UW College of Agriculture Leadership Changes

A longtime member of the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources has been appointed as acting dean of the college, effective immediately.

Kelly Crane takes the reins of the college from Barbara Rasco, who will continue to serve on the faculty in the Department of Animal Science.

“We appreciate Dr. Rasco’s service to the university and the college over the past four years. Much has been accomplished during her time as dean,” Provost and Executive Vice President Kevin Carman says. “We’re grateful that Dr. Crane has agreed to lead this foundational college while we consider the process for selecting a new dean.”

Rasco’s tenure as dean included an academic reconfiguration that brought UW’s programs in the life sciences under the college’s umbrella -- resulting in a change to its name -- with the faculty from the Department of Zoology and Physiology and Department of Botany choosing to move to the reorganized college one year early, in recognition of the inclusive leadership and support for faculty engagement and positive work environment the college was recognized for.

She and her team raised more than $20 million in private support for the college, indicative of the strong support in the community for her vision and the direction and trajectory the college under her leadership. She is widely recognized for her advocacy of access and affordability in higher education and the land-grant mission. She emphasizes community-based applied research, extension and youth development, understanding their importance to the vibrancy of rural communities across Wyoming.

Under her leadership, a new degree program in ranch management and agricultural leadership was launched, in addition to three new bachelor’s degree programs in family and consumer sciences; new professional master’s degree programs for working professionals; and joint programs with UW-Casper, the School of Energy Resources and community colleges. Taking over leadership of the college following significant budget cuts in 2016, Rasco worked to ensure administrative staffing to departments was restored; UW Extension, including 4-H, positions were filled across the state; and a strategic plan for shoring up faculty capacity in key areas was developed.

Crane has served since July 1 as senior associate dean of the college, after leading UW Extension as director since 2019. Before that, he served for nearly a decade as the associate director of UW Extension, after working as an assistant professor and range extension specialist at the University of Idaho. He holds a Ph.D. in rangeland ecology and management and a Master of Science in range management, both from UW.