It didn’t take long for my colleagues in the Michigan State University Extension director’s office to compare notes and realize that their letter of offer included the phrase “… and other duties as assigned.” That clause has been the subject of some well-intentioned joking and well-deserved ribbing. “Other duties as assigned” applies far more frequently than any of them anticipated. Of course the problem is that my colleagues routinely OFFER to take on one of those “other duties”, like chairing an ad hoc committee, writing a position paper or providing leadership for a new initiative.
From my first year in the director’s office, one of those “other duties” people has been Larry Olsen. Early on, Dr. Olsen agreed to leave his post with the MSU Department of Entomology to serve as interim state leader for agriculture. Later, he applied for, and was appointed as the state leader without the interim modifier. We have benefited from his leadership, insight and tremendous work ethic over the past four years, not only in providing leadership for our agriculture Extension programs, but also in taking on local, statewide and national duties. He is the ultimate team player.
About six weeks ago, Dr. Ernest DelFosse, Entomology chair, asked Dr. Olsen to return to his home department to serve as associate department chair. After benefitting from Dr. Olsen’s leadership for four years, it was hard for me to accept that he would leave that role. At the same time, I realized that after all he’s done for MSUE, I need to honor the move that he felt compelled to make at this point in his career. In effect, it was time for me to share Dr. Olsen’s contributions with his home department rather than sequester them for MSUE. And in all honesty, the decision wasn’t really mine to make—it was Dr. Olsen’s.
Dr. Olsen officially began serving as associate chair of Entomology on February 1 and ended his role as MSUE state leader for agriculture on that date. Those of you who have interacted with Dr. Olsen will likely continue to see him at conferences and meetings that involve Integrated Pest Management (IPM), pesticide safety, and more general work related to plant protection.
So I want to say publicly how much I appreciate Dr. Olsen’s work on behalf of MSUE these past four years (and before that as an Extension Specialist), and how much I respect his integrity and commitment to this university. Besides, the truth is that we’ll continue to benefit from his leadership in our IPM program and our Pesticide Applicator Safety program. And wherever he is assigned, I’m confident that Dr. Olsen’s going to find himself doing what he’s done here for four years—contributing considerably to many “other duties as assigned.” Thanks, Larry!
