Clay Mathis, Ph.D., has been named the brand new head of the Division of Animal Science, making a return to the Texas A&M Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, starting Oct. 1.
Mathis, a local of New Braunfels, isn’t any stranger to the division as he earned each his bachelor’s in animal science in 1993 and his grasp’s in physiology of copy in 1995 at Texas A&M College. He earned his doctorate in ruminant diet in 1998 at Kansas State College.
He’s returning to guide the group of school and employees to make sure the animal science division stays one of the vital impactful animal science our bodies of scholars and school on the earth, internationally famend for excellence in animal science instructing, analysis and extension.
“We’re very excited to deliver Dr. Mathis and his skillset as an educator, researcher and administrator to the Division of Animal Science,” stated Jeffrey W. Savell, Ph.D., vice chancellor and dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences. “His management shall be essential as Texas A&M continues because the preeminent chief in animal science schooling and analysis, nationally and internationally.”
A imaginative and prescient of worldwide management
Mathis stated he appears ahead to working with the division’s world-class school to make sure that Texas A&M College is dwelling to essentially the most fashionable animal science division on the earth.
“I’m excited concerning the alternative for the division to be much more impactful as we glance into the long run,” Mathis stated.
Mathis stated his imaginative and prescient for the division consists of being the primary alternative of potential undergraduate and graduate animal science college students in search of one of the best animal science schooling, and of employers in search of the brightest and best-prepared animal science graduates.
“Additionally, we should be referred to as the nation’s pioneer in fundamental and utilized animal science analysis and essentially the most trusted, legitimate supply of knowledge for livestock producers and policymakers,” he stated.
As division head, Mathis stated he is aware of one of many best keys to attaining success for the division is the empowerment of the school. In what he considers to be one of the vital necessary elements of his function, he plans to guide, encourage, recruit and help departmental school and employees as they work each day to additional the mission and imaginative and prescient of Texas A&M College and Texas A&M AgriLife.
“Excellence in instructing, analysis and extension can solely be achieved when school and employees are engaged, outfitted, aligned and supported,” he stated. “I’ve realized the significance of, and located success by, cultivating a tradition of excessive however affordable expectations, trustworthy suggestions, life steadiness, mutual respect and real belief, which has yielded a really excessive stage of school and employees group dedication and extraordinary group outcomes.”
From specialist, to professor, to administrator
Since 2010, Mathis has served as a professor and the Robert J. Kleberg Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Endowed Chair and director on the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Administration at Texas A&M College-Kingsville. Previous to that, he spent 12 years at New Mexico State College as an Extension livestock specialist.
Mathis’ analysis and Extension program at New Mexico State College centered on administration practices that enhance post-weaning well being amongst beef calves originating within the Southwest, taking a look at every thing from the forages and byproduct feedstuffs to vaccinations, weaning stress and preconditioning results on lifetime efficiency. Extra lately, his focus has been on ranching programs administration, with specific emphasis on elements driving success within the cow-calf sector of the enterprise.
On the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Administration, he expanded the institute’s mission to incorporate analysis, hiring the primary analysis scientist and establishing a doctoral coaching program in addition to two endowed school positions.
Whereas there, he additionally maintained and developed the curriculum for the Grasp of Science in Ranch Administration program, which graduated 39 college students throughout his tenure. These college students at present handle over 100,000 cows and 770 horses on 7.5 million acres of ranchland and wildlife habitat throughout 13 states.
He additionally led his graduate college students and school to finish greater than 120 service-learning tasks offering manufacturing and enterprise administration suggestions to greater than 50 partnering ranches in North and South America.
Mathis is vice-chair of the Nationwide Cattlemen’s Beef Affiliation Beef High quality Assurance Advisory Group and a co-chair of the College of Nebraska-Lincoln Beef Improvements Hub Exterior Advisory Board. As well as, he was a constitution member of the board of administrators for the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and has served on quite a few committees inside the American Society of Animal Science.
He’s additionally a member of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Affiliation, American Quarter Horse Affiliation, CattleFax, the American Registry of Skilled Animal Scientists, the International Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and the Texas Wildlife Affiliation.
