R. Kent Crookston, has been named dean of the College of Biology and Agriculture. He comes to BYU from the University of Minnesota, where he was director of sustainable agriculture from 1988 to 1992 and head of the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics from 1990 to 1998.

Crookston's research has emphasized both laboratory-based physiology and field-based crop management, primarily of corn and soybeans. His teaching has focused on crop physiology and the use of decision cases in agriculture. From 1984 to 1986 he was resident coordinator for a USAID-sponsored project that oversaw the establishment of an agricultural university in Rabat, Morocco. He has also worked or consulted in France, Ghana, Italy, Mexico, the Philippines, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Senegal, and Rwanda.

Crookston replaces Clayton S. Huber, professor of food science and nutrition, who has returned to full-time teaching and research.