg said.
More jobs to fill
After filling the cropping systems position, OSU will search for superintendent
candidates later this fall. A search for a forage and livestock
extension and research agent will begin in the spring.
With fewer faculty, it could become more difficult for the station to
apply and receive grants for its experiments and daily operation,
Roseberg said. While the county is supportive of the station and
provides financial assistance, funding from OSU is getting tighter,
making staff more reliant on grants.
“There’s some tension, there’s some apprehension, but there’s also
some optimism,” he said.
