Ronald L. Hendrick
Class Year: 2018
County: Jackson
Title: Dean, Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Bio:“Beyond the practical skills I gained, my club activities helped teach me persistence, the importance of teamwork and the value of mentoring and helping others. I’ve employed those skills throughout my professional life, including in my current role. I also benefitted from being in groups that included people from a variety of backgrounds, skill sets and interests. Again, those are all things that have helped me throughout my life. They’ve definitely helped me be a more effective leader by learning to value those differences, and bring them together in ways that benefit the greater good, and help people stretch and grow.”
Ronald L. Hendrick was appointed dean of the Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) in 2016. He previously served as interim vice president for agricultural administration and interim dean for the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the Ohio State University (OSU). Prior to that, he was senior associate dean and director of the OSU School of Environment and Natural Resources. Dean Hendrick started his career at the University of Georgia (UGA), where he was associate dean for academic affairs in the D.B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. He was also graduate program coordinator for UGA’s School of Forestry and a founding co-director of the Consortium for Accelerated Pine Productivity Studies. He earned his bachelor and doctoral degrees from MSU in forestry and forest ecology, in 1986 and 1992, respectively. He was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska–Fairbanks from 1992 to 1993.
Hendrick is committed to providing philanthropic support to Michigan 4-H and his alma mater, MSU. He provides personal gifts and is a lead donor to both the MSU CANR and Michigan 4-H’s Day of Giving campaigns held on Giving Tuesday each year. Growing up as a Jackson County 4-H member, Hendrick exhibited many woodworking and leather craft projects and served as an officer in his 4-H club.